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Spot guide · Keelung (Taipei)Jiufen
Stone stairs, red lanterns, and a crowd that arrives at ten
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Checked against official sources · updated · Takumi Yamada
A gold-mining town that boomed under Japanese rule, emptied when the mines closed in the 1970s, and came back after Hou Hsiao-hsien filmed A City of Sadness here in 1989. Two lanes: Jishan Street, covered and full of food, and Shuqi Road, a long stone staircase with teahouses and red lanterns.
Studio Ghibli have said Spirited Away was not based on it. Almost nobody believes them, and the town has an entirely amiable relationship with the misunderstanding.
Five things the plaques won't tell you
- Weekday mornings are markedly better. The trade-off is that the lanterns are not lit.
- Sit down in a teahouse and pay for the hour. Standing in the crowd photographing lanterns is the lesser version.
- Shifen, in the Pingxi valley, is where sky lanterns are released from the railway tracks — trains still run through.
- Jinguashi next door has the gold museum, a preserved mine, and the site of a Japanese-era Allied POW camp.
- On a weekend or public holiday the staircase moves at a shuffle. Plan accordingly or do not go.
Almost nobody believes them, and the town has an entirely amiable relationship with the misunderstanding.
Guided ways to do Jiufen
Booked before you sail — there is no tour desk at the pier. Booking through these links supports the site.
Questions people ask here
Is Jiufen worth it from a Keelung cruise call?
On a call of eight hours or more, yes — go on a weekday morning when the stairs are walkable, accepting that the lanterns will not be lit. Under six hours it is a genuine gamble: the taxi is about twenty minutes each way at best (bus 788 is 40–55) and considerably longer in weekend traffic.
What should I do in Jiufen?
Sit down in a teahouse on Shuqi Road and pay for the hour — a pot, a burner and a wooden balcony over the sea is what the place is actually for. Walk Jishan Street for food, and if you have time, add Jinguashi next door for the gold museum and preserved mine.