Encounter the Culture, History, and Spirits of Taipei County
 
In recent years, tourism has become a popular business and which is stimulated by the government, and is also an environmentally-friendly industry that the rest of the world is now constantly developing. We used to think of only beautiful sights when it comes to tourism; now there are historical ruins to attract tourists as well, such as the old streets in Jiufen, the thirteen-layer old coal mine ruins in Jinguashi, the railroad and mine industry in Pingxi and, of course, we can not leave out the hot springs in Wulai. These are all our precious cultural tourism resources.
 
Since Xi-Wei was elected, I have devoted myself to integrating the tourism resources of Taipei County and am now going to show the best of Taipei County to the world. After Taipei County was promoted to a directly-controlled municipality in October of 2005, we established the Tourism and Travel Bureau so that we can implement a more professional approach to planning and arranging projects.

Wulai Designated Scenic Area, Ruifang Designated Scenic Area and Shifen Designated Scenic Area are the three county scenic areas that are the crucial sites for our present tourism promotion. These scenic areas not only hold abundant natural resources, but also contain long histories. They are definitely worth your time to go and explore. Wandering in the areas will take you backto the past and bring you a sense of nostalgia.

Spectacular sceneries can be damaged if we don’t care for them. The tracks of human history could even disappear over time, just like the gold mining industry in Jiufen and Jinguashi and the old coal mines in Houtong, Pingxi Township. The mines from many years past have been hidden by weeds and the stories of the hardworking miners are gradually being forgotten. We hope to preserve the historical stories of each scenic area through this travel guide and at the same time give tourists the opportunity to encounter the cultures and histories of these places throughout their travels.

Taipei County Government will continuously bring about more flagship tourism plans, including the Jinguashi – Jiufen Cable Car Project, Houtong Coal Mine Ecological Park Project, Shifen County Park Project, Wulai Hot Spring Development Project, as well as many more. We hope to create an environment which is more appropriate for international tourists as well as to promote the local economy and accomplish the political vision of “Happiness, Glamour, Big Taipei.”