New Taipei City Gold Museum

Traveler highlights

Jinguashi prospered through gold and copper mining. After mining ceased, former mine buildings were repurposed as a museum park, which opened in 2004. At New Taipei City Gold Museum, move among the buildings and galleries to see how a mining settlement became an ecomuseum preserving local memory. The first floor of the Gold Building’s “Mountain Town in Golden Light” presents mining history and artifacts from Jinguashi, Shuinandong and Jiufen; “Treasures of the Earth” on the second floor introduces local geology, minerals and the Jinguashi gold brick. Nearby, Benshan Fifth Tunnel retains an old mine passage and depicts miners’ work. The Four Joined Japanese Style Residence once housed mining company employees; after restoration, its rooms show the living arrangements of Japanese staff during Japanese rule and Taiwanese staff after the war. Built in 1922 for a planned visit by the Crown Prince, the Prince Hotel now opens its exterior garden to visitors. The Refining Building offers an interactive multimedia experience about panning for gold, while the Metal Craft Hall displays collections and metalwork aesthetics. Together, tunnels, residences and exhibitions reveal not only gold, but also the working lives, households and local industries that shaped the mountain town.