Pingxi Old Street Introduction
Pingxi Old Street has an ancient charm, nestled along the sloping hills and beside the railway, where you can see rows of traditional houses built over time. It is also the iconic scene from the hit Taiwanese film "You Are the Apple of My Eye," where the main characters release sky lanterns to make wishes. The nearby shops are mostly traditional convenience stores, hardware stores, and snack shops, reflecting the simple daily life of the local residents. The classic railway experience is marked by the "rumbling" sound of trains passing over the elevated railway bridge above the old street, contributing to the unique environmental sound of Pingxi Old Street. This century-old coal mining town still preserves its traditional long, narrow street houses and stores with a Japanese colonial architectural style, giving the streets a subtle Japanese ambiance. Attractions like the Eight Immortals Cave at Guanyin Rock, along with air raid shelters from the late Japanese rule and the Peace Bell, are popular spots for adventurous tourists. Pingxi Old Street offers many popular local Taiwanese snacks that you must try; they are sure to give you a sense of great value. On the Lantern Festival, the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival showcases lanterns that are said to have been invented by Kongming during the Three Kingdoms period, originally used for conveying military messages. The Pingxi area frequently faced mountain banditry in the past, leading to the use of sky lanterns as signals of safety. In the 1990s, the Pingxi area designated sky lanterns as a local cultural activity, helping the area find a new tourism avenue amidst population decline. Today, the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival in New Taipei City has become an important celebration of the Lantern Festival in Taiwan, known as “Northern Sky Lanterns, Southern Firecrackers.” It has also been featured in international media multiple times, becoming one of New Taipei City’s most representative festive events.
