Datong District or Tatung is a district of Taipei City, Taiwan. It is located between the Taipei MetroRed Line and eastern shore of the Tamsui River, and between Civic Boulevard and the Sun Yat-sen Freeway. The southern part of this area used to be the site of Twatutia, one of the first settlements in what is now Taipei and for a time the area's commercial center.[1] Taipei's commercial center has since shifted south east to Zhongzheng, Da'an and Xinyi, and Datong is far less important economically. One of the last vestiges of Twatutia's commercial importance disappeared with the closing of the Chien-Cheng Circle in 2006. The north was the site of the village of Daronpon.
History
During the Qing Dynasty, the district was named Daronpon (Chinese: 大浪泵; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tōa-lông-pōng), Paronpon, and other variants, but was renamed Toaliongtong (大隆同; Toā-liông-tông) in 1844. Following the Second Opium War, a port was opened in Twatutia for international trade. Foreign trade resulted in the economic development of the district.
In 1946, the district's name was changed to Tatung (大同), which means "Great Unity", the Confucian notion of utopia which is in the lyrics of the National Anthem of the Republic of China. In 1990, the district merged with neighboring Jiancheng and Yanping Districts to create today's enlarged Datong District.[1] The spelling became "Datong" due to switching to the PinyinChinese romanization system.
Administrative divisions
The district consists of Bao'an, Dayou, Guangneng, Guoqing, Guoshun, Jiangong, Jianming, Jiantai, Jingxing, Laoshi, Linjiang, Longhe, Minquan, Nanfang, Penglai, Shuanglian, Siwen, Xingming, Yangya, Yanping, Yongle, Yuquan, Zhaoyang, Zhisheng and Zhongqing Village.
It is most notable for its Japanese period and Qing period architecture, especially along Dihua Street. It is also famous for the Dihua (Tihua) Street Market during the Lunar New Year holidays. The market sells dried fruits, nuts, dried meats, dried seafood, snacks, and health drinks.[1]