Shenkeng Old Street

Date CapturedJune 18th, 2018 at 06:14 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 5.6Shutter Speed1/125 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO100Exposure Value11.9 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Shenkeng Old Street runs roughly 300 meters along the north bank of Jingmei River (景美溪) in Shenkeng, New Taipei. Originally settled during the late Qing dynasty, Shenkeng was an important stop on the Tamsui-Kavalan Trails linking Taipei with Yilan. Tea and other goods carried down from the surrounding hills were traded at the riverside market and loaded onto boats bound for Bangka, making Shenkeng the transshipment point for much of the mountains southeast of Taipei Basin. Its arcaded shophouses date to the street rectification program (市區改正) of 1915; road and rail construction displaced the river trade after the war, and the town lapsed into obscurity until a restoration completed in 2012 and the opening of National Freeways 3 and 5 brought weekend crowds from Taipei, drawn by the tofu for which Shenkeng is now known.