New Taipei City ─ Houtong
Houtong, located in Rueifang District of Taiwan, is a village in the mountains of eastern New Taipei City. Reuifang is renowned for its rich, well-preserved railway culture with the old Yilan Line which was built during the Japanese colonial period for transporting resources of northern Taiwan. One may still find the area filled with nostalgic ambience with a number of historical sites as it was one of the largest coal mining areas of Taiwan. Today, the area is a popular place for cat lovers and coal mining fans as both Houtong Cat Village and Houtong Coalmine Ecological Park are places where one may find cats and histories of coal mining.
Hutong Cat Village is famed for the intriguing scene of many stray cats roaming nearby the station after the cease of the mining industry. A park and residence are established for nearly 100 stray cats by the voluntary cat lovers. Nowadays, this area attracts large numbers of both local and international travelers for the old railway architectures and the lovely cats.
Since Houtong was the largest freight station for mining transportation, Houting Coalmine Ecological Park is built in this place for good reason. The park consists of Japanese colonial-era building, mining transport bridge, old coal processing plants, museums and educational exhibits. The museum is designed as a coal industry theme, in which circulates the relics, histories and stories of the coal mining industry. There are many activities is arranged for visitors to go underground to experience the working condition of miners and to get a chance to touch a 200.3-kiogram gold bar. Visitors intrigued by the combination of Japanese colonial-ear buildings and industrial relics should definitely come to Houtong to see the unparalleled scene.
Aside from Houtong, there is a couple of towns that are worth going in this area, such as Jinguashi, Jiufen, Pingxi, and Shuangxi. The beauty of the landscapes will also become an unforgettable memory for travelers, including Yinyang Lake, waterfalls, aboriginal villages, hot spring, 17-century forts, and the night view of pacific sea. Visitors may travel along the railway line to travel the East coast of Taiwan to savor the stunning view of nature and Taiwan-as-it-used-to-be ambience.
Hutong Cat Village is famed for the intriguing scene of many stray cats roaming nearby the station after the cease of the mining industry. A park and residence are established for nearly 100 stray cats by the voluntary cat lovers. Nowadays, this area attracts large numbers of both local and international travelers for the old railway architectures and the lovely cats.
Since Houtong was the largest freight station for mining transportation, Houting Coalmine Ecological Park is built in this place for good reason. The park consists of Japanese colonial-era building, mining transport bridge, old coal processing plants, museums and educational exhibits. The museum is designed as a coal industry theme, in which circulates the relics, histories and stories of the coal mining industry. There are many activities is arranged for visitors to go underground to experience the working condition of miners and to get a chance to touch a 200.3-kiogram gold bar. Visitors intrigued by the combination of Japanese colonial-ear buildings and industrial relics should definitely come to Houtong to see the unparalleled scene.
Aside from Houtong, there is a couple of towns that are worth going in this area, such as Jinguashi, Jiufen, Pingxi, and Shuangxi. The beauty of the landscapes will also become an unforgettable memory for travelers, including Yinyang Lake, waterfalls, aboriginal villages, hot spring, 17-century forts, and the night view of pacific sea. Visitors may travel along the railway line to travel the East coast of Taiwan to savor the stunning view of nature and Taiwan-as-it-used-to-be ambience.
Directions:
By Train:
Take TRA Yilan Line from Taipei Main Station ->Houtong Station(侯硐車站) -> Houtong(侯硐)
