The street is built upon a cliffside specifically terraced to accommodate the housing needs of mine workers.
The wooden structures along the street were primarily designed in the Japanese 'shitamachi' style of commoner housing.
The area is nicknamed 'Little Jiufen' but is intentionally quieter and less developed for large-scale tourism.
The street layout remains unchanged since the peak of the gold mining operations in the mid-20th century.
Some of the houses still feature original stone walls used to stabilize the hillside during construction.
The architecture reflects the vertical integration required by the extreme slope of the mining district.
Qitang Old Street is a former mining residential area characterized by a steep, narrow staircase built into the mountainside. The street served as a crucial living quarter for workers of the Jinguashi Gold Mine during the Japanese colonial period. The architecture consists of repurposed traditional Japanese wooden dormitories and stone-walled houses that cling to the cliffside. The site retains its original layout, designed to accommodate the vertical topography of the Jinguashi valley. Unlike the neighboring Jiufen Old Street, this area has remained largely residential and less commercialized. The steep stone stairs provide the primary pedestrian thoroughfare for the local community. Visitors can observe the transition from mining industrial structures to modern rural dwellings. The location offers a vantage point of the surrounding Teapot Mountain and the remnants of the copper smelting infrastructure.
From the middle section of the stone staircase looking upward toward the traditional Japanese-style houses.
Wear sturdy walking shoes as the surface consists entirely of uneven stone steps and steep inclines.
Respect the privacy of residents by keeping noise levels low, as this remains an active living neighborhood.
Visit on a weekday to avoid the significantly larger crowds traveling to the nearby Jinguashi Gold Ecological Park.
Do not treat the entire street as a commercial shopping destination, as there are limited storefronts compared to larger tourist districts.
Maintain quiet voices as this is a functional residential street; do not enter private properties.
