Jinshan Old Street | 金山老街

Hey guys! It has been a while! Since the COVID situation has been quite serious in Taiwan, we here at Explore Taiwan decided to take a short break and stay safe from the pandemic...but we're back! Stay tuned as we will be updating this blog frequently! 

This time we made our way to one of the oldest "old streets" on the northern coastline of Taiwan. Jinshan Old Street 金山老街 was built during the Qing Dynasty 清朝 and has more than 300 years of history! It was originally occupied by indigenous people of Taiwan, however, when the Han people started immigrating from China, the original indigenous name was changed into Jinbaoli 金包里. Nowadays, the place is also known as Jinshan.

Let's find out more about Jinshan Old Street aka Jinbaoli Old Street.

Jinshan Old Street is known for its sale of agricultural goods such as aiyu jelly, sweet potato, and even poultry such as duck meat, among other things. Also, the old street is right beside a local vegetable market. The street itself wasn't too long, but there were a few touristy stores that have started to pop up. For instance, I purchased a tiny ice cream chocolate cheese cake while visiting the old street! It was delicious, but in no way traditional. 

Right inside the Old Street, there are 2 very popular temples: Jinbaoli Guan An Temple 金包里廣安宮, and Jinbaoli Cihu Temple 金包里慈護宮. Both were extremely crowded. I managed to visit the Cihu Temple which honors Mazu, but there was no way to enter the Guan An Temple temple as it was just bustling with people. Oh well, maybe next time. 

The story goes that Jinbaoli Cihu Temple was built when a local fisherman from the area discovered a statue of the Goddess Mazu in a cave. 

He decided raise money and build a temple in honor of Mazu so that she could take care of the local fishermen. 

On the other hand, Jinbaoli Guan An Temple was built by Han settlers that arrived to Jinshan during the Qing Dynasty, marking the first Taoist temple in the area. The temple honors Chen Yuanguang 陳元光, a general during the Tang Dynasty who was said to have improved the lives of locals by teaching them how to survive. He was revered by many settlers who immigrated to Taiwan during that time period.

Both temples also hold annual religious processions that pass through the Old Street. 

As Jinshan is also close to the ocean, make sure to walk over and check out the gorgeous view of the sea! 

I also really liked the laid back vibe of Jinshan. You can just wander around and appreciate the rural landscape.

How to get to there: You can take the Taipei Metro and get off at Danshui Station Exit 2. You'll have to catch the bus 716 Crown Northern Coast Shuttle Bus and then get off at Jinshan District Office Station. 

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