New Taipei City Gold Museum Audio Guide

Gold Museum: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Gold Museum

   Gold Museum: A few years later, in 2002, the Taipei County government, which is today's New Taipei City government, set out to revive the memory of Taiwan's gold-producing past.

   Welcome to the Gold Museum, known locally as 黃金博物館, set in the mountain town of Jinguashi in Ruifang District, New Taipei. You are standing in a place that was once the working heart of a mining district. During the Japanese colonial era, this region was celebrated as the number one metal mine in Asia, rich in both gold and copper. When the ore ran out and production stopped, the old mining buildings were not torn down. They were reimagined as a museum, which opened on the fourth of November in 2004. This is Taiwan's first museum built on the idea of an ecomuseum. The idea is simple and generous: protect the whole landscape, with its buildings, tunnels, nature and memories, and involve the local community in caring for it. Over the next few minutes, I will walk you through the museum's origins, the exhibitions and the underground tunnel, the old theater and the heritage buildings around it, and the mountains that frame it all. Let's begin.

2. 02

   Gold Museum: From Mining Office to Museum

   Gold Museum: This floor also holds a display called Treasures of the Earth, with about 140 different minerals.

   The story of the Gold Museum is a story of reuse. Jinguashi was famous for its gold and copper, and the industry here had a long life. Production finally ended in 1987. A few years later, in 2002, the Taipei County government, which is today's New Taipei City government, set out to revive the memory of Taiwan's gold-producing past. Its plan was to rebuild the old Taiwan Metal Mining Corporation offices, along with abandoned tunnels and other buildings, into a gold museum park. That park officially opened on the fourth of November in 2004. Its guiding idea, the ecomuseum, means the museum is not just one building. It reaches across the surrounding settlement, mining relics, natural scenery and local life. The goal is to preserve Jinguashi and the nearby area of Shuinandong, as well as the mining heritage connected to Jiufen, while promoting sustainability and eco-tourism. So as you look around, remember that you are not in a purpose-built gallery. You are inside the reworked industrial landscape that the miners and mining company staff once knew.

3. 03

   Gold Museum: Gold Bars, Minerals and the Tunnel

   Gold Museum: From the Shuinandong side, it looks more like a lion lying down.

   The main exhibition hall, called the Gold Building, was once the mining office of the Taiwan Metal Mining Corporation. Its permanent exhibitions are spread across two floors. On the first floor, the theme is the mountain town under the golden light. Historical documents, old photographs, tunnel models and interactive displays trace a century of mining life. Upstairs, the crowd favorite is the big gold bar. This floor also holds a display called Treasures of the Earth, with about 140 different minerals. These come from the museum's own collection and from six generous lenders. Then there is the part many visitors remember most: the underground experience. Beside the Gold Building is the Benshan Fifth Tunnel, one of nine tunnels in the Benshan mine and one of the best preserved. To let you feel what miners faced in the dark, a new tunnel about 110 meters long was dug upward from the old one. Together, the old and new passages total roughly 180 meters. Wax figures, models, sound and lighting recreate the mining process.

4. 04

   Gold Museum: Theater, Shrine and Heritage Buildings

   Around the museum, the park gathers a cluster of heritage buildings. Within the park area you will find the Jinguashi Shrine and the Jinguashi mining waterway and its bridge, both designated municipal monuments. There is also the residence of the director of the Jinguashi mine office, a listed historic building. One of the most atmospheric stories belongs to the Shengping Theater. In 1994 a typhoon blew off its roof. After years of neglect, only the front facade, the four walls, and part of the curved second floor and gable remained. It was donated to New Taipei City in 2009 and designated a commemorative building on the twenty-eighth of June in 2010. Restoration brought back the look of the 1960s, and when it reopened in August of 2011, the Gold Museum took over its management. Think of the retro ticket window, the old movie posters and the theater snack counter. Another notable heritage site nearby is the Prince Chalet. After the Second World War it was taken over by the Taiwan Gold and Copper Mining Bureau and renamed the First Guest House, a retreat where many senior officials came to rest. It became a New Taipei municipal monument on the fourteenth of March in 2007, and today its outer garden is open to visitors.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off from Gold Museum

   Before you move on, lift your eyes from the buildings to the hills around you. The mountains here have names and personalities. Keelung Mountain, on the border between Jinguashi and Jiufen, is also called the Pregnant Beauty Mountain because its outline looks like a reclining woman. The mountain where the main tunnels lie is called Benshan. To the northeast, a peak topped with sandstone and shale looks, from the park, like a teapot without a handle, and it is called Teapot Mountain. From the Shuinandong side, it looks more like a lion lying down. Much of the slopes are covered with silver grass and ferns. If you would like to try something hands-on, the museum offers a gold panning experience for 100 New Taiwan dollars, with limited places per session. You keep the gold sand you pan. General admission is listed at 80 New Taiwan dollars per person, with free entry for several groups, including New Taipei residents, children under 12 and students. So take your time. Which story will you follow next: the tunnel, the theater, or the mountains that gave this town its fortune?