Jiufen & Jinguashi

Introducing Jiufen & Jinguashi

Nestled against the mountains and hemmed in by the sea are the small villages of Jiufen (Jiǔfèn) and Jinguashi (Jīnguāshí), two of the quaintest stops along the northeast coast. Both villages were once centres of gold mining during the Japanese era. In the 1930s, Jiufenwas so prosperous it was known as ‘Little Shanghai’. Jinguashi later became notorious during WWII as the site of the prisoner of war camp Kinkaseki.

When the mining sources dried up, Jiufen and Jinguashi became backwaters just waiting to be rediscovered. Jiufen’s discovery happened first. After the release of the 1989 film City of Sadness, set in Jiufen during the Japanese occupation, urban Taiwanese began to flock to the old village in search of a way of life that had been all but swept away in the rush to modernisation. The old town, rich in decorative old teahouses, Japanese-style homes and traditional narrow lanes gave them exactly what they were looking for.

Jinguashi hit the traveller’s radar just recently and we have to say it has completely eclipsed its neighbour, except for as a place to sit and drink tea. Our recommended itinerary would be to spend the morning and early afternoon in Jinguashi enjoying the Gold Ecological Park and strolling through the verdant treeless hills, and the afternoon and early evening hanging out at one of the old teahouses on the hillsides of Jiufen before returning to Taipei.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009