This guide will help you decide whether to visit the Jianguo Jade and Flower Weekend Markets, along with the Artist’s Corner. Read on to learn more.
I often visit the Jianguo markets when I’m nearby. It’s a good way to spend 30 minutes. I want to help you decide if they’re worth visiting.
Are the Jianguo Markets Worth Visiting?
If you’re a tourist looking to buy real jade, the Jianguo Jade Market is the best place to visit. The flower market is better for locals or expats, as travelers can’t take plants home. The Artist’s Corner offers nice trinkets, but they’re often overpriced.
Check out my Taiwan souvenirs guide before buying anything from these markets.
At the Jade Market, many vendors spoke some English (kind of). Many of them had scripts to respond to English questions.
How to Get to the Jianguo Market
The Artist’s Corner, Jianguo Flower Market, and the Jade Market are all next to each other. You can cross through one to reach the others or go around the buildings and intersections.
The easiest way to get there is by taking the Taipei MRT Red Line to Da’an Park Station.
From there, walk two minutes east along Sec. 3 Xinyi Rd. toward Jianguo S. Rd.
See this guide for more information on Taipei’s metro system.
If you’re closer and registered for Taiwan’s YouBike service, renting a bike and riding to Jianguo is also a good option.
Here are nearby YouBike docks:
You can also take a bus to the Renai & Jianguo Intersection station. The bus you take will depend on your location.
I recommend downloading Bus+ and combining it with Google/Apple Maps. That’ll help you navigate Taiwan’s bus system.
What Will You Find in the Jianguo Jade Market?
The Jade Market has more than 800 vendors selling items like:
- Gemstones
- Jade
- Antiques
- Accessories
- Pearls
- Coral reefs
Jade is the item of choice here. This is Taiwan’s largest wholesale market, offering the most variety. Most vendors price the jade reasonably, considering its value.
How Much is Jade at Jianguo?
Fake jade items can cost up to NT$800. I was quoted this price for a fake bracelet.
Store owners will tell you if the jade is fake. Some people prefer to look like they own jade without paying for the real thing.
For real jade, expect to pay these ranges:
- Imperial jadeite: $1,000 – $20,000 per carat
- Nephrite: $5 – $150 per carat
- Lavender jadeite: $10 – $10,000
Imperial jadeite is the most translucent. Lavender is a popular color, and nephrite is the most common type.
These prices are general worldwide averages to give you an idea.
The highest price I saw was around NT$30,000. A pair of small earrings cost around NT$2,000, and I got a quote of NT$3,000 for a small bracelet.
A pair of super small earrings can cost you around NT$2,000. I got a NT$3,000 quote for a somewhat small bracelet.
Don’t try to haggle with the vendors unless you speak Mandarin or Taiwanese. Otherwise, you won’t have much leverage in negotiations.
Knowing the language will give you more flexibility regarding what you can say. It’ll also impress the vendors since you know the language.
Why is jade from Taiwan special?
It’s special for jade because of its location near a convergent boundary [1].
How Do You Know if You’re Buying Fake Jade?
In my experience, shop owners were upfront about real and fake jade. From what I know about jade, they were honest. I’m also sure there would have been scandals by now.
Real jade feels cold to the touch and will have some imperfections.
Here’s a video I found that does a great job in explaining how to identify real jade:
I watched it before asking vendors how they could prove their jade was real. I compared their answers to what I learned in the video or articles. If their response was close enough, I trusted them.
If not, I moved to the next stand.
There isn’t much else to do in the Jade Market except browse and shop.
Once you’re done, you can head to the flower market.
What’s There to Do in the Jianguo Holiday Flower Market?
Only visit the flower market if you enjoy browsing different plants. As a tourist, you likely can’t take any plants home, but you may find garden charms as souvenirs.
You could also use this visit to buy gifts for a host, colleague, or someone special. The plants are affordable, and vendors don’t inflate prices.
A few vendors sell fresh drinks and sometimes popcorn. Otherwise, you’ll need to visit nearby restaurants for food.
Afterward, you might want to explore the art market.
What’s There to Do at the Artist’s Corner?
The Artist’s Corner is a great place to find handmade wall art, accessories, pottery, and more. Many souvenirs here are more affordable than at the Jade Market, and they can be taken on planes (unlike plants from the flower market).
There isn’t much else to do here.
What’s There to Do Nearby?
| Destination | Description | Average Time Spent There |
|---|---|---|
| Daan Forest Park | Giant park | 1 – 2 hrs |
Daan is a great place to visit on a nice day (duh). But there isn’t much to do there. It’s a park.
Otherwise:
Jianguo isn’t the most convenient destination regarding walkability. It’s a more than 25-minute walk from the “nearest” tourist spots like Yongkang Street and Huashan 1914 Creative Park.
If it’s a nice day, I’d recommend renting a YouBike and heading to either spot. From there, you can head to places close to those spots.
For instance, Rongjin Park and the original Din Tai Fung restaurant near Yongkang. Syntrend and Guanghua tech malls are near Huashan.
If you’re bored and don’t want to head to any of the above places, head to the Daan Park MRT station and head anywhere on the Red line.
Let’s finish this off with some basic information.
Jianguo Market at a Glance
| Average Time Spent | Flower Market: 20 min to 1.5 hrs |
| Jade Market: 20 min | |
| Artist’s Corner: 20 min | |
| Entry Fee | Free |
| Best Time to Visit | Any |
| City Located | Taipei City |
| Free Wi-Fi | NA |
| Address | Jade Market: Jianguo Elevated Rd, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106 |
| Flower Market: Section 1, Jianguo S Rd, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106 | |
| Jade Market Hours | Sat: 9 AM – 6 PM |
| Sun: 9 AM – 6 PM | |
| Flower Market Hours | Sat: 9 AM – 6:30 PM |
| Sun: 9 AM – 6 PM | |
| Local Name | Flower Market: 建國假日花市 |
| Jade Market: 建國假日玉市 |
Other Jianguo Market Photos
Sources
- Taiwan Black Jade Exhibition. Ministry of Culture, Taiwan. 03/18/2014.