THE A-MEI TEA HOUSE OF JIUFEN
A-Mei Tea House, located in Jiufen, is perched on a steep mountainside facing the ocean. The building and its surroundings are inundated with history. The town of Jiufen first came to prominence when gold was discovered in the surrounding hills. But, as time passed the gold reserves were depleted and the town fell into the doldrums.
Jiufen had a thriving economy throughout the gold mining era, but as that chapter ended, the little town faded along with it. In a lucky twist of fate, director Hou Hsiao-Hsien used the sleepy and all-but-forgotten town as the backdrop for his groundbreaking film A City of Sadness. The film was the first film in Taiwanese history to acknowledge the past oppression and authoritarianism of Taiwan’s government on screen. Not only did the film become a huge success—winning the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival—it also single-handedly brought about Jiufen’s revitalization into one of Northern Taiwan’s most unique tourist destinations.
In the years since Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s film hit the silver screens, Jiufen has gained fame as a cultural and sightseeing destination. Today, the town’s old streets are one of the island’s busiest, and its tea houses are considered to offer one of the most quintessential views in all of Taiwan. While the weather in Jiufen is often unpredictable, visitors are guaranteed either spectacular coastal views or the magical ambience of steep foggy mountain alleyways.
Perhaps Jiufen’s most famous tea house, A-Mei Tea House was born in the midst of the movie production and Jiufen’s revitalization. The tea house’s founder, A-Mei, was a dance teacher before moving back home. A-Mei grew up poor and while her wish to become a professional dancer remained unfulfilled, she found meaning in another way by moving home and opening up A-Mei Tea House. Her philosophy is as follows: the imperfections in life—just like the hanging electrical wires that slightly obstruct the breathtaking view from A-Mei Tea House’s open space—are what has given this hillside town its unique character.
Inside A-Mei’s Tea House, everything—from the furniture to the contrast between the maroon on the exterior wall against the vintage brown colored window frames, to the red lanterns hanging in rows adorning each beam—embodies the charming nostalgia that makes Jiufen special. The tea house has so much character, it has drawn other parallels from observers. Some swear it looks just like the decor in Hayao Miyazaki’s award-winning film Spirited Away. This close resemblance—Miyazaki has stated the similarity is simply coincidence, as he had not traveled to Jiufen—has drawn in many international travelers to this foggy and dreamy town.
Experience the intoxicating romance of sipping tea while clouds slowly drift over the mountaintops below you. Look out and watch the purple, orange and red hues of the sunset slowly fade as night falls and the lights in the local fishing villages running along the coast slowly come into view. These scenes are how and why Jiufen became an inspiration to multiple films.
To complete your understanding of the area’s transformation, every trip to Jiufen should include a time-traveling stop at the nearby Jinguashi Gold Museum.
