Image: neilwade
Jiufen (九份) is a charming little town in north Taiwan famous for its quaint streets, tea houses, and spectacular seaside views. It is a popular tourist destination for visitors to relive scenes from famous movies such as A City of Sadness (Taiwan, 1989) and Spirited Away (Japan, 2001). The mountain town is small enough to cover by foot. The main areas of interest are covered by two historic pedestrian streets: Jishan Street and Shuqi Street, an enchanting pathway which runs up and down the mountain.
The Historic Commercial District of Jiufen is known for its collection of historic shops, eateries, and tea houses running along Jishan Street and Shuqi Street. Our first stop was Jishan Street (基山街), a knickknack-and-snack-filled road lining the town's coast.
The first thing we ate was stinky tofu, a peculiar dish of deep fried fermented tofu that is notorious for its strong odor. In spite of its shocking smell, stinky tofu tastes surprisingly mild. This particular stinky tofu was grilled and served with sour pickled vegetables, and was one of the three different palatable preparations of stinky tofu we enjoyed that evening. This dish is an absolute must-try when visiting Taiwan!
We came across a popcorn shop selling all kinds of sweet and salty popcorn!
This vendor offers a variety of salty, sweet, and spicy dried bean curd snacks.
Fresh fishcake balls and fried tofu dipped in fish paste, ready to be made into olen. Olen is a light yet savory broth with fishcake similar to Japanese oden.
Colorful handmade lollipops of all shapes and sizes!
I brought home one of these delightful seashell bowls for just $6.12 or €4.50.
Both Jishan Street and Shuqi Street are lined with tea houses themed after A City of Sadness
Chiu Chunt Dint (九重町客棧) is a very popular cafe and guesthouse in Jiufen.
Chiu Chunt Dint (九重町客棧) is a very popular cafe and guesthouse in Jiufen.
Filmed in Jiufen, A City of Sadness (悲情城市) was the first film to touch on the 288 Incident, a taboo subject in Taiwan. The movie won the Golden Lion Award at the 1989 Venice Film Festival and transformed the town into a booming tourist attraction.
We enjoyed pounded glutinous rice cakes called muaji in a variety of flavors including peanut, green tea, and sesame. My favorite has always been the classic muaji filled with sweet red bean paste.
We also had iron eggs, eggs that have been repeatedly stewed in a mixture of spices and air dried, resulting in dark brown eggs as tiny as one inch tall! I bought a bag of these shrunken eggs and popped them into my mouth like jellybeans. They were chewy and very flavorful.
A vendor seller an assortment of unique local delicacies.
Lovely tea houses galore!
Next, we sampled two more types of stinky tofu: mala stinky tofu and deep fried stinky tofu.
Mala stinky tofu is stinky tofu cooked in mala sauce. Mala sauce is a very spicy oily sauce made from Sichuanese peppercorn, chili pepper, and various spices simmered in oil. The flavor was savory, herbal, and very spicy!
Deep fried stinky tofu is usually served in a chili soy sauce and topped with sour pickled vegetables. This particular mouthwatering preparation had a very crispy skin.
We also had Jiufen's local specialty, bawan. Bawan is a chewy ball of translucent dough stuffed with pork, bamboo shoots, and shiitake mushrooms, served with a sweet and sour sauce. This hongzao bawan was flavored with an herbal stock. The fresh cilantro provides a fragrant aroma.
We tried ai cao gao which is like a very firm, very sticky, and savory muaji made of ai cao herbs and filled with daikon and miniature dried shrimp.
Jiufen is most notable for their taro ball soup called yuyuan. Grandma Lai's Yuyuan and Ah Gan Yee Yuyuan are most famous for their taro balls.
Grandma Lai's Yuyuan (賴阿婆芋圓) is a cozy cavern-like eatery featuring stone walls, stone tables, and dim lanterns.
Yuyuan is a scoop of colorful taro balls in a sweet bean soup. The restaurant offers hot and cold yuyuan with a choice of sweetened red azuki beans, green mung beans, and/or soft peanuts. We opted for a combination of all three. The chewy taro balls (and yam balls, etc.) are naturally flavored and pair well with the sweet bean soup. This was quite a treat!
We then made our way to Shuqi Street (豎崎路), a picturesque pathway known for its nostalgic charm and breathtaking coastal views.
Vibrant posters surround a studio where visitors can come dress up in traditional outfits and take photos.
This charming pathway with Japanese-style buildings and glowing lanterns make up Jiufen's most famous sight. Shuqi Street was the setting inspiration for Spirited Away, a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy-adventure film.
Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し) is the first and only anime film to win an Oscar.
Shengping Theater was built in 1934 as the first theater in north Taiwan. Jiufen was a prosperous gold mining town from the 1930's to 1950's, and the theater served as the main source of entertainment for the gold diggers until it closed in 1986. It became one of Jiufen's most famous landmarks after being shown in many famous Taiwanese films.
We neared the top of Shuqi Street and looked down. But the scenery doesn't compare to...
... the magnificent harbor views from the peak!
Image: Groseman
Image: ashishlin
Next time, I will visit during the day to relish the sparkling seascape of the Pacific Ocean.
After taking in the scenery, we walked further up to Ah Gan Yee Yuyuan (阿柑姨芋圓) for another delightful bowl of taro balls and a gorgeous panoramic view!
Ah Gan Yee Yuyuan's taro balls are constantly being made fresh in the house.
Although the interior is rather unimpressive, the restaurant offers a lovely view that is perfect for a unique and intimate date.
This time, I enjoyed a bowl of taro balls in a sweet red bean soup. "QQ" is slang for "chewy" and the cup reads QQ Taro Balls & Sweet Potato Balls. Delicious!
Image: Is Looking
Boasting exquisite charm and a breathtaking panorama, Jiufen is worth experiencing again and again.
Jiufen
Ruijin Hwy, Ruifang District, New Taipei City
886-2-2497-3813 (TRA Ruifang Visitor Center)
1 blurbs:
Awesome photos! Jiufen was my first trip outside Taipei last year :) Precious memories, although I have to say the day was cold and grey :(
Post a Comment