瞎逛沒落的崛江商圈 / Strolling through the forgotten Juejiang shopping district

多年前，我去高雄遊玩時，當地的朋友就帶我去新崛江商圈，他說該商圈是高雄人氣最高的地方，高雄的年輕人都去那邊吃喝玩樂，等同於是台北的西門町，既然有新崛江商圈，那是不是有個舊崛江商圈，沒錯，您猜對了，還真的有這個地方，它在高雄鹽埕區，網路上說，在一場世紀大火後，整個商圈就沒落了，這次，我還特別安排時間來這裡看看，我所不知道的高雄角落。

我循著 Google 地圖一路找來，當我看到崛江商場的招牌時，真有點嚇一大跳，因為真的非常不熱鬧，不過倒也不意外，一路走來，店家很少，有的話，那些店面也是老老舊舊的，大多是三十多年前的裝潢風格或沒裝潢，不過，既然都來到了，還是要好好看一下。

網路上說，這裡在日治時期是高雄最大且最早的商圈，只要是假日便吸引各地人潮湧進，人們會逛街、買布、做西服、選購舶來精品，甚至還有高雄「銀座」的別名，當我最進陰暗的商圈內時，發現還是有不少店家有開門做生意，每間販售的商品都很有特色，可能是店家的裝潢吧，懷舊的氛圍非常濃厚，很多家服飾店，賣的都是爺爺奶奶會喜歡的樣式及顏色，但是對年輕人而言，絕對會覺得老派，對！老派用來形容這個商圈，真是再適合也不過了。

不過，我發現這裡也進駐一些文青小店，這些小店的裝潢幾乎走的就是復古風，只要把原本的老宅整理一下，就可以開店做生意了，而賣的商品就比較會受到年輕人注意，此外，鹽埕區號稱有不少在地美食，不但便宜又好吃，但是，我在商圈內走了幾圈，並沒有看到有在排隊的店家，看來，還是要循著美食地圖，直接去店家品嚐，不過，這次瞎逛這個商圈，也算是解鎖我的一個人生成就吧。

A few years ago, when I visited Kaohsiung, a local friend took me to the Xinjuejiang shopping district. He said it was the most popular hangout spot in the city—basically Kaohsiung’s version of Taipei’s Ximending. It was where all the young people went to eat, shop, and have fun. And since there’s a “New Juejiang”, I wondered if there was an “Old Juejiang” too. Turns out, I was right—there actually is! It’s located in Yancheng District, and according to what I read online, the area fell into decline after a massive fire years ago. So this time around, I made sure to carve out some time to explore this lesser-known corner of Kaohsiung.

I followed Google Maps all the way there, and when I saw the sign for the Juejiang Market, I was honestly kind of shocked because it was way quieter than I expected. But then again, I wasn’t entirely surprised either. Along the way, there were barely any open shops. The ones that were still running looked really old, some with no real renovations or still stuck in a style from over 30 years ago. Still, since I was already there, I figured I might as well take a proper look around.

I read online that back in the Japanese colonial era, this place used to be Kaohsiung’s biggest and oldest commercial district. On weekends, people from all over would come here to shop, buy fabrics, get custom suits, or pick out imported goods. It was even nicknamed the “Ginza of Kaohsiung”. As I walked deeper into the now-dimly lit arcade, I noticed that some shops were still open for business, each one selling something unique. Maybe it’s the decor, but the retro vibe in this place is really strong. A lot of the clothing stores sold items that looked like something my grandparents might wear—old-school styles and colors. For younger people, it’d probably come across as totally outdated. And honestly, “old-fashioned” might be the most fitting way to describe this place.

That said, I did see a few hipster-style shops popping up here and there. Most of them embraced the vintage look—basically taking over old houses, doing a bit of refurbishing, and turning them into small, artsy stores. The products they sell definitely seem more appealing to younger customers. Also, Yancheng is known for having some amazing local eats—cheap and delicious. But as I walked around the market, I didn’t see any long lines at the food stalls. Maybe I need to rely on a food map and go straight to the popular spots next time. Still, wandering through this forgotten part of town felt like checking off a little personal achievement.

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