Cukengkou Trail Introduction
Cukengkou Hiking Trail is located in the Shihjiao Pavilion of Ruifang District. From the first entrance after the Shihjiao Pavilion bus stop on Route 8, turn right into Lane 1 of Cukeng Road. The first stop is Changxing Temple, which has existed since the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, making it quite old. Not far from Changxing Temple, there is an abandoned Sanrong Coal Mine down by a roadside cemetery. It is said that the owner of the Sanrong Coal Company at that time was a woman, and the locals refer to Cukengkou as "Chamokeng." Although there are several forks along the trail, they all have signposts, making it easy to navigate. When you reach the exit at the end of the trail, don’t rush back; instead, walk about 3 to 5 minutes to the right along the path where there is a viewing platform. From here, you can overlook the Shihjiao Pavilion area and have a distant view of Wufen Mountain. Dacu Keng has a nearly hundred-year history of gold mining. At its peak, the gold mining industry attracted a population of 3,000, and it, along with Jinguashi and Jiufen, was known as one of the three regions with the highest spending power in Taiwan, featuring many entertainment venues such as casinos, hotels, and billiard halls, earning it the nickname "Little America." The films "Dust of Angels" and "A City of Sadness" were shot here, while the settlement depicted in the film "Duo Sang" is Dacu Keng. In the settlement, there are two abandoned classrooms that used to be a part of the Dashan Branch of Houtong Elementary School, where director Wu Nien-Jen studied until the fourth grade.
