December 7, 2017

by Weedy Tan

TAIPEI, Taiwan – The Gold Museum (黃金博物館) is located in the town of Jinguashi, Ruifang District, New Taipei City and was first open to the public on November 4, 2004. It is the first eco-museum in Taiwan established to preserve the mining relics, historical memories, natural resources and cultural properties of the Jinguashi area.

On the way to the museum, we saw the Liandong Drainage Bridge (濂洞溪圳橋), a bridge that serves the dual purpose of carrying separate pipes for transporting stream water and copper mine’s drainage water.

We also saw the beautiful Jinguashi Golden Waterfall (金瓜石黃金瀑布). The golden color of the soil is a result of the leakage of the gold and copper minerals and heavy metals into the soil.IMG_0326 (1280x960)

Click here to view a short video clip of the Jinguashi Golden Waterfall (金瓜石黃金瀑布).

The museum is open from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm during weekdays and up to 6:00 pm on weekends. The entrance fee is NT$ 80 for the general public and is free for full-time students, registered New Taipei City residents, senior citizens above 65 years old, and children ages 12 years and below. This place can be reached by train, bus, or driving (more details at the bottom of this blog).

Tourist Information Center
The first building you will see is the Tourist Information Center, originally a Taiwan Motor Co. bus station. Tourist information leaflets are available in Chinese, English, and Japanese language.

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Quadruplex Japanese-style Residence (四連楝)
This is a well-preserved Japanese-style building and was used as a dormitory for high-level Japanese company employees. This is also a popular film location for the beauty of the Japanese architecture of this complex. Inside, you will see the display of a typical living space of the old Japanese residence.

Alchemy Cafe (煉金文創咖啡)
Inside the Gold Museum complex, there is this cozy little coffee shop where you can enjoy a good meal and a cup of coffee.

Gold Refining Building (煉金樓)
This was a gold storage building during the Japanese colonial period and a temporary gold refining building under the Taiwan Metal Mining Corp. management.

Gold Building (黃金館)
This former office building of the Taiwan Metal Mining Corp. was renovated and the first floor now houses the various display of the gold mining transport and mining equipment. The second floor introduces the features and application of gold and there is even a GOLD BRICK that visitors can physically touch.

Crown Prince Chalet (太子賓館)
This chalet was built in 1922 by the Tanaka Mining Co. (田中礦業株式會社) to host the then Crown Prince Hirohito (later Emperor Showa) during a planned visit to inspect the mining industry in the Jinguashi area. The Crown Prince Chalet is a mixed Japanese and western architecture building and has a beautiful Japanese garden, a miniature golf course, and an archery field.

Transport Information

  1. Train:
    Take Eastern Main Line in Taipei towards Yilan and Hualian direction and transfer at Ruifang to the bus route no. 1062 and 788 of Keelung Bus Co. to Jinguashi.
  2. Bus:
    (1) Taipei-Jinguashi: Take bus route no. 1062 at the Exit 1 of Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT Station via Jiufen and get off at Jinguashi.
    (2) Keelung- Jinguashi: Take bus route no. 788 at Keelung Railway Station via Ruifang, Jiufen and get off at Jinguashi Station.