Jiufen

Jiufen (九份) is a small mountain town that flourished due to gold mines and declined due to exhaustion. It has become a tourist destination in Northern Taiwan nowadays, with its fairy-tale streets and delicious food attracting visitors from different countries.

Once a Gold Mining Town

Jiufen is located in Ruifang Town (瑞芳鎮), Taipei, and was originally named for the nine families that lived there, who bought “nine portions (九份)” for everything. During the Qing Dynasty, gold mines were discovered in Jiufen, and the gold rush made the town once glorious. With the exhaustion of gold, Jiufen gradually disappeared from people’s eyes.

Today’s Tourist Spot

In recent years, Jiufen has been transformed into a tourist spot in Taiwan thanks to its fairy-tale-like Old Street. Japanese tourists, in particular, think that Jiufen Old Street looks like a scene from Hayao Miyazaki’s film Spirited Away (千與千尋).