Revisit to Jinguashi 金瓜石 （27.10.12）

One of my first destinations when I came to Taiwan was Jinguashi. During the trip there, somebody mentioned that October is silver grass season and jinguashi would turn white due to the blooming of silver grass. It is now October and I am back to jinguashi to not only see the blooming of silver grass and to finish exploring the attractions which I didn't manage to go to the other time.

Jinguashi was a mining site during the Japanese colonial era. The Japanese mined gold, copper and other metals from Jinguashi. After the Japanese left, the Taiwan government took over the place. However, after some time, because of the decreased amount of metals, Jinguashi is no longer a mining site. Only the remains of the mines and buildings remind us of the history this place once had.

At the entrance of Jinguashi 

Restored Japanese house for workers during the Japanese era 

Interior of the house

Cafe spotted in Jinguashi

View from the prince's chalet

Chalet built for the Japanese imperial prince who was supposed to visit but never did

Side view of the place

Besides revisiting the places which I went before such as the prince's chalet, I also managed to witness silver grass blooming and visit an attraction I didn't go the previous time, the remains of a Japanese shrine high up in the mountains. 

Silver grass below. The mountain is called 无耳茶壶山 （Teapot mountain) due to the shape of the peak.

At the entrance of the shrine 

The gate that separates the human world from the world of the gods.

Fields of blooming silver grass

The view from the shrine

A mysterious hole seen in the shrine. I wonder what is the purpose of the hole?

The pillars are the few remains of the shrine

Broken pieces 

After exploring the shrine and a few other places, we took the bus and headed down to Jiufen.