A once-forgotten settlement has transformed into a popular tourist destination.
Among the most visited tourist spots in northern Taiwan is the tiny mountain village of Jiufen in New Taipei City’s Ruifang District. With its picturesque views, striking historical buildings and must-try foods—not to mention its proximity to Taipei City—it attracts millions of visitors each year.
Originally an obscure camphor production site with few residents, Jiufen underwent a boom when gold was found there in 1890. Miners, along with facilities such as worker dormitories, restaurants, bars and one of Taiwan’s first and largest movie theaters, cropped up overnight and turned the once sleepy Jiufen into a thriving settlement.
Although the mine was shut down in 1971, quickly returning Jiufen to obscurity, the 1989 film “A City of Sadness” put the town back on the map. The movie, filmed in the area by renowned Taiwan director Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢), was a box office hit and winner of the Golden Lion Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival in 1989. Shortly afterward, the quiet village became a hot spot as restaurants, teahouses and souvenir shops sprang up to serve the waves of tourists who flocked there to see the film’s setting in person.
Jiufen has continued to evolve over time, and though its appearance in the famous movie is firmly in its past, old streets and alleys continue to throng with visitors enraptured by the ambience of the red lanterns and Japanese-influenced architecture.
—by Jim Hwang
The structure housing A-Mei Teahouse is an expanded former blacksmith shop built during Jiufen’s gold rush era.
Postcards featuring the picturesque teahouse are sold on the old street.
Taro balls served hot or iced are one of Jiufen’s specialties.
Souvenir shops line Jiufen’s main street.
Jiufen’s amazing mountain and sea views are about an hour’s drive from Taipei City.
New Taipei’s Shenao Fishing Port is visible from Jiufen
The lights of Jiufen glimmer as night falls.