Jiufen Hillside Panorama

A Legendary Gold-Mining Village

Long before it became a global icon of Taiwanese tourism, Jiufen boomed as a Japanese-era gold-mining settlement, its narrow terraces carved directly into the mountainside above the Northeast Coast. The settlement's name — meaning "nine portions" — recalls a time when its handful of founding families divided every supply shipment nine ways.

A Temple-Top Vantage Point

The camera looks out from the plaza of Jiufen Kaicheng Temple, a hillside shrine dedicated to the Jade Emperor that occupies the village's highest ground. From here, the entire settlement unfolds below in a cascade of red rooftops, covered stairways, and tea-house lanterns strung along the famous Shuqi Road steps.

Coastline and Distant Peaks

Beyond the rooftops, the view stretches to the curving bays of the Northeast Coast, with Keelung Mountain and the small offshore Keelung Islet anchoring the horizon. Fishing harbors dot the shoreline, linking the mountain village to the sea that once carried its gold to market.

A Living Cultural Landmark

Today Jiufen's maze of alleys, teahouses, and old-street vendors draws visitors from across Asia and beyond, while the Kaicheng Temple itself remains an active place of worship. The camera offers a rare elevated perspective on this storied mountain community, framed by the same slopes and shoreline that shaped its gold-rush past.