Taiwan sightseeing Archives

In Taipei

The Gold in Pumpkin Mountain

Many tourists go to Taipei will visit the popular Jiufeng where a famous movie was filmed a long time ago. Tourists like to visit Jiufeng for unique scenery of concentration of small houses built on the hill with small alleys and stairs connecting each other. And it’s a place for the gold-digging dream back in the glorious gold mining period. Not that many people know that Jinguashi was a even bigger mining site that left abandoned. Jinguashi literally means “golden gourd rock” in Chinese. Local people named the area according to the pumpkin shape of the gold mines. Taiwanese call pumpkin “Jingua”. Now, you may complete the picture of the good old days of gold mining industry in Taiwan by visiting the Gold Museum in Ruifang district. Opened in November 2004, the Gold Museum is designed to be a Eco-Museum, retaining the historic and cultural assets, encouraging participation of the community, and showcase the history of precious metal mining industry. The Gold Museum is not a confined space with walls and gates. It covers a large area on the hill side where the gold mining industry took…

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In Taiwan

DIY Kumquat (citrus) Jam

Yilan is rich in agricultural resources with a lot of farm lands growing various agricultural products. The story of this Kumquat Jam DIY workshop began like this: Kumquat is abundant in Yilan. In fact, 90% of kumquat in Taiwan is grown here. People didn’t know what to do with this excess supply of citrus fruit. An old lady with medical background thought that it was a waste because kumquat has medical value. She often boiled kumquat drink for the villagers for better health. The first generation of Agrioz owner carried her believe in “serve people with what you eat” and developed healthy kumquat products with no artificial colouring, added sugar, etc. The second generation of owner expand the business further by adding healthy elements which as low calories and wellness. When you come to Yilan, there are quite a few DIY factories that you may visit. Agrioz (Chinese name: The Village of Kumquat) is one of the famous ones. It’s a well-designed DIY place with a DIY workshop area, a semi-outdoor coffee shop and a shop. Many people come here to take pre-wedding photos.

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In Taipei

Nanya Peculiar Rocks

If you go to Yilan or head east of Taiwan, driving along the northeast coastline is the best option when the weather is good. You will see the Pacific Ocean on the left hand side. The coastline is beautiful with lots of stopping points where you can hop off to take a short walk, take pictures and enjoy the scenery. Nanya Peculiar Rocks are one of the scenic spots of the northeast coastline. The rock formation and sandstones are unique in its eroded form and texture. The combination of iron rich mineral and the force of water current erosion created a nice shade of orange color band and the the wavy lines to the rocks. There are only a few parking space by the view point. In case you park across the road, please use the traffic light.

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In Taipei Sightseeing

Tobacco Factory turned into Cultural Park

Songsang Cultural Park in Taipei City was first built in 1937 as a tobacco factory. It was named Matsuyama Tobacco Plant of the Monopoly Bureau of the Taiwan Governor’s Office under the Japanese government. The factory began operation in 1939 and shipping tobacco products throughout Asia during the Pacific War. At the end of World War II, the Taiwan Monopoly Bureau took over the factory and renamed it. In 1947, the plant was renamed again to Songshan Tobacco Plant of the Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Bureau and continued to operate. It was eventually closed down in 1998. In 2001, the Taipei City Government announced this site as the 99th historic site in Taipei and turned it into a cultural and creative park. Then it was open for public in 2011.

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