Taipei is home to Ximending  西門町 , a neighbourhood and shopping district in the Wanhua District 萬華區 of  Taipei. In the 1930s, Ximending became a well known theatre street in Taipei. At one point there were over ten theatres on Wuchang Street Section 1. In the 1990s the area began to lose business as Taipei City developed away from Ximending. A pedestrian area was created in 1999, prohibiting motor vehicles on weekends and national holidays. This move attracted young shoppers and business began to return to the area.  Today there are over 20 theatres and over 6000 venders. It is a popular area for small concerts, album launches, and street performances.  The area around the Red House Theatre is considered the centre of Taipei's LGBTQ culture. Ximending has featured prominently in Taiwan Pride marches and parades.  Ximending is home to several historical sites including the Mazu Temple  西門町媽祖廟 . Mazu is a sea goddess in Chinese folk religion, Chinese Buddhis...

A beautiful meet-up card from Chengdu on 21 September 2021. All the participants used an ink stamp to sign their names. They are all beautiful.  Chengdu  成都市  is the largest city in Sichuan Province at almost 21 million people. It is considered a Beta + City by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. That means it is considered to be a city that links moderate economic regions to the world economy. North American cities that are considered Beta + include Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Washington, DC, and Vancouver.  The economy of Chengdu is diverse and the Sichuan Airport is one of the 30 busiest in the world. It is also considered one of the most liveable cities in China. The Western Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army is stationed here. UNESCO recognized Chengdu as a "City of Gastronomy."Giant pandas are native to the area and the city is home to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.  Chengdu is one of the world's top 4...