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I felt pleasure found its way into my heart as soon as I saw the panoramic view of Jioufen at night. (Jioufen's night view) [Photo:CRIENGLISH.com]

Jioufen, also known as Jiufen or Chiufen, is a mountain town in the Rueifang Township of Taipei County.

Jioufen was a village inhabited by only nine families in the Qing Dynasty, thus every time when shipments arrived from town, the villagers requested "nine portions" of the same goods. Later Jioufen ("nine portions" in Chinese) became the name of the village.

In 1893 gold was discovered in the area. The resulting gold rush hastened Jioufen's development, and people immigrated to the village to make money. However gold mining activities declined after World War II, and the mine was shut down in 1971. After that, Jioufen almost disappeared from the spotlight.

In 1989, Hou Hsiao-hsien's movie A City of Sadness became a big hit. As a result, Jioufen, where the film was shot, revived due to the film's popularity.

I was attracted by the beautiful scenery of Jioufen when I saw that movie, and have been looking forward to visiting this county since then.

Last month I finally got the chance to start the journey I had dreamed of for a long time. I took the Taipei MRT (Metro Railway Train) to the Zhongxiao Fuxing Station and then transferred to the Keelung bus to the Gold Ecological Park at Exit 1.

After one hour's journey I arrived at the paradise in my heart--Jioufen.

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