Dec 28, 2008

JIUFEN

By classA-Hannah Nien

A town of steep lanes and steps, located in the northeast of Taiwan without being noticed - It is Jiufen! If you’re tired of the hustle and bustle city, take a trip here and drench yourself in a local flavor. Jiufen is a worth visiting place filled with history, nostalgia and delicacies. The town’s narrow streets are lined with old red-brick, wood-frame leftover from the gold-rush days of the late 19th and the early 20th century. Jiufen has become a prime tourist destination for locals since the release of the Taiwanese movie-City of Sadness, which was filmed here in part.


Along the Jishan Street, you can find lots of snack stands, grocery stores, galleries, jewelry shops and so on. Old Noodle House and Grandma’s Fish Stew are two of the famous restaurants, which are known for the beef noodle and fish stew. Other specialties are fried taro and sweet-potato balls. The best way of visiting the Jishan Street is to taste many kinds of specialty but with small portion for each, or your stomach will too full to go on the trip.

Near the Jishan Street is the renowned Shugi Road, with a much more narrow stone stairway. The lane is lined with a number of teahouses and heritage buildings. Amei Teahouse combines with those two specific. Decorated with monochromatic photos, this teahouse reminds us of the early time of Taipei. And the famous movie City of Sadness was filmed here in part, making people come one after another.




If you want to relax your busy mouth, Jiufen Folk Art Gallery will be a great choice. It has attractive displays tracking the town’s historical transformation. Such as tools that the former used to pan for gold, old style radio and cupboard, and historical accounts of past events. These crusted stuffs can help you to acquaint with the early life style in Jiufen. Now you can also have a cup of tea and enjoy the pretty views in its open-air balcony, experiencing a rare sense of romance.

Kate Museum and Gold Mining Museum are the other choices for fun! Kate Museum is a good place for learning and entertainment, not only does it display many traditional and special kites, but also set a studio to teach its folk artistry. As Jiufen was dubbed “Little Shanghai ”at the top of the gold rush in the 1920s and 1930s, the Gold Mining Museum was established in helping you imagine the spectacular event.This museum reconstructed the gold mines, making you learn the art of panning and smelting, and you can even try it out.

I am sure you can have a fabulous hour during the trip on Jiufen, and can’t help but visit here another time!

How to go
1.Take the Jilong Bus(基隆客運) to Jiufen station, it takes you about 2 hours.
2.If you take train, get off at Ruifang station(瑞芳站) and then change bus to Jiufen.
3.Drive by yourself.











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