The Red House in the Ximen area has been through many changes over the past century, and today it still has a unique ambience and color all its own. (Chuang Kung-ju/ tr. by Phil Newell)

Forces that are marginal in Taipei as a whole have been transformed in Wanhua into the mainstream source of the much of the district's charm, interest, and vitality! The Red House shopping area in the city's Ximending area, considered the flagship project of the municipal government's urban renewal program for the older districts of western Taipei, has experienced a renaissance due in large part to entrepreneurship in the gay community, testifying to the diversity of Wanhua today and making Taipei a richer city-culturally and commercially.

It is three hours from midnight on New Year's Eve of 2010, and everywhere Taipei City is thronged with crowds in a party mood. In the plaza in front of the Red House theater in the Ximending area, the self-proclaimed biggest gay New Year's party in all of Asia is in full swing, with sounds of music and laughter filling the air. Go-go boys and drag queens parade across the stage, and the open plaza is as packed as a subway train at rush hour. When the countdown hits 12:00, fireworks light up the night sky, and happy gay couples embrace, enjoying a celebration all their own in front of this historic building that has witnessed so many changes over time.