The small and very beautiful Jiufen village (Chiufen village), lying on the cliffs in the northern of Taiwan, 50km far from Taipei city, is one of the most attractive destinations in Taiwan. Due to its unique geographic location, situated on the cliffs and the entire village overlooking the East Sea, Jiufen became the destination of “forget about the way back” of visitors when traveling to Taiwan.
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So, is Jiufen worth going? Let’s check out our Jiufen travel blog (Jiufen blog): Jiufen day trip from Taipei: Explore one of the most beloved destinations of Taiwan in one day (Jiufen in a day, 1 day in Jiufen) from best places to visit in Jiufen in a day, what to do in Jiufen and top things to do in Jiufen to Jiufen street food, how to get to Jiufen with Living Nomads below.
Jiufen village is located close to the mountain slope created by the ancient houses. When come here, visitors can be walk around the village, be free to drop their souls in the fog all over the place that bring the magical beauty of this land. Not only that, visitors also feel about an ancient Chinese culture with tiled roofs, wooden houses, and enjoy the fresh air of hills and trees, blue clouds and cool air of the sea. All of them create a beautiful scenery could not be say in words.
Jiufen day trip from Taipei: Jiufen village history
Many visitors traveling to Jiufen to ask the same question: What does the name Jiufen mean and originate from? If you have the opportunity to talk to any of the people living in the village, you will easily find the answer to that question. You will hear about a legend story. The name Jiufen was from the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. In the past, when the new village was established, only nine families lived in this village. Before the development, The village has a backward, primitive transportation system, so the trading and supplying of goods to the village is through the boats on the sea.
Each time the villagers want to buy something, they always order nine items (Jiufen). From there, it is customary to call this village is Jiufen. The village is symbolic of the spirit of solidarity, mutual assistance when the difficulty of people living here.
Under the rule of the Japanese military during the period 1895-1945, this place is known by many gold mines. Therefore, many of the gold mining activities that helped Jiufen from the poor village became a bustling town, crowded with 4000 households.
It was not until after World War II that the gold mining activity gradually declined and ended after 1971. Since, Jiufen has been forgotten. One day, the old town of Jiufen was chosen as the scenes for many films. The great success and international awards have awakened Jiufen to wake up and attract thousands of visitors every day.
Jiufen travel blog: Where to stay?
Below are some best cheap, budget, mid-range and upscale hotels with good ratings and reviews you can refer to.
Yu-Hua-Shan-Zhuang (Address: No. 23, Lane 8, Shuqi Road, 22448 Jiufen, Taiwan / Phone: +886 2 2406 3731), a guesthouse with room rates from $67/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Jiufen Chiu Chunt Dint Inn (Address: No. 29, Jishan Street, Ruifang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 224 / Phone: +886 2 2496 7680), a B&B hotel with room rates from $55/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
A-Home (Address: No. 55, Lunding Road, Ruifang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 224 / Phone: +886 972 187 565), a B&B hotel with room rates from $39/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Rita’s House (Address: No. 35, Qiche Road, 224 Jiufen, Taiwan / Phone: +886 938 460 100), a B&B hotel with room rates from $36/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Jiufen Outsider Guest House (Address: 號, No. 174, Ruijin Road, Ruifang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 224 / Phone: +886 905 751 062), 2-star guest house with room rates from $25/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com).
Good Time B&B (Address: No. 39號之2號, Lunding Road, Ruifang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 224 / Phone: +886 2 2496 0326), a B&B guest house with room rates from $70/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Sunny Room (Address: No. 39號之2號, Lunding Road, Ruifang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 224 / Phone: +886 2 2496 0326), 3-star hotel with room rates from $64/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Chien Ching Bed and Breakfast II (Address: 224, Taiwan, New Taipei City, Ruifang District, 市下巷1號 / Phone: +886 938 123 786), 2-star hotel with room rates from $83/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
Corner Inn (Address: 224, Taiwan, New Taipei City, Ruifang District, 坑尾巷1號 / Phone: +886 938 460 100), a guesthouse with room rates from $36/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
You can find more, check rates, availability & booking for Jiufen hotels on Agoda.com or Booking.com or Airbnb.com.
Jiufen day trip from Taipei: What to do in Jiufen and things to do in Jiufen village
Jiufen Old Street and Shuqi street
Shuqi street (Jiufen Old Street) is the most famous place of Jiufen village. The road runs through the town, from the bottom up, along the mountain side. with two narrow lanes, full of restaurants, teahouses, souvenir shops selling a variety of Taiwanese products – many unique items that you will never see in anywhere else. There are many restaurants and snacks in Jiufen that are famous throughout Taiwan, such as glutinous rice cake, Taro glutinous rice cake, meatballs Hongzao (Oxo Cubes), Taro hot and cold floating rice cake. The streets filled with junk food.
The most important road is the Shuqi street. The main and long road, narrow vertical along the mountain slopes throughout the village with the stairs and along the road are the shops close together and often crowded with passersby. Shuqi’s architecture bring Japanese style, which sometimes really looks like old Kyoto, beautiful and vibrate. Stores are usually closed early, most before 9pm.
In addition to the main roads, there are many small alleys, small lanes running around and occasionally even beneath the houses such as: Khinh Thien Lo and Jishan street.