The town surrounding this market was, after the war, settled by soldiers and their families who had come from the border region between Yunnan and Burma. After…
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The town surrounding this market was, after the war, settled by soldiers and their families who had come from the border region between Yunnan and Burma.
After the Chinese Civil War, part of the Nationalist army crossed the border from China's Yunnan Province into Burma — what is now northern Myanmar — and continued fighting there. In the 1950s and 1960s, some of these soldiers were relocated to Taiwan. The village built in Pingzhen, Taoyuan, became known as Zhongzhen New Village.
Walking through the market, you'll notice characters rarely seen in other markets in Taiwan: migan (rice noodles) and wandoufen (pea jelly noodles). These are dishes from the border region of Yunnan, Burma, and northern Thailand.
Among the families who came with the soldiers were people from Yunnan's ethnic minorities, as well as those born in villages along the border. The flavors of their kitchens were the very essence of that borderland itself.
In this area, festivals are also held celebrating border cuisine, migan among them.
The breakfasts of those who crossed the border still rise in steam over this market today.
