🏔️ Summit Views · Quiet Mountain Town

This is the starting point for exploring Shuinandong and a key shuttle stop during the weekend traffic control periods for Jinguashi and Jiufen. Once you park, the main attractions are right nearby. * Yin-Yang Sea Observation Deck: Located right next to the parking lot. * Remains of the 13 Levels: Visible directly overhead. * Golden Waterfall & Shuinandong Settlement: About a 10-minute walk away (an uphill route). Plenty of parking spaces, with public restrooms on site.

The best vantage point for the Yin-Yang Sea, where half the bay runs golden and half a brilliant blue. The phenomenon comes from pyrite-rich streamwater flowing down from the Jinguashi mountains into the sea. Facing the ocean you look out over the two-toned bay; turn around and you see the Remains of the 13 Levels and Keelung Mountain, whose silhouette resembles a giant gorilla.

A straight road running directly toward the blue sea, evoking the seaside atmosphere of Kamakura, Japan — Shuinandong's most popular Instagram spot. It sits at the T-junction where the Jinshui Highway meets Provincial Highway 2 Coastal Road, and has become a favorite backdrop for wedding photos in recent years.

Liandong Stream (also known as Golden Stream or Jiufen Stream) is a mysterious waterway distinguished by a unique golden-yellow hue resulting from its high mineral content. The stream's characteristics and origins stem from surface water and abundant rainfall seeping into underground mining areas, where the water comes into contact with pyrite and enargite in the rock strata. Through redox reactions and catalysis by iron-oxidizing bacteria, highly acidic, mineral-rich water is formed. As the iron-rich water flows, it deposits a thick layer of yellowish-brown iron hydroxide onto the streambed rocks, giving the entire stream the appearance of a flowing "Golden Stream." The glittering golden hues—ranging from small flecks to larger patches—make it a favorite subject for photographers.

Due to the abundance of minerals such as pyrite in the Jinguashi and Shuinandong areas, chemical reactions between groundwater and the minerals have caused the rocks along the waterfall's path to oxidize, creating distinctive golden-yellow and orange-red hues. The water here is not typical mountain stream runoff; rather, it originates from groundwater gushing out of abandoned mining tunnels. On 23 December 2025 the waterfall was formally designated a New Taipei City terrestrial natural landscape and listed as a core site of the Jiufen–Jinguashi–Shuinandong Geopark. Following the "Light Up the Remains of the 13 Levels" project, the "Light Up Golden Waterfall" initiative was launched in July 2026, ensuring the waterfall remains a spectacular sight by both day and night. Parking: paid and free parking lots are available nearby, along with free roadside spaces.

Between the north tunnel entrance and the Wuji cable car, this spot brings you close to the century-old ore storage bins and the sweat and bustle of the mining families who once worked here; look back and you will see the lifelike guardian known as the "Sea-Gazing King Kong."

A quiet mountain settlement in Lianxin Village, Ruifang District, close to Shuinandong, the Golden Waterfall and the Yin-Yang Sea. It was an important mining village during the Japanese colonial era and bears witness to the rise and fall of Taiwan's mining history.

A traditional pavilion at the highest point of the Shuinandong mountain town. From here the entire bay opens up — the gold-and-blue divide of the Yin-Yang Sea, the imposing outline of the Remains of the 13 Levels, and Keelung Mountain in the distance — one of the most complete panoramas in Shuinandong.

Choose a restaurant in the elegant, uncrowded lanes, or pause for a coffee (see the restaurant list).

An easy downhill walk back to the main parking lot, rounding off the half-day loop — with mountain views and sea air.