Pangangkou Introduction
Bangkuangkou is another name for "tunnel entrance." The current term "Bangkuangkou" mostly refers to the Bangkuangkou in Jiufen Mountain, which is wide enough to accommodate two-way traffic for light railway cars of the time but can currently only allow a single van to pass through. The rock is hard, and there are often mountain spring waters dripping down from the cracks in the tunnel stones, especially after heavy rains. There are several Bangkuangkous in the Watergold Jiufen area for vehicles, all of which are related to the light railway. During the gold rush in Jiufen, the traditional manpower transportation methods along Zhuxi Road and Baojia Road became insufficient, so Yan Guonian established the Ruifang Light Railway Co., Ltd. and laid the Ruifang Light Railway Jinguashih Line, which is about 6 kilometers long, completed and opened in November 1931 (Showa 6). This railway served as a connecting route between Ruifang, Jiufen, and Jinguashih. The stations along the way include: Ruifang Yuanzai Soup Mountain, Ganpingli (Liu Long), (Jiufen Mountain Bangkuangkou), Jiufen Jilong Mountain Foot Tunnel No. 6, and Jinguashih. Ruifang Station connects to the Keelung Light Railway to reach Keelung. Shortly after its completion, this railway was merged and operated by the Keelung Light Railway (Keelung Light Railway Co., Ltd.), becoming the main transportation tool for Jiufen's external connections, significantly promoting the speed of goods supply and commodity circulation, and impacting the status of Gangziliao Harbor (now Ruibin Fishing Harbor), making Ruifang an important supply base for Jiufen's resources. This section of the route between Liu Longtou and Liu Longjiao had too steep a gradient for manpower to handle, and vehicles risked sliding down and causing accidents, so a Liu Long pulling method was adopted. Light railway cars were equipped with hooks that attached to the Liu Long cable, which was pulled by a hook mother. This short 6-kilometer light railway crossed three Bangkuangkous: one is located on the Liu Longjiao Tourist Trail (Liu Longjiao Tourist Trail), the second is the Jiufen Mountain Bangkuangkou before entering Jiufen from the light railway terminal, approximately 50 meters long, and the third is the Jilong Mountain Foot Bangkuangkou that connects Jiufen to Jinguashih, about 100 meters long. However, the third tunnel has been closed due to easy rockfall incidents from the fault zone formed by the intersection of sandstone and andesite. Although Bangkuangkou is just a tunnel, it has become an invisible symbol of the end of the Jiufen settlement. On either side of the Bangkuangkou, there are some residents and guesthouses, and moving westward, there are no longer inhabitants. Vehicles crossing Bangkuangkou from west to east must immediately make a 90-degree turn; unfamiliar drivers often think the road is the end. After turning right, the view opens up, immediately revealing Songde Park, and further ahead, one can see the houses of the Songde community, followed by the junction of the light railway and Jishan Street, becoming livelier. The scenes at either end of Bangkuangkou seem to separate two different worlds. Reference: On-site interview, "Jiufen: Taiyang River Two Wang Oral History Book."
