The first company in the area, doing business with Amoy and Hong Kong, was established by Lin Lantien on what is today Tihua Street. The great turning point in the area's growth came eight years later when the Hsia-hai Temple was erected in honor of the City God.
大稻埕的建街，是從清咸豐元年（西元一八五一年）開始。當年林藍田在中街（現在迪化街一段）建築店鋪三幢，從事與大陸廈門，香港等埠之間的貿易，這是大稻埕店鋪的鼻祖。