In the second half of the 19th century, coal was mined on a large scale around Keelung as part of the development program of governor Liu Mingchuan. Then coal miners found gold nuggets in the Keelung River valley, generating a wave of prospecting and mining.
十九世紀下半葉，在台灣第一任巡撫劉銘傳的建設下，基隆煤礦大規模開採；而接著，採礦的工人又在基隆河谷發現砂金，揭開了新一波基隆淘金的序幕。