TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei City Council’s Finance and Construction Committee visited Nanmen Market (南門市場) on Wednesday (May 23), per Liberty Times to inspect a new building that will soon house Nanmen Market.

The building is expected to obtain an operating license on May 30, with trial market operations beginning on Aug. 10. Full operations are slated for Sept. 23.

The old building that once housed Nanmen Market was closed in 2019 because it didn’t comply with updated earthquake-resistant design regulations. Additionally, chloride ion content in the concrete was deemed excessive, potentially damaging reinforcing steel and weakening the building.

Prior to shutting down, Nanmen Market had 257 stalls. A similar number are expected to open in the new building and vendors have been offering councilors suggestions such as the height of overhead air ducts for the installation of refrigerators.

DPP Taipei City Councilor Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) said Nanmen Market will become an important tourist landmark upon completion. Wu also suggested that signage should be multilingual, reflecting the many tourist nationalities attracted to the market.

Meanwhile, independent Taipei City Councilor Lin Liang-chun (林亮君) said the needs of stalls should have been considered before constructing the facility, potentially saving some of the money needed to make adjustments later.

Taipei City Department of Rapid Transit Engineering Department said the basement level MRT corridor connecting Nanmen Market includes power supply facilities and has yet to pass fire inspections.

The new building housing the Nanmen Market will include a fresh food area on B1, with the first floor being a retail area, and the second floor a department store-type food area. The total area is 7,452 square meters, and the average usable area of each stall is 10.5 square meters.

Nanmen Market is a traditional public market with a long history, moving indoors into a building in 1981. Many Taipei citizens have fond memories of this market which has operated for 40 years and is famed for foods like beef jerky and pastries as well as seasonal fare such as zongzi.

During construction, stalls once housed in Nanmen Market were relocated to Hangzhou South Road from 2019-2023.