Photo Exhibition of Jinguashi Recalls the Glory of Asia’s No.1 Precious Metal Mine

Text / Compiled and Reported by Chen Guanxin, MOOK Travel & Lifestyle

 

The Gold Ecological Park in Ruifang District, New Taipei City, will present the “Jinguashi Mine Photo Exhibition” from January 18 to March 24, featuring impressive vintage photos capturing the life and landscape of the Jinguashi mining settlement during Japan’s colonial rule. To give more people a glimpse into the former glory of this “Asia’s No.1 precious metal mine,” the museum has also scheduled two courses — “Shinto Beliefs in Japan and the Jinguashi Shrine” on January 19 and “The Railway to Jinguashi” on January 26. Each course is limited to 20 participants, and registration is now open.

According to the New Taipei City Gold Ecological Park, Jinguashi, once hailed as “Asia’s No.1 precious metal mine,” reached its peak annual gold production of 55,000 taels during the Japanese colonial era, attracting tens of thousands of people to the “Golden Mountain City.” This once-forgotten history was captured through photography and, even a century later, still shines with enduring brilliance. The “Jinguashi Mine Photo Exhibition” displays dozens of vintage images sourced from the 1914 “Jinguashi Mine Photo Album” published by Kiryū-gun Kinugawa Shashinkan (Kiryu District, Kinugawa Photo Studio) and the “Jinguashi Photo Album” taken by the Japanese Mining Co., Ltd. between 1933 and 1935. The exhibition is divided into five major themes: natural settlement landscapes, mining scenes, transportation facilities, religious beliefs, and recreational life. By juxtaposing historical photos with the present-day sites, it revisits the splendid legacy of the mining era. Interactive experiences at the venue also allow visitors to relive moments of daily life in the old mines.

 

To offer the public deeper insight into the mining settlement captured in these vintage photos, the Gold Ecological Park has organized two related courses alongside the “Jinguashi Mine Photo Exhibition.” On January 19 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM, Assistant Professor Lin Cheng-wei from the Graduate Institute of Architecture and Cultural Heritage at Taipei National University of the Arts will give a lecture titled “Shinto Beliefs in Japan and the Jinguashi Shrine,” to be held on the second floor of the Jinguashi Post Office within the park. On January 26 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Gu Ting-wei, Vice President of the Railway Culture Society, will lead an outdoor field study course called “The Railway to Jinguashi,” meeting at the Ruifang Railway Station lobby. For more details, visit the official website: www.gep.ntpc.gov.tw.

 

 

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