Back to a bygone era

For a time, the areas lost their shiny spark, but local film director Ho Hsiao-shien revitalized the area in 1989, producing a historical movie based in Jioufen called The City of Sadness. Several scenes shot in Jioufen's narrow and historic streets reminded many of its forgotten splendors.

So let's explore local history (before indulging further, rest assured that this journey is suitable for all ages).

The aging streets of Jioufen

Step into the past at the bottom of Jishan Street, one of the three main old streets of Jioufen.

Enter Jishan Street to find a peculiar selection of snack shops and other traditional treasures, such as calligraphy brushes and wooden slippers.

One of the delights originating in Jioufen's Old Streets includes the now-popular taro balls – traditional sweets similar to purple marshmallows in size and shape –, such as the ones sold at Chuchuan A-man's Shop.

Affable owner Chien Wang-te said he took over the 30-year-old shop from his mother about a decade ago. The taro balls have always been handmade in front of customers on the shop's wooden counter because to Chien, quality is best demonstrated by action, not words.

For those who wish to share a piece of Jioufen with friends and family back home, the shop offers boxes of raw taro and sweet potato balls that can be kept fresh in freezers for up to a month (NT$70/600 grams and NT$50/415 grams). In comparison to average market prices, visitors are getting a great deal for authentic products.

I couldn't get enough “sweetness”, so I continued further up the street and stopped by Liao Family's Century-Old Shop for some bite-size pastries. True to its advertising, this shop has indeed been selling pastries in Jioufen for more than 100 years.

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