New Taipei Gold Museum Joins Hands with Jinguashi Community to Rebuild the Octagonal Pavilion and Create a New Rest Space

(Taiwan TB News Network / Reporter Sun Yaozhang) The Octagonal Pavilion, an important historical site in Jinguashi, was a rare local barbershop from the Japanese colonial period until 1987, when the mining company ceased operations. In 2001, due to the devastation of Typhoon Nari, the Octagonal Pavilion unfortunately collapsed and was destroyed, leaving only its base abandoned for many years. After Shishan Village Chief Wu Ganzheng actively sought to rebuild the Octagonal Pavilion and obtained consensus from the villagers, he joined hands with the Gold Museum to carry out spatial revitalization, bringing the historical scene of the Octagonal Pavilion back to life and creating a brand-new space for community recreation.

Director Xie Wenxiang of the Gold Museum stated that over the past two years, the museum has promoted the Mining Art Season, considering the possibility of art as a form of local companionship; improvements to the landscape environment can revitalize spaces abandoned for many years and gradually present the aesthetic corridor of the "Golden Mountain City." In this cleanup of the old Octagonal Pavilion site, special efforts were made to preserve the original appearance of the 1920s base's "thirteen-groove facing bricks" and the "natural spring pool," with an endless flow of clear spring water, making the Octagonal Pavilion a new rest space that also carries local memories. The public is welcome to gather friends and come visit.

Village Chief Wu Ganzheng mentioned that during the Japanese colonial period, the Octagonal Pavilion contained three barber chairs, a large mirror, and a red cypress workbench about three cun thick, and people getting haircuts often had to line up and wait. In the 1980s, because of its distinctive shape, the Octagonal Pavilion was chosen by director Hou Hsiao-hsien as a filming location for the famous movie "A City of Sadness." Tony Leung, who played the male lead in the film, took photos for people inside this octagonal "photo studio." Today, the scenes from the film have become the most precious visual record of the Octagonal Pavilion.

To help the public understand the history and origins of the Octagonal Pavilion, the Gold Museum has planned an "Focus on the Octagonal Pavilion - Online Exploration Activity" from November 17 to 24. The public only needs to go to the museum's Facebook page and fill out the quiz form for a chance to win the limited-edition "Gold Mine Mountain Big Tycoon Board Game." The list of winners will be announced on Facebook on November 27 (Saturday).
              The Gold Museum has cooperated with residents of the Jinguashi community to revitalize the old Octagonal Pavilion site and reintegrate it into local community life. (Provided by the New Taipei Gold Museum)