TRAVELLIVE 3 - 2018
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an enticing place to visit. The history of the village is an interesting story that<br />
dates back to the first years of the Qing Dynasty, when the isolated village<br />
housed nine families. Since trading was difficult at the time, the village would<br />
always request "nine portions" everytime shipments arrived from town. Hence<br />
the name Kau-hun meaning "nine portions" in Hokkien, which would later<br />
become the name of the village.<br />
The Japanese were the first to discover gold in Jiufen, and because of this<br />
important discovery, a large number of Japanese traveled there to live and<br />
work. The village later became influenced by both Chinese and Japanese<br />
architectural style.<br />
Another reason that attracts so many visitors to this beautiful village is its<br />
inspiration behind famous movies. Jiufen was mostly forgotten for many years<br />
until it became a popular filming location for a number of high-profile films.<br />
With the success of Hou Hsiao-Hsien's "A City of Sadness", which won the<br />
Golden Lion award at the 1989 Venice Film Festival, and Studio Ghilbi's<br />
critically acclaimed anime "Spirited Away", Jiufen revived and started to attract<br />
thousands of visitors a day. For Ghilbi fans, this is a much-loved and must-visit<br />
destination.<br />
At the village, you will likely find many Japanese tourists as well as Ghibli<br />
characters sold as your favorite souvenirs from stuffed animals to key chains.<br />
The A Mei Tea House Tea House which appeared in the animated film is a<br />
popular spot to visit.<br />
I got on almost the last bus at the end of the day to return to Taipei City with<br />
regret for not staying the night. It would have been such an amazing experience<br />
to sleep in one of the old cozy houses in Jiufen, and watch the sunrise at the<br />
beach in the morning. My spending a little over half a day in Jiufen did not feel<br />
enough for me to explore the whole place.<br />
Jiufen gave me such an unique sense of peace. The village's tranquil scenery is<br />
an unforgettable experience for visitors to Jiufen. I bought a few small lanterns,<br />
and some other cute items as souvenirs. I will return to this charming village<br />
and stay over night next time. As I sat on the bus with the rain drizzling, the red<br />
lanterns gradually faded and went out of my sight until they were just tiny dots<br />
before disappearing altogether after a turn.<br />
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION<br />
+ Get there: Jiufen and Shifen villages<br />
are two popular tourist destinations in<br />
Taipei. Tourists often visit both villages<br />
in one day. There are three ways<br />
for you to get to Jiufen from the city<br />
center.<br />
- Take the subway to Taipei main<br />
station, and transfer at Ruifeng Station<br />
(1 hour ride), then go to opposite<br />
bus station to catch bus route<br />
827/856/788/1062 to Jiufen.<br />
- Take the subway to Taipei main<br />
station, transfer to the MRT Zhongxiao<br />
Fuxing, exit gate number 1, and take<br />
bus route 1062 to Jiufen. To return to<br />
Taipei, you can also take this route. Bus<br />
fare is NT$80 (about VND60,000) per<br />
trip. Journey time is 1 hour.<br />
- Share a taxi for groups of 3 at<br />
NT$200/person, which will take you<br />
straight to Jiufen. Journey time is 20<br />
minutes.<br />
+ Sightseeing<br />
Jiufen wakes up at 7am and the shops<br />
open from 10am to 8pm. To fully<br />
explore the village, you should spend<br />
at least 3 hours there. Interesting<br />
activities include visiting the ancient<br />
houses, enjoying tea, watching the sea<br />
or exploring charming alleys.<br />
If you have time, also visit Shifen,<br />
another equally popular old village,<br />
famous for its sky lanterns. Or you<br />
could visit the Houtong Cat Village,<br />
which is home to hundreds of cats, is a<br />
must-see for cat lovers.<br />
+ Cuisine<br />
Enjoy authentic Taiwanese delicacies<br />
from dumplings, to fresh noodles, to<br />
beef noodles to premium Oolong<br />
tea in a teahouse that overlooks the<br />
beautiful beach.<br />
+ Souvenirs<br />
There are many souvenirs include<br />
pineapple cakes, tea, tiny lanterns with<br />
good luck wishes or cute No-Face<br />
characters; Totoro with its super cute<br />
belly, and many other characters that<br />
appeared in the popular anime "Spirited<br />
Away".<br />
+ Note<br />
The weather in Jiufen is often rainy and<br />
colder than most places, so bring an<br />
umbrella, wear warm clothing or bring<br />
a jacket which can withstand light rain.<br />
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