Xindian

Xīndiàn (新店) sprawls into the mountains south of Taipei, its name derived from Qing dynasty era trading posts where settlers exchanged goods with the Tayal Indigenous people of the interior. The district’s geography, straddling the Xindian River where it emerges from the mountains, made it both a gateway to Wulai and a natural site for hydroelectric development. The Guishan Power Plant, completed in 1905, was the first hydroelectric facility in Taiwan, though only its concrete foundation survives.

The Bitan Suspension Bridge, a 1937 structure spanning the scenic pool formed by the river’s widening between two hills, anchors the district’s recreational area. Several coal mines once operated in the surrounding hills. The Ankang Detention Center, used to hold political prisoners during the White Terror, closed in 1987 and has since been recognized as a heritage site. Military villages such as the Jiangling New Village once dotted the district’s edges; most have been demolished for redevelopment. The mountain trails connecting to Maokong pass by the iconic Yinhe Cave, a cliff-side temple behind a waterfall that has become one of the area’s more popular hiking destinations.