Northern Taiwan

The northern most tourist site in the scenic area of Taiwan, Nanya is noted for its fantastic rock formations and sea-eroded coral shore. The entire coastline here is a veritable sculpture garden that illustrates, in stone, the incomparable artistry of weathering and wave action. The patterned stone topography of Nanya, unique in Taiwan, was formed through the weathering of the sandstone that lines the shore. The oxidation of iron ore within the striations of the stone has given it a beautiful striped pattern. (At the 89-kilometer mark of Provincial Highway 2, or the Coast Highway)



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.



Jinguashi (金瓜石) is located in the Rueifang Township of Taipei County, the area became famous for its goldmines. Situated between the mountains and the coastline, the local scenery is exceptionally beautiful, plus the abundance of historical relics from the mining days, Jinguashi has become the ideal retreat in Northern Taiwan. Because of its historical significance, with the large influx of tourists into Jiufen, the neighboring Jinguashi township has had to rethink its sense of direction for the future. Gold Waterfall. The substantial Jinguashi rainfall seeps into the mine shafts through cracks in the surface rock, becoming acidulous water after interacting with the pyrite and energite underground and undergoing oxidation reduction. A natural wonder “Gold Waterfall” has formed where the terrain drops sharply. This is one of the sources of the Yin-yang Sea.



The Museum of Gold is housed in the former offices of the Taiwan Metal Mining Corp. The first floor exhibitions include gold discovery journey, Benshan tunnels (1-9), ore seam display and old mining equipment, mining transport systems and cultural artifact display. There is also an introduction to the Japanese WWII camp for Allied prisoners (1942-1945). The second floor has gold as the theme, including gold characteristics, gold art works and a world record 220 kg 999 pure gold ingot which is unprecedented!