Guoying Mine

Guoying Mine (國英坑), the ninth and largest of the gold mining tunnels at Jiufen, was originally excavated in 1933. Its name combines those of Yan Guonian (顏國年), who took over the Taiyang Mining Company (臺陽礦業) after the death of his elder brother Yan Yunnian (顏雲年), and Weng Shanying (翁山英), head of the Ruifang mining office. Generous government subsidies for gold production allowed the operation to adopt the most advanced techniques of the day, with a steel-framed main tunnel running 2,205 meters and an electric tramway hauling ore from the gold-bearing andesite of its deeper reaches. Mining ceased in 1971 as the seams ran low and labor costs increased but the well-preserved tunnel was registered as a historic building in 2007. It remains under the management of the Taiyang Company and is not open to the public.