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New Taipei City Travel

Travel to Jinshan Old Street

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Travel to Jinshan Old Street
Category :
Nostalgic tour of the old street & Secret attractions & Hot Spring
Travel days :
1 day
適合對象 :
Public & Couples

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      Introduction

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      Jinshan is located in the northeast hill of the Datun Mountain System, and is surrounded by volcanic terrain on three sides. The volcanic plain is composed of the alluvium by Sulfur Creek, Jinbaoli River, and other streams, which makes Jinshan get the edge on agriculture on account of fertile soils. Jinshan has been the major transportation route in the north coast since ancient times. There was the Jinbaoli Trail (Yulu Historical Trail) in the past, and there is the current Yangjin Highway. Jinshan is the most prominent route to go to Taipei City from the north coast, which is also what lead to its development and prosperity.
      黃金之湯

      Jinshan Old Street, also known as Jinbao Li Old Street, is a 200-meter-long street that has been the busiest commercial center on the north coast of Taiwan since the Qing Dynasty. Nearby local residents from Shimen and Wanli District come shopping and do business. You can find many special cuisines made from Jinshan’s specialties at Jinshan Old Street, such as giant sweet potato and taro balls, taro rice cakes (a traditional snack), candied sweet potatoes, fruit ice cream, and the renowned Guang’an restaurant whose buffet culture has become a unique sight on Jinshan Old Street. If that is not enough, the handmade Ma Lao, Taiwanese egg rolls, and sweet potato crisps are all recommended Jinshan’s souvenirs, whether you would like to send them to your friends or bring them home for a taste.
      金山老街

      The First Public Retail Market Jinshan was founded at Zhongshan Road during the Japanese colonial period. The local specialties in Jinshan like Tiaohshi taros, water bamboo shoots, red-centered yams, arrowhead bamboo shoots, and other vegetables are sold according to the season. Due to its unique sea-facing volcanic soil, Jinshan is famous for its Tiaohshi taros with their firmed texture and a chewy touch as well as Tainong No. 66 red sweet potatoes with their silky texture.
      金山特產

      In the early years, the development of the markets and the old streets occurred near the temples, as was the case for Jinshan Old Street. The Cihu Temple is the religious center in the Jinshan area, and is known as “The Great Temple” by the locals who mainly visit to worship the gold-face deity Mazu. During the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, local fishermen found a statue of Mazu in a sea cave in Yehliu when the tide was low. Therefore, they built the Cihu Temple to worship Mazu and she was considered the founding Mazu. Later, the temple rebuilt a statue of Mazu and hollowed out the back to put the founding Mazu inside. This new Mazu was regarded as the second Mazu. As a result, this became the one and only legend of “Mazu in Mazu” in Taiwan. Every year, the Mazu pilgrimage will go back to that sea cave in Yehliu, which was first discovered by the fishermen. This is without a doubt one of the most popular events in Jinshan.
      金山慈護宮

      Shitoushan Park is located on the 70-meter-altitude Jinshan cape, which is 800 meters away from Cihu Temple, making it a suitable place to walk to after visiting the old street and finishing a meal. Shitoushan Park has been designated as a military control zone for years, and the general public is not allowed to enter at will, which unintentionally preserves an abundant ecological environment. In different seasons, you can see the Formosa lilies and the golden lycoris blooming beside the trail. Standing at the high point of the park, looking to the east you can see the famous Yehliu geopark; looking to the west you can see the Huanggang fishing harbor, which is famous for their “sulfuric fire fishing” technique; looking to the front, you can see the Twin Candle Islets. In sunny weather, the endless stretch of blue blends the boundary between the sea and the sky.
      獅頭山步道

      “That year, the woman who couldn't wait for her husband to return from the sea turned into a rock. Later, the husband saw his wife turned into stone after returning from his travels. Eventually, he turned into a stone pillar out of desperation and grief, so that they could stay with each other forever.” This is the poignant background story of the 60-meter-high stacks on the Twin Candlestick Islets, which were created by tectonic plate movement and erosion by the sea wind. The extraordinary shape of mutual dependence has attracted countless couples and photographers, and is a popular photography spot in Jinshan.
      燭台雙嶼

      After enjoying the boundless and stunning seascape, you can go to the redeveloped Zhongshan Hot Spring Park to enjoy the best natural resources of Jinshan: hot springs. The Jinshan hot spring is the northernmost hot spring on Taiwan’s main island; its springs are divided into four categories: sulfur salt springs, sulfur springs, carbonated springs, and iron springs. The Zhongshan Hot Spring Park, which is open to the public free of charge, is a golden-brown iron spring known as the "Golden Soup". Soak your feet in the hot springs of the park, which has won the Taiwan Landscape Award, to eliminate fatigue, soothe your mind and body, and bring a perfect ending to your day trip.
      中山溫泉公園

       
      Next
      Preparation for World Masters Games 2025 in Taipei and New Taipei City with Low Carbon Emission Bike Tour in Gongliao!
      SPORTS beyond AGE|LIFE without LIMITSWorld Masters Games will be grandly held in New Taipei City and Taipei City in May, 2025, and contestants from over 100 countries will attend the sports event in the two cities. World Masters Games 2025 will be hosted by New Taipei City and Taipei City and co-hosted by Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County, Hsinchu City and Yilan County. 35 games are included in the sports event. People over 30 years of age can participate in the masters games to compete with the world and make like-minded friends.Gongliao District of New Taipei City will be the venue for the games of sailing and lifesaving of World Masters Games 2025. You can take Taiwan Railway to Fulong Station in Gongliao District and ride a bike on the challenging Old Caoling Circular Line and pass through Old Caoling Tunnel while listening to the music of Clinking Coins, a renowned folk song. You can bike along the coast to the easternmost point of Taiwan. Lastly, you can return to Fulong Beach and stay at a local hotel to enjoy hot springs and delicious food!Once you exit Fulong Train Station, you will be able to smell the delicious Fulong boxed lunch. Fulong boxed lunch enjoys equal fame with Chishang boxed lunch, and it is one of the famous boxed lunches sold by Taiwan Railway Administration. With the dishes of sliced pork, braised pork, sausage, cabbage, vegetable roll, braised egg, braised bean curd, fried meat roll, pickled vegetables and so on, the classic boxed lunch has been sold for over seven decades. Although the boxed lunch is no longer sold on the platform, several restaurants still sell boxed lunch in front of the train station. Hurry up and enjoy a Fulong boxed lunch in one of the restaurants.After regaining energy, we will face our challenge! We will rent a bicycle or an e-bike and enter Old Caoling Circular Bike Trail from Fulong Station. The total length of Old Caoling Circular Bike Trail is approximately 20 kilometers, and it takes about 2 hours to make a round trip by biking. You can ride through the Snow Mountain Range on the bike trail between the mountain and sea, and reach Sandiaojiao Lighthouse, the easternmost point of Taiwan, and East Park to check in on social media. Finally, we will directly arrive at Fulong Beach, a venue of World Masters Games.👉The total length of Old Caoling Circular Bike Trail is 20 kilometers, so please take your physical fitness into consideration. You can rent an e-bike if you think it is too strenuous for you to finish the entire trail by a regular bike. Please make sure you apply sunscreen and bring sufficient drinking water in summer before biking.“The train goes, chugga choo drip, into the tunnel…...” This is a catchy Taiwanese folk song. The term “tunnel” in this song refers to Old Caoling Tunnel which was open for use in 1924. It was the most critical construction of Yilan Line of Taiwan Railway, and it was 2,167 meters long. Old Caoling Tunnel that going through Snow Mountain Range greatly shortened the traffic time between New Taipei City and Yilan. The north entrance and south entrance of the tunnel were inscribed with Chinese calligraphy, “overcoming challenges to dig the tunnel” and “seeing a clear and boundless sky with clouds” at the New Taipei City end and Yilan end respectively to commemorate the hardship workers had faced in excavating the tunnel.Old Caoling Tunnel had retired after Taiwan Railway implemented the dual track system and electrification. Since 2008, the railway has been open for use as a bike trail. The trail still preserves railway tracks. To make it look more like a railway, lampshades for oil lamps are used to restore the appearance of a railway tunnel. It is interesting to bike in the old-fashioned Old Caoling Tunnel while listening to the music of “Clinking Coins.” There is a semicircular ring of light which marks the border of New Taipei City and Yilan in the middle part of the tunnel, and it is the most popular spot for check in in the tunnel!As the light gets brighter at the end of the tunnel, you can gradually see the immense Pacific Ocean. When waves crash against the cuesta, surf and Turtle Island make a perfect picture. You can bike on the bike trail along the mountain and sea toward the easternmost point of Taiwan.Lailai Coast Geological Area that stretches several hundred meters is the largest wave-cut platform of the Northeast Coast, and it is called the “Devil’s Washboard.” A wide variety of coastal terrains scatter on the wave-cut platform, such as the largest fire dragon rock in Taiwan and several sea grooves. Kuroshio, the warm current of Pacific Ocean, passes the open waters of Lailai, and it nourishes thriving marine ecology, making Lailai Coast Geological Area a great spot for rock fishing. Moreover, its wide intertidal zone is a good location for ecological observation.Sijiaoku Observatory with the design of hollow twin hearts is located at the north tip of Lailai Coast Geological Area. You can look down at the geological area and Turtle Island. Additionally, Sijiaoku is a relay station of Old Caoling Circular Bike Trail. The prairie facing Pacific Ocean next to the observatory is the best spot for photography.The first light of morning shines on Sandiaojiao. The name of Sandiaojiao originated from Santiago in Spanish. Sandiaojiao is at Taiwan’s easternmost point. Snow Mountain Range stretches all the way from Sandiaojiao to Zhuishui River. Since 1935, Sandiaojiao Lighthouse has stood tall in the mountain to guard the safety of boats. The name of East Park at the foot of the mountain is white in English and red in Chinese. The park marks the easternmost point of Taiwan, longitude 122° east. It looks like a gigantic gorilla overlooking Pacific Ocean if you look back at the starting point of Snow Mountain Range!Magang Fishing Port, located to the north of Sandiaojiao, is the easternmost fishing village of Taiwan. Fishermen mostly catch fish in the fisheries by Turtle Island and Sandiao Bay. Their main catches include sea breams, oceanic bonitos, neritic squid, squid and lobsters. You can take a rest at the fishing port, enjoy the ocean views while savoring seafood noodles or coffee. You can play with cats in the fishing village as well.After feasting your eyes on the magnificent views of the mountain and sea that stretch for 20 kilometers, you will return to Fulong Beach filled with fine and soft sand. With a curvy beach, Fulong Beach gets the name of Gold Coast. Shuang River meets the sea here, forming the two landscapes of an inland river and open waters. Fulong’s exceptionally gifted terrain has made it suitable for various water sports, such as sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, surfing and so on. Fulong has been a famous beach since Japanese Colonial Period, and it has carried the youthful memories of numerous generations.The games of sailing and lifesaving will take place on Fulong Beach during World Masters Games in 2025. With an excellent geographical location, Fullon Hotel Fulong adjacent to Fulong Beach enables its guests to overlook the venue of the games. Additionally, the hotel provides delicate meals and hot springs. To encourage low carbon travel, guests who take public transportation may enjoy eco-friendly accommodation promotions. Let’s take the train to Fulong, ride a bike around Taiwan’s Northern Coast, and participate in the sports event that takes place in northern Taiwan. “SPORTS beyond AGE! LIFE without LIMITS!” Let’s meet in Fulong to attend World Masters Games 2025!👉Registration for World Masters Games 2025 held in Taipei and New Taipei City starts on February 17. Everyone is welcome to participate in the grand occasion!
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