The Ninth and Tenth Portions
Juifen and Shifen, Taiwan
“If you completely forget, you'll never find your way home,” Haku, Spirited Away.
The train chugged along its tracks with a consistent hum, providing a persistent ambience to the nature surrounding it. It traced its trail until it reached its mark at the top of Mount Keelung, where it came to a stop with a creak, and a man promptly jumped out of one of the carriages to meet the onlookers below.
"How many?" he asked to the nine families that lived at the head of Mount Keelung. "Nine portions," they answered, as always."Nine portions!" he yelled behind him — Jui Fen. The nine portions of supplies materialized before them, and then onward the train continued.
The train made its way from the peaks of the mountains to the depths of the rivers, where water flowed from every crevice, as if God feared the humidity too. It was there that the train made its new stop to ask the same set of questions.
"How many?" he asked the ten families that lived at the base of the River Keelung. "Ten portions," they answered, time and time again."Ten portions!" he yelled once more—Shi Fen. Then, the ten requested portions appeared for them to enjoy, and so the train went on
Day in and day out, week after week, until the train conductor would stop asking and simply yell Juifen and Shifen along the trail that descended from the head of the mountain to the base of the river…
The Tea Houses
Juifen, with it’s lights adorning the sky like twinking stars, wasn’t always the way it is now; the times when the nine families reigned over the land, it was rural, flush with flora and fauna. The shift came in the form of gold found in the enclaves that were opened up like pores into the side of the mountain in 1893. The gold rush that ensuing was leveraged by the Japanese in their occupation of 1895, and suddenly, Juifen became populated with more than those nine families, welcoming miners from all across La Formosa and beyond, including Chinese Immigrants and of course, Japanese occupiers.
The multicultural architectural touch can be felt to this day in the sloping of the rooftops, the shoji screens and the enegawa verandas. The buildings also have a Sinocentric style to them, evident in the intricate woodwork and traditional Chinese courtyards. Teahouses in places like Jiufen reflect this heritage through their focus on tea ceremonies. While some Jiufen teahouses, like A-Mei Tea House, incorporate Japanese influences due to Taiwan's colonial history, their essence remains steeped in the Chinese tradition of tea appreciation. Whether the tea houses are truly Chinese or have some Japanese elements do not matter so much as long as you get an opportunity to sit down and bask in these long-lasting tradition.
The Lanterns
Shifen was blessed with coal rather than gold like it’s higher counterpart, the land embossed with settlements of coal miners who, ever morning would retreat into the mines and dig up coal well into the night. Then, they would light up laterns and release them into the sky to ressure their families that they were alive and safe, a tradition descended from Fujian, China. This tradition ascended its practical boundaries and became a floating symbol of aspirations, where people would come from all around the world to this rift valley and light up lanterns and with them prayers of prosperity, peace and well being, everlasting love and friendship, good health of family members, and so many more, dotting the nights sky like divine calls.
Like that, the village on top of Mount Keelung boomed to become a bustling port of fishermen and tea houses, came to be known as Juifen on account of the nine families that lived there, who requested nine portions each time, and the village at the bottom of Keelung River was named Shifen similarly, to commemorate the ten families who established a community that is connected by hopes of saftey and serenity to this day.
And so, drink your last cup of tea at a Juifen Tea House, or light up your hopes and dreams on a Shifen lantern, do remember the origins of these vibrant towns — communities built on a tradition of connection, resilience, and shared prosperity. The train that once delivered their lifeblood now echoes in the rhythm of the bustling streets and the lanterns that dot the sky. Every sip of tea and every wish sent aloft carries the spirit of those nine and ten families, whose unity and perseverance transformed remote outposts into cultural treasures.
Whether you find yourself wandering through the winding alleys of Jiufen, sampling its aromatic teas, or standing by the riverbanks of Shifen, marveling at lanterns floating like stars in the night, remember the train's tale. It reminds us that even in the humblest beginnings, there is the power to create something enduring and extraordinary.
Written by Haya A. Elmizwghi
Edited by Thu Phan
Photographed by Julio Caggiano