Zhongshan District is an administrative district of Taipei City, named after Sun Yat-sen, better known in Chinese as "Sun Zhongshan".
Economy
In the 1970s, the district was recognized as the center of the city's tourist industry, with large hotels and international restaurants. The interest from tourists allowed the district to develop as a center of international business. In recent decades, the district's economy and its population have both contracted, due in part to the decentralisation of industrial and manufacturing activities. Parts of Taipei's "financial core" have been moved to other districts. Between 1991 and 1996, the district lost 2,600 jobs while the rest of Taipei experienced increased jobs growth. Between 1991 and 1999, the district's population decreased by more than 21,000, accounting for 27.6% of Taipei's total population decrease during that period. According to some economists, the decrease in population and jobs allowed an informal sex industry to thrive in the district leading to an increased crime rate. Tatung Company, PXmart, and Uni Air have their headquarters in the district. The Taiwanese subsidiary of American Megatrends, AMI Taiwan, is headquartered in Zhongshan District.
The northernmost part of Zhongshan District is known as. The former ROC PresidentChiang Ching-kuo lived here at the Seven Seas Residence. In this region, there is also the Dominican International School, which is a private English languageCatholic school serving kindergarten to high school. Taipei's equivalent to "Little Manila" lies in the Zhongshan District in the region near St. Christopher's Church. Every Sunday, many Filipino domestic workers and laborers attend mass at the church and relax around the surrounding Filipino grocery stores and eateries. The Zhongshan District is also home to a number of wedding photo shops particularly along the 2nd and 3rd sections of Zhongshan North Road. Access to this district by transit is very convenient with 6 Taipei Metro stations. Also a number of new stations are under construction as part of Phase 2 of the Taipei Metro expansion plan. Like the rest of Taipei City, Zhongshan District is serviced by an extensive public bus system that supplements the Taipei Metro. Also, numerous private bus companies operate buses into this district to other parts of Taiwan such as Taoyuan City and Kaohsiung.
On a historical note, Zhongshan North Road, which crosses the district was often used by Chiang Kai-shek to get to his home in Shilin. All traffic was stopped when this occurred as everybody had to salute the leader. Military police during martial law often lined the street as this road was used by numerous political and military leaders, some of which stayed at the Grand Hotel in Yuanshan. Zhongshan Road, along with Zhongxiao Road, denote the compass directions of roads in Taipei City. For instance, when Zhongshan South Rd intersects with Zhongxiao Road, it becomes Zhongshan North Road. Similarly, When Zhongxiao West Road intersects with Zhongshan Road, it becomes Zhongxiao East Road. This methodology can be applied for most roads in Taipei City. Zhongshan District is served by many stations of the Taipei Metro.
