Jinguashi

　　   Jinguashi is located in Ruifang Township, Taipei County. In the past, it was a sparsely populated wilderness. It wasn’t until the 14th year of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign that five farming households moved to Beiwai, built five thatched huts, and settled down—this is how the place name “No. 5 Shack” (Wuhao Liao) came about. By the 19th year of the Guangxu reign, someone discovered that the exposed rock of the Big Golden Melon contained a gold vein, prompting a large number of residents to relocate here to join in the gold mining efforts. By the 21st year of the Guangxu reign, during the Japanese colonial period, the Japanese came to Jinguashi to mine gold, causing the population to surge once again. The Jinguashi area became increasingly prosperous, leading to the development of other areas such as Guashanli and Sanjian’an. Gradually, it formed a self-contained local living community. Jinguashi thus earned the title “The Gold Capital of East Asia.” However, as the mining industry declined, Jinguashi suffered less from commercial development, which helped preserve the original appearance of the mining district.