Jinguashi 13 Ruins
Jinguashi 13 Ruins
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The area
Neighborhood: Ruifan District
With its air of historical heritage, Shuijinjiu (ShueiNanDong, Jingguashi, Jiufen) used to be prosperous and glamorous due to mining. Although its magnificent semblance no longer exists, the peaceful and beautiful atmosphere has persisted. With a wave to the age of the gold rush, one can still see a glimpse of its glorious past through the Golden Waterfall. Gazing at the ShueiNanDong Remains of the 13 Levels, it is like a beautiful palace that was deserted, earning it the name of “Potala Palace of the Mountain Mines”. Probing forward to the mouth of the river is the considerably distinguished Yinyang Sea, with its half gold half bluish green spectacle inspiring countless imaginations of romance.
Walking along the streets of the meandering old streets of Jiufen and tasting the various kinds of authentic eateries is the love of tourists. Stepping into the Golden Museum, one can glimpse the historical traces of the mining industry culture, reminiscing of past glories from its museum, living quarters, and shrine remains.
The unassuming mountain city of Houtong used to be a mining village. With the call of cat lovers, volunteer groups were established to create a friendly environment for cats and turned Houtong into a cat village for cat lovers.
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Best nearby
Restaurants
80 within 3 miles
Attractions
83 within 6 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
66 reviews
Excellent
25
Very good
30
Average
10
Poor
0
Terrible
1
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wang2383
Longjing, Taichung71,798 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
Just on the Liandong Bay of the Binhai Highway, the "Shuinan Cave Thirteenth Floor Ruins" located on the hillside opposite the Yin and Yang Sea in Shuinan Cave, Jinguashi, used to be a refinery for refining gold, silver and copper ore. After the site was abandoned, the buildings attached to the mountain looked like beautiful abandoned palaces from a distance. It was raining this time when we came, and they flickered in and out of the mountains, like a floating "city in the sky", adding a few extra touches. Point of beauty. In September 2019, Taipower collaborated with international lighting art master Zhou Lian and emerging artist He Cairou to "Light up the 13th Floor" public art. The 13th floor ruins, illuminated by golden lights, seemed to travel through a time and space tunnel, allowing people to once again I saw the magnificence of the Golden Mountain City back then, but unfortunately I didn’t see it this time due to time constraints.

Written May 21, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Choonfong Lee
Johor Bahru, Malaysia434 contributions
Dec 2019
Jinguashi located on a hillslope consists of a large Potala-like building from the gold-mining days. At light, it lights up giving it a majestic look. Nearby are the famous golden waterfalls with roads leading up to the Old Street shopping alleys of Jiufen. Not to be missed during your trip to this northeastern part of Taiwan.
Written December 27, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Francois R
South Africa33 contributions
Nov 2019 • Solo
If you are into the beauty of ruins, it’s a place not to be missed. Offers great views of the Ying Yang Sea. There are roads at the back of it giving different perspectives of this place.
Written February 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
backpacker31
Boynton Beach, FL5,956 contributions
Mar 2018 • Solo
If you like ‘modern’ ruins and a post apocalyptic landscape, this is for you! Unfortunately the ruins are off limits (lots of fencing) to explore, but if you are walking along the winding roads there are many places to get close enough to the crumbling structures. When the light of day is right there will be countless excellent photo opportunities. The sheer size of the structures is almost incomprehensible.
Written April 8, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aleksandra U
Taipei, Taiwan22 contributions
Nov 2016 • Solo
The old mine buildings are very impressive although now it is a ruin. I hired a taxi to take me to Jiufen and on my way we stopped there. You have a great ocean view from the top of the mine main hall and this is where the taxi driver wanted to take me first but I insisted on taking pictures from the bottom because the 13 steps, which are actually 18, look really impressive. From the top you can see the bay polluted by the residue from mineworks that the locals call the Yin-Yang Sea, because of the dark and bright contrast, the beautiful surrounding mountains and what really impressed me most - long tubes of pipes that were used to bring the fumes from the mine to the other side of the mountain on which the mine was located. They look just like long black boa snakes entangling the site. It is a cool looking place that surprised me with its majesty.
Written January 3, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
StotheN
Stockholm, Sweden537 contributions
Nov 2022
It is right on the opposite side of the Ying yang sea. It is a photo stop for me as I didnt make it to the ruins proper. I am not sure if you can hike up to the place though.
Written November 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ginger
Singapore, Singapore322 contributions
Dec 2019
Our guide drove us there. Its great to take pic overlooking the yinyang sea and able to have to view of the sea.
Written December 20, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travellover6128
San Francisco, CA2,948 contributions
Apr 2018 • Couples
If you like history or photographing old buildings then a visit here is worthwhile. Our guide took us to various locations around the ruins. Pictures from the top of the hill looking down are amazing.
Written April 17, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eugene H
9 contributions
Nov 2017 • Solo
It rained and I arrived late. However, I had a great experience in the quite place. I saw a great picture with hundreds of lighting from the fish boats and the road lighting. The houses emitted soft and lighting, too. The water from golden waterfall was running through the bridge. It was very beautiful.
Written November 3, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carlo L
Dunedin, New Zealand743 contributions
Jun 2017 • Friends
The mere size of the place tells you outright that this place used to be of much significance. The ruins are what's left behind by a gold and copper giant of Taiwan's past. The black lines snaking up from the complex to the mountains remind us of the extent of it's operations and is actually the longest one in Taiwan. The area around here still tell us of the abundance around with the nearby falls and the waters close to the shore bearing a gold hint.
Written June 12, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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