Cuokengkou Hiking Trail Introduction
The CuKengkou Hiking Trail is located in the Shijiao Pavilion area of Ruifang District. You enter via the first entrance after the Shijiao Pavilion bus stop along Route 8, taking a right at the end of CuKeng Road Lane 1. The trail first leads to the Changxing Temple, which has existed since the Qing Dynasty during the Qianlong period, making it historically significant. Not far from Changxing Temple, below a nearby roadside cemetery, lies the long-abandoned Sanrong Coal Mine, known locally, as the owner of the Sanrong Coal Company at that time was a woman, and the area is commonly referred to as "ChaMoKeng." Although there are several forks along the trail, they are well marked, making it easy to navigate. When you reach the upper exit of the trail, don’t rush back. If you walk right along the production path for about 3 to 5 minutes, you will find a viewing platform that overlooks the Shijiao Pavilion area and offers a distant view of Wufen Mountain. Dazukeng has a nearly hundred-year history of gold mining. At its peak, the gold mining industry attracted a population of 3,000, making it one of the three regions with the highest spending power in Taiwan alongside Jinguashi and Jiufen. The settlement was bustling with entertainment venues such as casinos, hotels, and billiard halls, earning it the nickname "Little America." Movies such as "Café. Waiting. Love" and "A City of Sadness" were filmed here, and the area depicted in the film "Duo Sang" refers to the Dazukeng settlement. In the settlement, there are two abandoned classrooms that were once part of the Dashan Branch of the Hohung Elementary School, where director Wu Nien-Jen completed his first four years of elementary education.
