TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- The Remains of the 13 Levels, which sits on a hillside overlooking the ocean on the northeastern coast of Taiwan, will be illuminated by amber lights nightly from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. starting this Mid-Autumn Festival on Sept. 13, the Taiwan Power Company says.

Located in New Taipei City's Ruifang District, the Remains of the 13 Levels is also called “the Potala Palace of Mountain Mines,” as it looks like a beautiful abandoned palace from a distance. It is an impressive sight to behold from the coastal Provincial Highway No. 2.

This spectacular landmark and potential World Heritage site was formerly the Shuinandong Smelter that refined ores mined in the vicinities of Jinguashi (金瓜石) and Jiufen (九份) into copper during the Japanese colonial period.

Built in 1933, the smelter was taken over by a state-run company after Japan handed Taiwan over to the Republic of China in 1945. The company finally ceased operations in 1981, as copper in the area eventually dried up.

In 1987, the state-run Taiwan Power Company (TPC) took over the management of the old refinery. In order to reproduce the historical scene of the “golden town” and remind people of its beauty and historical context, the TPC cooperated with world-class lighting artist Chou Lien (周鍊) and renowned artist Joyce Ho (何采柔) to curate the illumination project, which it says will lend the site the appearance of an outdoor art gallery at night.

There will be an official lighting ceremony at the Shuinandong parking lot beside Provincial Highway No. 2 from 7 - 7:30 p.m. on Mid-Autumn Festival followed by a performance by renowned Taiwanese drum group "U-theatre" (優人神鼓) from 7:30 – 8:40 p.m., the event's Facebook page said.

For more information, please refer to the Facebook page.

(Taiwan Power Company video)

(Photo from Taiwan Power Company video)