Huangjin Waterfall (黃金瀑布 [Huángjīn Pùbù]; Golden Waterfall)

Ruifen District / Jinguashi / Jiufen / Keelung, Xinbei (New Taipei City), Taiwan

About Huangjin Waterfall (黃金瀑布 [Huángjīn Pùbù]; Golden Waterfall)

For Subscribers Only. See Membership Options.

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

The Huangjin Waterfall (黃金瀑布 [Huángjīn Pùbù]; translated as the “Golden Waterfall”) had to have been one of the more unique and unusual waterfalls we had encountered in Taiwan.

Not only did this waterfall have a pleasing size (it was wider than it was tall) with a vein-like percolating appearance, but its underlying rock had a striking bright brownish orange color to it.

Huangjin_Waterfall_004_11022016 - Huangjin Waterfall or ('Golden Waterfall')
Huangjin Waterfall or (‘Golden Waterfall’)

Perhaps even stranger still about our experience with this falls was that just up the mountain was the popular mining village of Jiufen.

Jiufen was a very popular tourist spot that felt more like a United Nations of Tourists as visitors from all over the world would converge here.

Yet, down at the Huangjin Waterfall we hardly saw any foreign tourists, and I suspected that transport options might be far more limited despite this being a roadside waterfall.

It still didn’t stop this place from being visited by crowds of locals, taxis, self-drivers, some Chinese tour buses, and even the odd motorcycle gang.

The Golden Heritage

Jiufen_011_11022016 - The Huangjin Waterfall was down the mountain from the very popular mining town of Jiufen, which packed quite a punch in terms of scenery, an atmospheric marketplace, and some heritage museums
The Huangjin Waterfall was down the mountain from the very popular mining town of Jiufen, which packed quite a punch in terms of scenery, an atmospheric marketplace, and some heritage museums

It seemed fitting that the Huangjin Waterfall would be associated with gold.

After all, one could say that this association could be drawn from the sulfur-tinted color of the waterfall’s underlying rocks.

The presence of the sulphur might be controversial considering that it might have been a byproduct of mining operations.

However, I suspect that the heritage of gold around this waterfall had more to do with the gold mining heritage during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan.

Gold_Museum_014_11042016 - The Gold Museum in Jiufen was a place to learn about the living and working conditions in the Gold Mines during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan
The Gold Museum in Jiufen was a place to learn about the living and working conditions in the Gold Mines during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan

Indeed, I had learned that my Mom’s side of the family, who were mostly based in the nearby city of Keelung (基隆 [Jīlóng]), actually had a personal connection with these mines in Jiufen.

One of her older brothers had actually lived and worked in these mines (initially for gold and later for coal).

She also had a granduncle who was commissioned by the Japanese government to survey the area around Keelung including this waterfall and the towns of Jiufen and Jinguashi.

By the way, Jiufen was written as 九份 [Jiǔfèn], which meant “9 portions”, and Jinguashi was written as 金瓜石 [Jīnguāshí], which meant “golden nugget” or something like that.

Experiencing the Huangjin Waterfall

Huangjin_Waterfall_092_11022016 - It can get quite busy at the Huangjin Waterfall though during our visit in November 2016, we pretty much blended in with the rest of the Taiwanese visitors as I didn't recall seeing any international visitors
It can get quite busy at the Huangjin Waterfall though during our visit in November 2016, we pretty much blended in with the rest of the Taiwanese visitors as I didn’t recall seeing any international visitors

The Huangjin Waterfall was as close to the definition of a drive-to waterfall as you can get in Taiwan.

The only walking required (if you’ve self-driven or taxi’ed here) would be to cross the road and walk along the railings.

We were able to view the falls from a variety of different angles within this lookout area.

Apparently, these railings were put in not that long ago when Chinese tour buses started showing up and getting themselves into preventable accidents.

Huangjin_Waterfall_049_11022016 - Looking back in the other direction from the Huangjin Waterfall towards the ocean
Looking back in the other direction from the Huangjin Waterfall towards the ocean

Even with the railings, the falls was wide enough to make it difficult to capture the whole thing in one go, which gives you a little idea of its scale.

In each of our visits to this waterfall, we took roughly about 30 minutes away from the car, but it easily could have been shorter than that.

Of that time spent, it was pretty much taking pictures of the falls while also looking further down the hill towards the ocean and the nearby Keelung Mountain.

Authorities

The Huangjin Waterfall resides in the Ruifang District near the city of Keelung in Xinbei (New Taipei City), Taiwan. It may be administered by the Ruifang District Government. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting this website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual members. See Membership Options.
Content is for members. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: xinbei, new taipei, taipei, county, keelung, jiufen, ruifen, northern taiwan, taiwan, waterfall, gold, golden, roadside, coal



Visitor Comments:

Got something you'd like to share or say to keep the conversation going? Feel free to leave a comment below...

No users have replied to the content on this page


Share your thoughts about what you've read on this page

You must be logged in to submit content. Refresh this page after you have logged in.

Visitor Reviews of this Waterfall:

If you have a waterfall story or write-up that you'd like to share, feel free to click the button below and fill out the form...

No users have submitted a write-up/review of this waterfall


Have you been to a waterfall? Submit a write-up/review and share your experiences or impressions

Review A Waterfall

Nearest Waterfalls



How To Build A Profitable Travel Blog In 4 Steps

Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.