Shifen Scenic Area (Shifen Visitor Center) Introduction
Shifen Scenic Area is located in the Pingxi District of New Taipei City, known for its waterfalls, the Pingxi Line railway, and sky lanterns. It is situated on the main flow of the Keelung River and belongs to the waterfall valley type of scenic areas in Taiwan. Due to the erosion at its source and the nearby cut terrain, it features many faults and peculiar rocks, and the river, flowing through these faults and rocks at high speed, creates a variety of spectacular waterfalls. The waterfalls are distributed from Houtong in the north to Sandiaoling, extending to Shifenliao and Pingxi, forming a series of cascading waterfalls, among which the most prominent is Shifen Waterfall, standing 20 meters high and 40 meters wide, making it Taiwan's widest curtain waterfall, known as the "Niagara of Taiwan." The Pingxi Line is one of the three existing branch lines of railway in Taiwan. The entire line runs along the winding Keelung River, with a total length of 12.9 kilometers, completed and opened in 1921. Originally constructed for coal transportation, the Pingxi Line is currently one of the most popular railway travel routes. The annual Pingxi International Sky Lantern Festival, held during the Lantern Festival, attracts thousands of visitors each year and has been voted by the Discovery Channel as the second largest carnival event in the world.
