New Taipei City Travel

With long blonde hair, blue eyes, slender body and extravagant dress, a Barbie doll is a common childhood memory among many Taiwanese girls. Visiting the “Taishan Doll Industry Museum” evokes many people’s memories about Barbie dolls. Featuring collections such as the earliest Meining doll clothing, military fatigue dolls, indigenous clothing, early Taiwanese clothing, Southern Fujianese clothing, concubine clothing during the Qing Dynasty and Taiwan Dadaocheng doll collection, etc., visitors are able to admire the glamour of different styles of dolls in the display window. The Taishan Down Temple nearby has a history of 130 years, but its solemness has not been diminished over time. The next stop is the Mingzhi Academy, also praised as the premier academy in northern Taiwan. The ancient academy has an archaic paper burning furnace, serving as a reminder for students to cherish knowledge, and all unused paper or books must be burnt as a sign of respect towards knowledge. Next stop is Taishan Up Temple, which is the oldest temple in the Taishan region. Designated as a class-3 national historic monument, the majestic temple is one of the must-see historic monuments in Taishan. Exquisite wood carvings, stone carvings and paintings on the interior of the temple present the beauty of traditional craftsmanship. Classic architectural masterpieces are abound in Fu Jen Catholic University, with each one featuring unique styling; there are plenty of well-known delicacies on the campus that you cannot afford to miss, such as FJCU’s own ice cream. In addition, there is also the Fuda Night Market, which is just as famous as Tainan Flowers Night Market and packed with numerous original stores and renowned gourmet delicacies that have been featured in television reports. End your memorable day right here at the night market by savoring mouthwatering snacks!

Rumor has it that the name “Canguangliao” (“canguang” means shining light in Chinese) comes from the scenery when mountains, full of yellowish and white silver grass in fall, give spectacular light rays formed under the sun beams, making Canguangliao Historic Trail a “golden shining” scenic route! From Mudan Train station, take a bus to Shisanceng Old Tree Stop and walk for 10 minutes, and you will arrive at “Canguangliao Historic Trail Entrance”. Along the Trail, visitors will pass by the historic site of Jinguashi Water Pumping Station, small waterfalls, historic site of old grocery store, Jinshan Fude Temple, and more, and they will ultimately arrive at Shumeiping Observation Deck. The total distance is nearly 5km with a walking time of approximately 3 hours; the level portions of the Trail are constructed with stairs of relatively lower difficulty level for walking. Moreover, Canguangliao Mountain is the highest amongst Keelung Volcano Group, so visitors can even look over to Taipei City and Northeast Coast when there is nice weather with an expansive view. After exiting the Trail, follow County Route 102 to Jinguashi Geological Park, where was previously Benshan Mine. Visitors here will have the opportunity to observe traces of the most original mining sights. Then continue traveling to the nearby Jinguashi Shinto Shrine, which was built during the period of Japanese rule in response to the mining development. Even though it is all abandoned now, visitors can still have a glimpse of the sacred and solemn ambiance from the remains of the historic site. If you are interested in having more in-depth experiences of Jinguashi’s golden age, you can continue walking down to the Gold Museum, which is a museum campus transformed from the gold mining areas in the old days. Activities here will include learning about the mining history, the gold culture, and experiencing gold panning; spending a whole afternoon here will be no problem at all. At the end of the journey, visitors will connect to Jiufen Old Street, where they are recommended to order a bowl of cold or hot taro balls or to find a tea place and enjoy a cup of good tea, taking some time to savor this “golden” journey as they take a rest.