Jiufen (or Jioufen) is a small town in northern Taiwan famous for its nostalgic old street, food and ocean view. Jiufen was a prosperous gold mining town since 1890s but its popularity faded as the gold resource was depleting since 1950s.
Jiufen was given a new life in 1989 when award winning movie “A City of Sadness” (directed by Hou Hsiao Hsien and starred Tony Leung etc.) was filmed there. Jiufen has become a popular tourist spot since then and a favourite weekend getaway location for Taipei folks.
The most iconic spot in Jiufen, made famous by A City of Sadness
Old streets in Jiufen
Oceanic and mountainous view from the town
Jiufen is also famous for being used as a model in Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar winning anime movie “Spirited Away” in 2001. Korean drama “On Air” also filmed some scenes in this small town in 2007/2008; in fact I just watched that episode a couple of days before visiting the place, so it provided some extra fun during the visit.
Too bad I didn’t have much time to spend there; I would definitely visit Jiufen again in future to explore the lovely little town in details.
