Until the 1950's, Jiufen was a prosperous gold mining town. The town went into sharp decline when mining was discontinued. The quaint streets, tea houses and stunning views of the Pacific Ocean saved it from becoming yet another anonymous mining ghost town. Jiufen is now a popular tourist destination for Taipeites eager to relive scenes from the past. It has provided the setting for several period movies. For example, Hou Hsiao-hsien's film A City of Sadness(which won the Golden Lion award at the 1989 Venice Film Festival) and Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away.
From Taipei, take the train north to Ruifang Station. From Ruifang take the Keelung Transit bus to Jiufen. Exit the Ruifang Train Station and turn left staying on the busy street right in front of the train station. Staying on the right hand side of the street keep walking straight until you pass a police station. The bus stop heading to Jiufen and Jinguashi will located a little past the police station.
The bus trip is roughly 15 minutes. Not all buses are equipped to show the correct driving direction or have bilingual signs.
For those not living near Taipei Main Station,
There is a direct bus from Zhongxiao Fuxing (1062 bus stop) to Jiufen, For those using MRT to get to the Bus stop, Exit 1 At Zhongxiao Fuxing.
There may be some touts claiming the bus is not running and to take their taxi, ignore them of course!
If you want to go to JiuFen from Shifen, you have to take train to Ruifang
Glass noodles
东粉
酿豆腐
Beancurd in stuffed with minced pork
鱼丸汤
fish ball soup
九分老街
Jiufen oldstreet
