Kanziding Commercial District generally refers to the section of Xiaoyi Road and Xiaoer Road, and can be divided into two distinct commercial areas. The Xiaoyi Road section is home to Keelung City's traditional fish market. Every morning, while most people are still sound asleep, fishmongers from northern Taiwan and gourmets who love fresh seafood flock to this area. The entire fish market is bustling with activity, and the sounds of vendors calling out their wares demonstrate the power and energy of a traditional market. Kanziding Fish Market boasts a wide variety of seafood, making it the wholesale market in Taiwan with the most diverse range of catches. Here, you can buy the freshest catch, freshly caught, at prices that are incredibly cheap compared to other markets, attracting many tourists from out of town who come specifically to snag these affordable and fresh catches.
Located near Keelung Harbor and adjacent to the Asahikawa River, Kanziding was an important area for fishermen along the northern coast to purchase daily necessities, and gradually developed into a fish market. In the early days, fishermen handed over their catch directly to fishmongers, who would then sort the catch and pack it into baskets for auction. At the fish market, around 2 or 3 a.m., the fishmongers would begin preparing for the auction, using the previous day's transaction price as the starting price and gradually increasing the price until a buyer decided to purchase. The fish auction activities continued until 6 or 7 a.m., creating the unique "city that never sleeps" landscape of Kanziding and becoming one of Keelung's distinctive industries, forming a unique phenomenon in Taiwan.
Arriving at Kanziding Fish Market is like arriving at a small fishing port, except that the fishing boats used for replenishing fish have now been replaced by trucks carrying fish from the port! In the early morning, there are few people and cars in Keelung City, but Xiaoyi Road is exceptionally lively, looking like a brightly lit night market from afar.
Another section of Xiao Er Road is lined with famous consignment shops. In the past, since Taiwanese people did not often travel abroad, consignment shops became the best place for many people to buy imported goods. Although the opening of overseas tourism may have made this place less prosperous, many customers still come here to select boutique department stores, which keeps the street bustling and preserves many nostalgic feelings of Keelung's early prosperity.