Taipei is not the best place to buy brand names or jewellery. That said, visitors will not lack choice. Large, Japanese-style shopping malls pepper the city. Top shopping streets are Zhongxiao East Road, Section 4, the Xinyi shopping mallcomplex on Sungshou Road, near the Warner Village cinema, and Zhongshan North Road, Sections 2 and 3 in downtown Taipei.

Ximending (Ximen MRT station) in western Taipei, and the Shilin Night Market (Jiantan MRT station) are popular places for students to buy hip T-shirts and stylish accessories.

The Guanghua market located at the intersections of Bade Road and Jinshan South Road near the intersection of Zhongxiao East Road, Section 1 (the three streets narrow to a triangle), is the place to look for used computers and computer games. Choose carefully, however, since many software programs are in fact pirated and are riddled with bugs. Ditto for CDs and tapes.

On weekends, Taipei's most popular pedestrian venues are the adjacent jade and flower markets, both of which are located under the Jianguo South Road expressway and bisectioned by Renai Road, Section 2. The flower market is a notable favourite with its endless parade of blooming plants and cut flowers, while the jade market offers simple knick-knacks. Unless you know what you are buying, avoid purchasing the more expensive pieces.

Dihua Street in far western Taipei, runs through a historic district best known for its food wholesale shops. The most interesting parts in terms of shopping lie between Minquan West Road and Nanjing West Road. Shoppers can feel free to sample the dried squid, pork and beef or pistachios, dried fruit and nuts on display. The street is absolutely heaving in the weeks leading up to Chinese New Year, which generally falls four to six weeks after Western New Year.