New Taipei City Travel

Being Taipei City dwellers’ collective memory, Bitan has now had many brand-new looks, such as the annual Bitan dancing water show and many other changes in the surrounding area that are worth your re-visit. Stepping outside MRT Xindian Station, the first view in sight is Bitan Suspension Bridge that crosses over the river. The Bridge has undergone an upgrade in 2018 and has reinitiated its lighting in November of the same year; now there are more spectacular light sculpture shows to watch every day. Once you are at Bitan, certainly you have to try paddling the swan boat – it’s a part of many people’s memories of their youth! Visitors can even ride the YouBike and follow the cycling route along the Xindian River and enjoy the cooling breeze on the way to Xiaobitan. Sunshine Bridge in Xiaobitan is New Taipei City’s first river-crossing scenic bridge that offers a stylish look, as well as pedestrian and bike trails with nighttime light sculptures. As the musical string-like steel wire ropes are illuminated with moving light sculpture, the image simply resembles a magnificent light concerto! Passing through the Sunshine Bridge, you will find near the other side of the River – Anhe International Sightseeing Night Market. The Night Market has begun operation since yearend 2018 and is as vast as 5,000 ping (which is equivalent to 39 basketball courts), which includes a tourist information center as well as family restrooms. It’s definitely not crowded and offers night owls the ultimate enjoyment in tasting delicious food.

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.