From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jioufen, Taiwan.

Jioufen at night.

Jioufen, also known as Jiufen or Chiufen (Chinese: 九份; pinyin: Jiǔfèn; Wade-Giles: Chiu3-fen4), is a mountain town in the Rueifang Township of Taipei County near Keelung, Taiwan.

History

During the first years of the Qing Dynasty, the village here housed nine families, thus the village would request "nine portions" every time shipments arrived from town. Later Jioufen ("Nine portions" in Chinese) would become the name of the village.

Jioufen was only an isolated village until 1893, when gold was discovered in the area. The resulting gold rush hastened the village's development into a town, and reached its peak during the Japanese rule. Many present features of Jioufen reflect the era under Japanese colonization, with many Japanese inns surviving to this day. During World War II, a POW camp named Kinkaseki was set up in the village, holding Allied soldiers captured in Singapore (including many British) who worked in the nearby gold mines. Gold mining activities declined after World War II, and the mine was shut off in 1971. Jioufen quickly went into decline, and for a while the town was mostly forgotten.

In 1989, Hou Hsiao-hsien's A City of Sadness, the first film to touch on the 228 Incident, a taboo subject in Taiwan, became a big hit in the theatres. As a result Jioufen, where the film was set, revived due to the film's popularity. The nostalgic scenery of Jioufen as seen in the film, as well as appearances in other media, charmed many people into visiting Jioufen. For the beginning of the 90s, Jioufen experienced a tourist boom that has shaped the town as a tourist attraction. Soon retro-Chinese style cafés, tea houses, and souvenir stores bearing the name "City of Sadness" were built.

Jioufen also became popular in 2001, when its downtown was used as a model in the anime movie Spirited Away.

At present, Jioufen is a renowned tourist attraction representative of Taiwan. It draws many tourists from Taipei during the weekends.

Access

• As Jioufen is a mountain town, the roads that lead there are mostly steep, curving, narrow, and possibly dangerous.
• The town is served by buses that run from Keelung, Taipei, etc.
• The nearest train station is Rueifang Station of the TRA Yilan Line, which is 15 minutes away by bus.

References

• This article uses translated material from the equivalent Japanese-language Wikipedia article (retrieved February 26, 2006). Both articles are licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.

External links

• Taiwan Culture Portal: Hung's Teahouse is a Sky Castle
• Jioufen attractions, from the Rueifang government website (Chinese)
• Jioufen cluster official website — live webcam images of Su-Chi Rd. and coastline in Jioufen are available (Chinese)
• Jioufen Shopping Area Association (Chinese)
• Article on AmCham Taipei site

Coordinates: 25°06′25″N 121°50′35″E / 25.107°N 121.843°E / 25.107; 121.843

From Wikitravel

Jiufen

Jiufen (九份; Jiǔfèn), historically spelled Chiufen and alternately spelled Jioufen, is a small town in north Taiwan.

Understand

Until the 50s, Jiufen was a prosperous gold mining town, but when the mining was discontinued, the town went into sharp decline. However, the quaint streets, tea houses and stunning views of the Pacific Ocean saved it from becoming yet another anonymous mining ghost town, and it is now a popular tourist destination, especially with Taipeites eager to relive scenes of the past. Jiufen has provided the setting for several period movies. For example, its downtown was used as a model in the anime movie - Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki.

Get in

By train

From Taipei, take the train north to Ruiefang Station. From Ruiefang take the Keelung Transit bus from the bus stops in front of the train station to Jiufen. Be sure to line up across the road to go to Jiufen and Jinguashi. The bus trip is roughly 15 minutes. Not all buses are equipped to show the correct driving direction or have bilingual signs.

By bus

From Taipei, take the Jiufen bus (bus company is Keelung Bus) from the Adventist Hospital bus stop on Bade Road, east of the intersection with Fuxing Road. Alternatively, take the same bus from Songshan station or Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station Exit # 1 Cost : 87 NT$ (make sure to have the exact change), a little more than 1 hour.

Jiufen

The town of Jiufen is built into the side of the hills slightly inland from the Pacific Ocean coastline. The main area of interest to visitors are the town's historic commercial district which is covered by two pedestrian streets: Jishan Street (基山街, which runs along the ridge line), and Shuchi (Shuqi) Street (豎崎路, which runs up and down the slope of the hill). The area is small enough to cover on foot.

• The Historic Commercial District of Jiufen consists of a series of stores and restaurants running along Jishan and Shuchi Streets, which are built into the side of the coastal hills and considered a must-see site for visitors. The area is known for its collection of historic businesses, eateries, and teahouses, allowing visitors to relive the past while sampling local specialties and purchasing handicrafts and other knick-knacks. The area also provides spectacular views of the harbor and the Pacific Ocean below. The most popular entrance is located near the bus station.

Taiyang Co. Rueifang mining Operation Office

• Taiyang Co. Ruifang mining Operation Office (台陽礦業事務所) - This historic building just below Jiufen bus station. Yen Yun-nian (A.D 1882 - 1923), Jiufen's merchant, got the business authority from Japanese "Itoda Gumi" during the Japanese era. The company was established in 1948 by his brother, quarrying gold since 1914 till the 60th year of the ROC (1971). Bafan Tunnel mining relic still remains inside the office, but not opening externally at present.

• Songde Park (頌德公園) - A small memorial park in Jiufen's east, located on Qinbian Road. There are monuments to praise the great achievement for Yen Yun-nian who found Jiufen's mining culture. Creative artistic sculpture can easily be seen in the park. Also the early Mining Tunnel can also be found next to the park.

Wufan Tunnel

• Wufan Tunnel (五番坑道) - Next to the park, this tunnel had been excavated in 1927. The coal transported out from the tunnel was smashed in the mine-smashing area by high altitude transporting pipe. There are light railway passing through the tunnel, which was running by Japanese and contracted by Jiouda Co. after Japanese left Taiwan. In the 60th year of the ROC (1971), in order to protect the security of the resident and visitor, all the mine tunnels are sealed. There is a small community park for people to rest and enjoy the ocean view of Pacific Ocean.

Mt. Jilong

• Mount Jilong (雞籠山) - The elevation of mountain is 588 meters, which is Jiufen and Jinguashi’s dividing line. On the peak, people can overlook the whole Neihu district, Taipei City, Keelung and northeast coast seascape. To look far from Jinguashi or Fushan Temple, the mountain shape looks like a pregnant woman lies on the land, when the hair spread on the East Sea with clear curves. Therefore, it is known as Big-Belly Beauty Mountain. There is a mountain trail so far and the entrance is right across the Parking Lot. You can climb the peak in about 40 minutes.

• Xiaojingua Peak (小金瓜露頭) - Along Line 102 to Shuangxi Highway to the highest point of Mt.Jilong, you can see the Xiaojingua Peak on the hilltop. It opens the first page of Jiufen gold digging history.

Eat

There are numerous things to eat in Jiufen. Fishball soup, yuyuan (taro balls), dumplings served hot or cold with sweet bean, and mochi are all widely available. The sheer number of restaurants can be a little overwhelming though. Grandma Lai's Yuyuan (賴阿婆芋圓) at No.143, Jishan Street, is the most famous one for its taro balls.

Drink

Jiufen boasts numerous teahouses that offer great views over the Pacific Ocean.

• City Of Sadness Restaurant (悲情城市小上海茶樓), 35 Shuchi Road, Tel:+886 2 2406-2289, just on the corner of Shuqi and Qingbian Roads. This restaurant was featured in Hou Hsiao-hsien's film A City Of Sadness, which won the Golden Lion at the 1989 Venice Film Festival.
• Jiufen Teahouse (九份茶坊), 142 Jishan Street, Tel:+886 2 2496-9056, [1]. Jiufen Teahouse was once the meeting place for many great Taiwanese writers and artists when it first opened. When you enter from the narrow crowded street, you come into a spacious and calm interior. On the right are steaming iron kettles nestled in a long fiery bank of coals. Bundles of tea and high quality ceramics and tea implements fill the first level. The host will lead you to a quiet table on the lower levels, or you can sit outside on the back terace in good weather. You can choose your favorite tea and tea snacks from the menu and sit there for as long as you like. Take a break and wander around to look the paintings and other wonderful artwork by local artists. There is also a gallery on the lower level with more beautiful ceramics.

Sleep

The town does not have any hotels, but there are several small guest houses that are identifiable by characters "住宿" ("lodging"). Most tourists, however, stay in Taipei or Keelung and just visit Jiufen for a day trip.

• Bafankeng Café (八番坑Café民宿), 100 Wushi Ln, Ruifang Township, Taipei County, Tel:+886 2 2497-5291, Fax:+886 2 2496-9500, [2]. The proprietor of this guesthouse is very helpful.

• Sea Point B&B Guest House (金瓜石好望角咖啡宿), 86 San-Jan road, Ruifang Township, Taipei County, Tel:+886 2 2496-1788, Mobile: 0939348806 or 093993602 [3]. Check it out this site, you will love it!

• JiuFen B&B - ShiXiaXiang B&B (九份民宿 - 市下巷民宿), 2 Shi Xia Xiang, Ruifang Township, Taipei County, Mobile: 0925533168. Offical Site [4], More photos about the B&B at[5]The host of this B&B is very kind and helpful. We'll make you feel at home.

Jinguashi

• Jinguashi - A newly opened park with beautiful views of the ocean and the surrounding mountains. Pay NT$100 for admission to the Gold Museum, the Crown Prince's Chalet, and other sights. Or there are numerous hiking trails which can be accessed for free. Take the Jiufen bus to the end of the line. NT$50

From Jiufen, you can wait in front the pavilion next to 7-11 at Jishan Street entrance. NT21 Currently, the Taipei Municipal Council is having a tourism campaign. Visitors only need to have a receipt (統一發票) to enter free of charge. Campaign until 31st December 2009.