Jioufen: Gold Mining History, Alleys and Tea Culture

Jioufen combines a past as a gold mining center with a distinctive shopping district, teahouses and a historic cinema. When planning a stay, you can focus on several interests: mining history, local cuisine and tea culture, or architectural and film history details. Jiufen Old Street is Jioufen’s main shopping district and runs through much of the town. The winding alleys also invite you to see Jioufen from different perspectives. This mix gives you concrete points of reference for deciding which side of the town will shape your stay.

Gold Mining and Jiufen Old Street

Jiufen was once a gold mining center. The Jiufen Gold Mine Museum is dedicated to the history and process of gold mining; it was founded by a former miner. This gives the town’s former mining significance its own focus alongside its shopping and tea themes. If you are interested in Jiufen’s history, you can distinguish this part of the town’s past from experiences centered on shops and teahouses.

Along Jiufen Old Street, shops sell dishes made with yam and other local foods. The shopping street can therefore also be explored from a culinary perspective. In Jiufen’s teahouses, you can learn about tea culture and tea utensils, and enjoy tea with pastries. Teahouses in Jiufen include Jiufen Tea House, A-Mei Tea House, Haiyue Lou and Shancheng Creative Workshop. If you want to visit a particular teahouse, check its current visiting arrangements in advance.

Shengping Theater: Construction and Cinema History

Shengping Theater connects a specific place with Jiufen’s film history. Built in the 1930s, it was one of Taiwan’s largest cinemas during Japanese rule. It was built at the present-day intersection of Shuqi Road and Qingbian Road. When it was constructed, the building was given a stone ground floor and a wooden upper floor. These different building materials shape the theater’s historical description, alongside its former role as a cinema.

A replica of an old ticket booth and old movie posters are on display at Shengping Theater. Its architecture and exhibits offer different insights into cinema history. A striking cluster of red lanterns in the square in front of the theater on Shuqi Road may be related to an event; you should not assume it is a permanent feature.

Alleys and Surroundings

If you would rather get to know Jioufen by exploring the town than by visiting specific named sites, the winding alleys offer a focus of their own. Visitors can explore them and see Jioufen from different perspectives. In this way, exploring the alleys adds another perspective on the town to a visit to Jiufen Old Street.

Near Jioufen is 588-meter-high Keelung Mountain, also called Dadu Meiren Shan. It is a geographical landmark in the area, while Jiufen Old Street, the alleys and Shengping Theater are directly associated with Jioufen. This lets you distinguish between places within the town and a nearby landscape feature when planning your visit.

Discover more destinations: Wanli District, Yonghe District, Yingge District, Bali District, Puzi City, Sanzhi District, Shuangxi District, Gongliao District

For the main travel overview: New Taipei.