雨に煙る悲情城市,九份 / Jiufen, “A City of Sadness”, Shrouded in a Heavy Rain..

P4260417 雨に煙る悲情城市,九份 / Jiufen, A City of Sadness, shrouded in a heavy rain..

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P4260421 雨に煙る悲情城市,九份 / Jiufen, A City of Sadness, shrouded in a heavy rain..

1989年に台湾で大ヒットした映画，『悲情城市（A City of Sadness）』のロケ地，九份（きゅうふん，ジォウフェン）のノスタルジックな街並みです。

九份は、台湾北部の港町基隆市の近郊、新北市瑞芳区に位置する山あいに位置し，台北市中から高速バスに揺られ，くねくねと曲がった山道を延々と登り，１時間半強で辿りつくことができます。

山深い寒村であった九份は，19世紀末に金の採掘が開始されたことにより次第に発展し，日本統治時代に大いに繁栄しましたが，1971年に金鉱が閉山されてからは急速に衰退してしまいました。

ところが，1989年に台湾で空前のヒットとなった映画，『悲情城市（A City of Sadness）』（侯孝賢監督）のロケ地となったことにより，1990年代初頭に九份ブームが起こり，これを受けて町おこしとして観光化が進められた結果，現在，メインストリートの基山街には屋台や土産物店が，急勾配の石段の堅崎路はレトロ調の飲食店や茶藝館が建ち並ぶ一大観光地となりました。

ガイドブック等に掲載されているノスタルジックな街並みを期待して，私も台北から2時間かけてこの町を訪れたのですが，率直な感想としては，観光地化が著しく，山中の原宿竹下通りといった様相を呈しており，また観光客でごった返しており期待外れではありました。
ただ，有名スポットとなっている石段の堅崎路は，豪雨に包まれていたこともありノスタルジックな雰囲気を醸し出しておりました。

台湾，新北市瑞芳区九份
2014年4月撮影
Olympus OM-D E-M1
LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm/F2.8 ASPH

Jiufen (Jioufen, Chiufen), is a mountain area in the Ruifang District of New Taipei City near Keelung, Taiwan.
Jiufen was only an isolated village until 1893, when gold was discovered in the area. The resulting gold rush hastened the village’s development into a town, and reached its peak during the Japanese rule. Many present features of Jiufen reflect the era under Japanese colonization, with many Japanese inns surviving to this day. During World War II, a POW camp named Kinkaseki was set up in the village, holding Allied soldiers captured inSingapore (including many British) who worked in the nearby gold mines. Gold mining activities declined after World War II, and the mine was shut off in 1971. Jiufen quickly went into decline, and for a while the town was mostly forgotten.

In 1989, Hou Hsiao-hsien’s film “A City of Sadness”, became a big hit in the theatres.
As a result Jiufen, where the film was set, revived due to the film’s popularity.
The nostalgic scenery of Jiufen as seen in the film, as well as appearances in other media, charmed many people into visiting Jiufen. For the beginning of the 1990s, Jiufen experienced a tourist boom that has shaped the town as a tourist attraction. Soon retro-Chinese style cafés, tea houses, and souvenir stores bearing the name “City of Sadness” were built.
At present, Jiufen is a renowned tourist attraction representative of Taiwan. It draws many tourists from Taipei during the weekends.

Jiufen, Ruifang District of New Taipei City near Keelung, Taiwan
April 2014
Olympus OM-D E-M1
LUMIX G X VARIO 12-35mm/F2.8 ASPH