A Day In Jiufen, Taiwan

Last Spring, during Chinese New Year break, we took a trip to Jiufen, a magical mountain town about an hour outside of Taipei. About a month ago, we took some visiting friends on the same trip.* It's a trip worth taking, full of history, shopping, food, hikes, and magnificent scenery.

History

The village dates at least back to the Qing dynasty. During its early years, just nine families lived there. When shipments were sent in from the larger towns, they would order nine portions, one for each family. Thus the name Jiufen (Jiǔfèn) which literally means "Nine Portions."   

Around the turn of the 20th Century, gold was discovered in the area. This led to a gold rush as well as a Japanese POW work camp which held allied forces during WWII. The mine was closed in the 70s. In the 90s, the town began its new life as a tourist destination.

Jiufen in the Movies

In 1989, the Taiwanese movie A City of Sadness was filmed in Jiufen. Although the hubby and I very much want to watch it, we haven't at this point, so everything I say about it is hearsay. From what I understand, the movie is set in Taipei during the 228 Incident of 1947 when the Republic of China came over from mainland China to Taiwan and, in the process of taking over the former Japanese colony, killed thousands of Taiwanese civilians. By the time the movie was filmed, Taipei had modernized beyond the 1947 setting, so filming was moved to Jiufen. 

Many believe Jiufen is also the inspiration for the market streets in the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away. 

Getting There

The first time we went to Jiufen, we took the MRT to Nangang Station and connected to the TRA there. We took the TRA to Ruifang and connected to a bus in Ruifang. This trip, we discovered we could take the 1062 Bus directly from Taipei to Jiufen. Much simpler!

What to Do

If traveling from Taipei to Jiufen for a day trip, I recommend taking the bus past the popular Jiufen Old Street stop and riding up to the gold mines at JinGuaShi. It just takes a few minutes longer. Up there, you can visit a gold mine museum, walk through restored mining tunnels, tour the grounds of the former Japanese Crown Prince's home, see old homes built for Japanese gold mine workers, visit temples, and visit a monument at the site of the old Japanese POW camp. From one of the temples, you can take stairs further up into the mountains and enjoy breathtaking views of the coast below. You can even see old chimneys from the gold mining days. They travel up the mountainside rather than standing straight up and are a bit hard to spot at first but are apparently some of the world's longest chimneys.

On our first trip, a local Taiwanese man, a recently retired engineer from GE, stopped us and offered a personal tour. He took us around to these different spots and showed shortcuts to some of the beautiful views. He also provided us with a fascinating yet sad perspective of the Republic of China takeover and the 228 Incident. Some of his own uncles were shot during the events. His tour has been a highlight of our time in Taiwan. He wasn't looking for money or favors. He just wanted to share his world with us.

Once you're thoroughly exhausted with all this education and sightseeing, head back down to Jiufen Old Street. On our first trip, we took the bus back down the mountainside. Our second trip, we walked back. Rather than taking the main road, our Google Map directions took us through little side streets, terraced roads with steps, and even through a traditional Chinese cemetery.

Those little buildings with flat roofs are actually grave sites.

Jiufen Old Street is, in and of itself, worth the trip. Really, you could take several trips to the general area to fully experience its delights--one for hiking, one for shopping, and one just for eating. In the market, we enjoyed peanut cilantro ice cream rolls. Apparently this is "Taiwan's Number One Special Treat"! It's really quite delicious, as odd as it sounds. We also munched on food from a number of vendors and explored handicraft booths. We ended the day with a lingering tea at sunset on the rooftop veranda of a traditional tea house.

A beautiful day. A perfect ending.

*The pictures in this post are a hodgepodge from both trips. Photos courtesy of the hubby (as usual!).