Understand
[edit]Pingxi was an important coal mining town in the early 20th century. The district is also the location of the source of the Keelung River.
- 1 Shifen Visitor Center (十分遊客中心), ☏ +886 224958409. 08:00-18:00. For more information on the various attractions in the area, you may consult the staff here.
Get in
[edit]By rail
[edit]Pingxi serviced by the TRA Pingxi Line. To transfer onto the line, take the Yilan-bound train from Taipei Main Station and get off at Ruifang, where you can transfer onto the Jingtong-bound train.
Pingxi can be accessed through the following stations:
- 1 Dahua station (大華車站).
- 2 Jingtong station (菁桐車站). Serves the historical coal mining town of Jingtong.
- 3 Lingjiao station (嶺腳車站).
- 4 Pingxi station (平溪車站).
- 5 Shifen station (十分車站).
- 6 Wanggu station (望古車站).
Get around
[edit]
Map of Pingxi
See
[edit]Culture
[edit]- 1 Shifen Old Street (十分老街). An unusual market street with a train track running through the middle of it.
- 2 Pingxi Old Street (平溪老街), Pingxi Street. A narrow old street with a variety of shops and snacks.
Historical sites
[edit]- 3 Jingtong Coal Memorial Park (菁桐煤礦紀念公園), No. 50, Jingtong Street, ☏ +886 2 2960 3456. The area used to be the underground coal mining site.
- 4 Zhongpu Iron Bridge (中埔鐵橋). Built in the 1940s, the bridge is used as a 'love bridge' where people can hang messages of love written on bamboo from the railings.
- 5 The Tsai Mansion (蔡家洋樓). The former residence of the Tsai (蔡) family, built by Tsai Chuan, a local businessman who made his money in mining, in 1939. The house is still maintained by his descendants, although most of the family has since left the area. The house is built in a western red-brick style, which is unusual for the area.
Museums
[edit]- 6 Jingtong Mining Industry Museum (菁桐礦業生活館). The ground floor of the museum displays permanent exhibitions on the landscape of Pingxi Township and the development of coal mining industries in the area. The upper floor of the museum displays artifacts related to coal mining activities and the local culture. The museum building was originally the dormitory of Taiwan Railways Administration employees. In 2001, the building underwent renovation by funding from the Ministry of Interior to transform it unto a museum.
- 7 Taiwan Coal Mine Museum (台灣煤礦博物館). A museum about coal mining in Pingxi District. The museum used to be the coal mining site during the later stage of Pingxi Era of Tai-Yiang Mining Inc called the New Pingxi Mine. It was first opened in 1965 and the first coal extracted was done in 1967. In 1997, the mining activity was halted due to the more competitive price from imported coal to Taiwan.
Temples
[edit]- 8 Pingxi Guanyin Temple (平溪觀音巖), ☏ +886 224951292. A temple dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin. The temple itself sits atop a tunnel that leads to a bomb shelter which is also accessible.
Parks and nature
[edit]- 9 Lingjiao Waterfall (嶺腳瀑布). The waterfall is accessible within walking distance south of Lingjiao Station of Taiwan Railways.
- 10 Shifen Waterfall (十分大瀑布). The broadest waterfall in Taiwan which is 40m wide and 20m high.
Do
[edit]Lantern Festival
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Pingxi is popular in Taiwan as a place to send off sky lanterns with messages written on them. Lanterns are often released from the Shifen Old Street.
Outdoors
[edit]The area has lots of hiking trails.
- 1 Mount Shisunjian (石筍尖).