Walking the Old Street: the Stairs and the Level Lane
How Jiufen's two lanes fit together, the easiest way round, and what to expect on foot if stairs are hard.
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How Jiufen's two lanes fit together, the easiest way round, and what to expect on foot if stairs are hard.
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Jiufen is built on a steep hillside, and first-time visitors are often caught out by it. The town has two main lanes that cross each other: Jishan Street (基山街), the narrow, covered market lane that runs roughly level; and Shuqi Road (豎崎路), the stone staircase lined with red-lantern teahouses — the view everyone comes for. This page explains the layout, which way round is easiest on the legs, and what to expect if stairs are hard.
Not step-free
The easiest way to see both lanes: start at the top, walk the level market street, then come down the teahouse staircase rather than climbing it.
People live and work in these lanes — this is a real village, not a set. Keep to one side to take photos so you're not blocking the flow, and ask before photographing shopkeepers.
For anyone who can't manage the staircase: the market street is largely flat, and you can still take in the famous view from the top of the steps without going down them.
The lane is a squeeze — if you need a moment, tuck into a shop doorway rather than stopping in the middle of the flow.
Walk in as far as you like along the flat, covered market lane and turn back the same way. Everything here — the food stalls, the shops — is on one level.
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The main market lane, so narrow and roofed by shop awnings that locals call it the 'Dark Street'. It runs roughly level along the hillside, packed with food stalls — taro balls, fish-ball soup, peanut ice rolls — and souvenir shops.
This whole stretch is level. If stairs are a worry, you can enjoy the market without ever taking one.
Partway along, the market lane crosses the stone staircase that climbs and drops away down the hillside. Looking down the steps to your right is the classic Jiufen postcard — teahouses stacked above one another, red lanterns overhead.
Step to the side of the lane for photos here — it's the busiest pinch-point in town.
The much-photographed tiered wooden teahouse just down the Shuqi Road steps, its red lanterns the image most associated with Jiufen. You don't have to go in — the view of it from the steps is the draw.
It opens earlier than most (around 8:30am), so it's calmest first thing.
Lower down the steps, the restored 1930s cinema — once the grandest in the whole mining district. Free to look inside, with old projectors and wooden seats, and a quiet break from the crowds.
A good place to rest halfway down the staircase.
The steps come out near the lower road, where you can pick up a bus or a taxi back down to Ruifang. You've seen both lanes without climbing a single flight.
Go slowly and let crowds pass; the narrowness is the real obstacle, not the slope.
Where the market lane meets the staircase, stand at the top and look down over the tiered teahouses and lanterns. This is the same view people queue on the steps for — and you can take it in without going down.
There's usually somewhere to pause here; it's the turnaround point.