Rueifang Station was a Japanese style timber-structured station yard. The entrance where the old ticket window of the platform on the Shenao Line is near was heading to the sea. It was a 2nd class station.

From 1870 to 1910, Rueifang region was the most productive of coals. As the mining industry was booming, miners with their families came here, and the local development process ran rapidly through the growing of wages. Rueifang became a small town of black gold (coals). The houses, government offices, police offices, and the revenue service office were along Keelung River. If the locals and government officers needed to take the train, they had to cross through the rail tracks or the crossing. It was very inconvenient and even dangerous. The locals’ lives were unsecured. They felt that the station was both necessary and unsafe.   

In 1955, Mr. Jian-He Li was a Member of Taiwan provincial Assembly and an owner of a coal mining company. His thoughts were frank and straightforward and had much political power in northern Taiwan. He was leading the operation strategy of the railway networks; therefore, some said he was the “REAL” Managing Director of Taiwan Railway Administration.

The railway transportation has the feature which is long-distance transportation with high volume. Mr. Li suggested expanding Rueifang Station in order to establish and promote the mining industry. A new station yard, which is so-called the Front Station, was built beside the old station. The old station yard was called the Back Station. The structure of the Front Station is as it is now; however, the external walls of the Front Station were decorated with a coating of pebbles, and the walls are decorated with tiles now. The appearances are a little bit different.

After 1961, since the volume of coals freighting increased, the revenues from goods freighting grew dramatically. Rueifang Station became the first class station because of coals freighting.

》About Rueifang
Rueifang was once called “Gamalua”. During the Manchu Dynasty, Deng Chen and Shih-Fang Lai had a “Gamadiam” which is a glossary store in Taiwanese language. The locals called it “Gamalua” by combining “Gama” and his family name “Lua” (the Taiwanese pronunciation of Lai is Lua). The name of the glossary store was Rueifang Shop. Therefore the locals usually use Rueifang instead of Gamalua or the glossary store. As the time faded, people refer this place Rueifang.

Rueifang Township is located on the upper Keelung River area where Keelung City is in its west, East China Sea is in its north, and Pingsi Township and Shuangsi Township are in its south. It has an area of 70.7 sq. kilometers and is in the north-east of Taipei County where the main stream of Keelung River is. Only north part of Rueifang Township reaches to the sea, and others are encircled by the mountains. Rueifang area is in Keelung Hill of Northern Snow Mountain and north-eastern coast of Taiwan. There is only a small area of river terraces and the coast regions in Rueifang Township; other regions are covered by hills.

》About the naming of Jioufen 
Some said that there were some families living on the hills near to Jioufen River and Daganlin River. They were 9 families and had paddy fields and tea gardens here. Food, textile, and other supplies were shipped here via Gengzihliao Port. Since they did not have the addresses and door numbers, all the goods were divided into 9 parts (Jioufen means 9 parts). In Taiwanese pronunciation is “Giuhouna”. Thus, this place was named Jioufen.

Some said that the some places’ naming is based on numbers of persons who develop the wasteland (how many shares or parts). Some said that the locals produced camphor here. Ten stoves of camphor were called one part. There were 90 stoves, therefore, this place were named “9 parts” (Jioufen).

Some said that before the colonists came, the natives, Pingpu, lived in north-eastern coast of Taiwan like in other place of Taiwan. According to Dagh-Register Gehouden int casteel Batavia, during Dutch colonized period, a Pingpu tribe called Cawulang produced gold. Cawulang is close to the Taiwanese pronunciation of “Giuhouna” (Jioufen). Since Jioufen was an origin place of gold, this is the most believable one than others. 

》Golden Tale of Two Towns (Jioufen & Jin-gua-shi)
Jin-Jiou Area began the history of the gold mining industry in Taiwan. Jin-Jiou Area, which is around 5 sq. kilometers, contented 95% of total gold deposit of whole Taiwan. Various and complicated geological process like the creator gather the gold in the Jin-Jiou Area. The gold produced in Jin-Jiou Area had made an impact on the history and the development of Taiwan, Japan, and East Asia.

》Jioufen
The development of Jioufen and Jin-gua-shi was based on the gold deposit. A gold panner found the gold deposit in Jin-gua-shi in 1893. The gold mining history of Jioufen and Jin-gua-shi had just begun.
During the Manchu Dynasty, Jioufen was considered a part of Jin-gua-shi. Jioufen was a hill without any development; however, the enargite deposit was found in Jin-gua-shi in 1905. Then, the enargite mining operation became important in Jioufen. Because of the high volume of production, people called Jioufen “the No.1 Hill of Precious metals”. It was the most economically advanced area in Taiwan, and had a name of Little Hong-Kong.

》Jin-gua-shi
After leaving Jioufen and going crossing a mountain, we are in Jin-gua-shi. Jin-gua-shi is not as crowded and prosperous as Jioufen. It is more old-fashioned and cozy. Jin-gua-shi now is considered as a potential world heritage. The Jin-gua-shi Old Street without street vendors and crowd of people is quiet. The old buildings is covered by fog and cloud, and the mountains expand. 

》A trip of the mining area
Tai-Jin Shueinandong Copper-refining factory site is close to Ying-yang Sea. It was built to lean against the hill and a 13 floors building. The miners and locals called it Shihsanceng (means 13 floors). It is an old building which is the evidence of the prosper enargite mining industry. The golden water flowing from the pits contents minerals and is falling from the mountain like “golden waterfalls”.  This water is also the reason why Ying-yang Sea has different colors.

》Jin-Jiou Area

→The buses
You can take the train to Rueifang Station. After alighting from the train, you can walk in the direction to Mingdeng Road (in front of the station) around 2 minutes. There you can take the bus of Keelung Bus Ltd. to Jioufen and Jin-gua-shi. There are also buses to Keelung, Taipei, and Jhonglun in the front plaza of Rueifang Station where the bus stops are provided.

→Taxies
There are taxies in the front plaza of Rueifang Station.

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