Hsinchu Explained

Hsinchu
Settlement Type:City
Native Name:Chinese: 新竹
Official Name:Hsinchu City
Other Name:Shinchiku (Japanese reading)
Nickname:Windy City (Chinese: 風城) or Chu City (Chinese: 竹市)
Seal Type:Logo
Coordinates:24.8167°N 179°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Taiwan Province (government suspended)
Subdivision Type2:Region
Subdivision Name2:Northern Taiwan
Seat:North District
Parts Type:Districts
Parts:3 districts
P1:East
P2:North
P3:Xiangshan
Established Title:First mentioned as Tek-kham
Established Date:1626
Established Title1:City established
Established Date1:1711
Established Title2:Renamed to Hsinchu
Established Date2:1878
Established Title3:Part of Shinchiku Prefecture
Established Date3:17 April 1895
Established Title4:Reconstituted as a provincial city
Established Date4:9 November 1945
Established Title5:Demoted to county-administered city within Hsinchu County
Established Date5:1 December 1951
Established Title6:Provincial city status restored
Established Date6:1 July 1982
Leader Party:TPP
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Andy Chiu (acting)
Iso Code:TW-HSZ
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:104.15
Area Rank:20 out of 22
Population As Of:March 2023
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:453536
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Rank:15 of 22
Timezone:National Standard Time
Utc Offset:+8
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:300
Area Code:(0)3
Blank Name:Bird
Blank Info:Eurasian magpie (Pica pica)
Blank1 Name:Flower
Blank1 Info:Azalea
Pushpin Map:Taiwan
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within Taiwan
P:Xīnzhú
Tp:Sinjhú
L:New Bamboo-->
Gr:Shinjwu
Mps:Shīnjú
Myr:Syīnjú
Bpmf:ㄒㄧㄣ ㄓㄨˊ
Poj:Sin-tek
Tl:Sin-tik
Phfs:Sîn-chuk
Hiragana:しんちく
Katakana:シンチク
Revhep:Shinchiku
Kunrei:Sintiku
L:New Bamboo
Former names
Also Known As:Zhuqian
P2:Zhúqiàn
L2:Bamboo natural barrier
Poj2:Tek-khàm
Tp2:Jhúciàn
Bpmf2:ㄓㄨˊ ㄑㄧㄢˋ
Nicknames
Also Known As:Windy City
P2:Fēngchéng
Tp2:Fongchéng
Myr2:Fēngchéng
Gr2:Fengcherng
Mps2:Fēngchéng
Bpmf2:ㄈㄥ ㄔㄥˊ

Hsinchu is a city located in northwestern Taiwan. It is the most populous city in Taiwan that is not a special municipality, with estimated 450,655 inhabitants.[3] Hsinchu is a coastal city bordering the Taiwan Strait to the west, Hsinchu County to the north and east, and Miaoli County to the south. Hsinchu is nicknamed the Windy City for its strong northeastern monsoon during the autumn and winter seasons.[4]

The area was originally settled by the Austronesian Taiwanese indigenous peoples, with the settlement being named "Tek-kham" by the Hoklo immigrants. The city was founded by Han Chinese settlers in 1711, and renamed "Hsinchu" in 1878. During Japanese rule, the city was named "Shinchiku" and was the seat of Shinchiku Prefecture. The prefecture encompassed present-day Hsinchu City and County, as well as entire Taoyuan and Miaoli. After the ROC rule in 1945, the urban area of Hsinchu was organized as a provincial city.

In 1980, the Taiwanese government established the Hsinchu Science Park, an industrial centre for semiconductor manufacturing. The headquarters of TSMC, a semiconductor foundry, MediaTek and United Microelectronics Corporation, are all located in the park.[5] [6] [7]

Besides its industry, Hsinchu is a cultural center of Taiwan.[8] The Chenghuang Temple of Hsinchu, built in 1747, is a common prayer destination. The research institutions of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and National Tsing Hua University are both located near the science park.

Etymology

Hsin-chu is the Wade-Giles romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of the Chinese name . The same name is rendered Xīnzhú in Hanyu Pinyin and Sinjhú in Tongyong Pinyin.

This name refers to the settlement's original Hokkien name Tek-chhàm (Chinese: {{linktext|竹塹),[9] meaning "bamboo barrier". The name may transcribe an aboriginal name meaning "Seashore". The same name is variously recorded as Teukcham,[10] Teuxham,[10] Tekcham,[11] and Teckcham;[12] its Mandarin pronunciation appears as Chuchien.

Hsinchu is popularly nicknamed "The Windy City" for its windy climate[13] and "The Garden City of Culture and Technology" by its tourism department.

History

See main article: History of Hsinchu.

Early settlement

The area around Hsinchu City was inhabited by the Taokas aborigines[14] when the Spanish occupied northern Taiwan in the 17th century. Catholic missionaries reached the settlement of Tek-kham in 1626. The Spanish were expelled by the Dutch a few decades later.

Qing Dynasty

Under the Qing, a Chinese town was established at Tek-kham by and other Han settlers in 1711.[15] Wang and his party of over 180 people were natives of Kinmen who first camped alongside what is now Dongqian Street in East District, Hsinchu.[16]

As part of the reorganization of Taiwan by Shen Baozhen, the viceroy of Liangjiang, Zhuqian Subprefecture (i.e., Tek-kham) was raised to the level of a county and renamed Xinzhu (i.e., Sin-tek or Hsinchu) in 1878.[17] When Taiwan was made a province in 1887, Hsinchu was made a part of Taipeh Prefecture.

Japanese rule

During the Japanese occupation following the First Sino-Japanese War, the cityknown at the time as Shinchikuwas among the province's most populous. In 1904, its 16,371 residents ranked it in 7th place, behind Keelung and ahead of Changhua ("Shoka"). Shinchiku was raised to town status in 1920 and city status in 1930. At the same time, it became the seat of Shinchiku Prefecture. In 1941, its prefecture was expanded, annexing Xiangshan ("Kōzan"). Jiugang ("Kyūminato") and Liujia ("Rokka") merged to become Zhubei ("Chikuhoku").

Republic of China

The Nationalist government of the Republic of China established the Hsinchu City Government in 1945 to oversee all of what had been Shinchiku Prefecture under the Japanese.

In 1946, the Take-Over Committee dissolved and replaced by the Hsinchu County Government, located in Taoyuan. As the administrative districts were readjusted, Hsinchu was granted provincial city status. It used the old prefecture office as its city hall at 120 Road. In February 1946, representative congresses were formed for seven district offices. On 15 April, the city congress was formed. Provincial representatives were elected from among the city legislators.

On 16 August 1950, the administrative districts on Taiwan were re-adjusted once more, demarcating 16 counties and 5 provincial cities.

In June 1982, under presidential order, the Xiangshan Township of Hsinchu County merged into Hsinchu City. A new municipal government was formally established on 1 July 1982, comprising 103 villages and 1,635 neighborhoods. These were organized into the East, North, and Xiangshan districts by 1November.[18] By June 1983, the new government consisted of three bureaus (Civil Service, Public Works, and Education), four departments (Finance, Social Welfare, Compulsory Military Service, and Land Affairs), four offices (Secretary, Planning, Personnel, and Auditing), and 49 various sections. The Police Department, Tax Department, and Medicine and Hygiene Department were considered affiliate institutions.

From 1994 to 1999, as Taiwan made its transition from authoritarian rule to a representative democracy and the mostly pro forma provincial level of government began to be dissolved, regulations were established for the self-government of Hsinchu. A deputy mayor, consumer officer, and three consultants were added to the city government. In 2002, the city added a Bureau of Labor and transferred Compulsory Military Service to the Department of Civil Service.

A movement is underway from 2021 to have Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County to be upgraded to the nation's seventh special municipality.[19]

Geography

The city is bordered by Hsinchu County to the north and east, Miaoli County to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the west.

Climate

Hsinchu's climate is humid subtropical (Koppen: Cfa). The city is located in a part of the island that has a rainy season that lasts from February to September, with the heaviest time coming late April through August during the southwest monsoon, and also experiences heavy "plum rains" in May and early June.[20] The city succumbs to hot humid weather from June until September, while October to December are arguably the most pleasant times of year. Hsinchu is affected by easterly winds off of the East China Sea. Natural hazards such as typhoons and earthquakes are common in the region.[21] [22] [23]

Government

Hsinchu City is administered as a city. North District is the seat of Hsinchu City which houses the Hsinchu City Government and Hsinchu City Council. The incumbent Mayor of Hsinchu City is Ann Kao Hung-an of the Taiwan People's Party.

Administrative divisions

Hsinchu has 3 districts (Chinese: ):[24] [25]

MapNameChineseHokkienHakkaPopulation (March 2023)Area (km²)
Eastbgcolor=pinkTûng222,22333.5768
NorthPet152,50415.7267
Xiangshanbgcolor=pinkHiông-sân78,80954.8491
Colors indicate the common language status of Hakka within each division.

Politics

Hsinchu City voted for one Kuomintang legislator to be in the Legislative Yuan during the 2020 Taiwan general election.

The city was historically pan-Blue but in recent years, the pan-Green coalition has started to rise in popularity. As a result, local factions have decreased in power, and political parties have greater importance in local elections.[26]

Economy

The Hsinchu Science Park has around 360 companies.[27] The purpose of the park is to attract high-tech investment to Taiwan. Since its establishment in 1978, the government has invested over in software and hardware ventures. In 2001, it developed 2.5km2 of land in the park and 0.5km2 in southern Hsinchu.

The semiconductor and related electronic businesses have faced competition from South Korea and the United States. This has resulted in lower profits and an oversupply of some electronic products, such as memory and semiconductors.

In 2020, Hsinchu was classified as a "Sufficiency" level global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.[28]

Education

Hsinchu City is one of the most focused educational centers in northern Taiwan. It has six universities in this concentrated area, and among these universities, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and National Tsing Hua University are focused on by the government of Taiwan. Other public and private educational institutions in the city included 33 elementary schools, 19 middle schools, 12 high schools and a complete secondary school.

International schools (grade school and secondary school)

High Schools

Universities

Tourist attractions

Some tourist attractions in Hsinchu include:

Sports

Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League has a professional baseball team, Wei Chuan Dragons, based in Hsinchu.[35]

Major sporting events held by Hsinchu include:

Transportation

Rail

Hsinchu City is mainly served by Hsinchu railway station, along with five other minor TRA stations on both the Western Trunk line and the Neiwan line. There is also an HSR station in nearby Zhubei, Hsinchu County on Taiwan High Speed Rail.

Cycling

Hsinchu City has recently created a series of cycling routes. Hsinchu is home to many cycling clubs.

Sea ports

Fishing ports are located at Nanliao Street, North District, and Haishan, Xiangshan.

Airport

Hsinchu Airport is located in the North District and is mainly used as a military airbase. The nearest international airport is Taoyuan International Airport, which is located 58 km away from the city.

Notable natives

International relations

See main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Taiwan (Republic of China).

Twin towns – sister cities

Hsinchu is twinned with:[36]

CityRegionCountrySince
BeavertonOregon1988
CaryNorth Carolina1993
CupertinoCalifornia1998
RichlandWashington1988
PlanoTexas2003
OkayamaOkayama Prefecture2003
Puerto PrincesaPalawan2006
FairfieldNew South Wales1994
Chiayi CityTaiwan2002
AiraiAirai Palau2011

See also

Notes

Words in native languages

Notes and References

  1. Web site: zh:《中華民國統計資訊網》縣市重要統計指標查詢系統網. http://statdb.dgbas.gov.tw/pxweb/Dialog/statfile9.asp. 9 July 2016. zh. https://web.archive.org/web/20160612002357/http://statdb.dgbas.gov.tw/pxweb/Dialog/statfile9.asp. 12 June 2016. live.
  2. Web site: zh:新竹市統計月報. http://dep-auditing.hccg.gov.tw/web/SG?command=display&pageID=23220&page=view&PX=. Hsinchu City Government . 9 July 2016. zh-tw.
  3. Web site: 中華民國 內政部戶政司 全球資訊網. 中華民國內政部戶政司. 1 May 2018. 中華民國內政部戶政司. 29 April 2020.
  4. Web site: Natural climate. Hsinchu City Government. 4 November 2022 .
  5. News: TSMC tops list of corporate taxpayers with NT$55bn . 1 July 2024 . Taipei Times . July 15, 2022.
  6. News: Wang . Lisa . MediaTek profit up on higher demand . 1 July 2024 . Taipei Times . February 1, 2024.
  7. News: Wang . Lisa . UMC net profit falls 30.8% on slow demand . 1 July 2024 . Taipei Times . February 1, 2024.
  8. Web site: Taiwan Review-Culturally Connected. Kelly Her. Taiwan Today. 1 July 2019. 3 March 2023.
  9. Web site: 竹塹 Tik-tshàm . 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 . Ministry of Education, R.O.C. . 13 November 2020 . zh . 2011.
  10. Formosa . IX . 415-417 . 1.
  11. Page 7, Report for the Year 1898 on the Trade of North Formosa (Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, Her Britannic Majesty’s Government, 1899)
  12. Page 180, The Island of Formosa: Past and Present (Macmillan & Co., 1903)
  13. Web site: October 28, 2018 . Hsinchu Taiwan – The Windy City of Food and Fun . June 9, 2022 . Asian Wanderlust.
  14. Web site: History of Hsinchu . June 9, 2022 . TravelTill.
  15. .
  16. News: Han Cheung . Taiwan in Times: Hsinchu's first Han settler . 2 October 2022 . Taipei Times . 2 October 2022.
  17. .
  18. News: 1 February 2011. Rezoning Taiwan. Taiwan Today. 9 December 2020.
  19. Web site: Amendment paving way for Hsinchu city-county merger clears first hurdle - Focus Taiwan .
  20. Web site: Monthly Mean Days of Precipitation . Climate Data . ROC Central Weather Bureau . 8 March 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20051203145112/http://www.cwb.gov.tw/V4e/climate/Data/table2_e.html . 3 December 2005.
  21. News: Rescuers hunt quake survivors . 21 September 1999 . BBC . 31 March 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190402132228/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/453087.stm . 2 April 2019 . live .
  22. News: Recent Earthquakes Near Hsinchu, Taiwan, Taiwan . 4 July 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160720102309/http://earthquaketrack.com/tw-04-hsinchu/recent . 20 July 2016 . live .
  23. News: Earthquakes Today . 4 July 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160502172825/http://www.earthquakenewstoday.com/in/hsinchu/ . 2 May 2016 . live .
  24. Web site: 16 June 2011 . zh:臺灣地區鄉鎮市區級以上行政區域名稱中英對照表 . http://placesearch.moi.gov.tw/translate/Admin1000616.pdf . 13. . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120325205328/http://placesearch.moi.gov.tw/translate/Admin1000616.pdf . 25 March 2012 .
  25. Web site: Geographic location. 22 January 2016 . Hsinchu City Government. 7 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20161021161947/http://www.hccg.gov.tw/en/home.jsp?id=23&parentpath=0,10. 21 October 2016. live.
  26. Book: 林, 清察 . 台灣與大陸政治評論集 . 2006-05-15 . 秀威資訊 . zh-tw.
  27. Web site: Hsinchu highest salary in Taiwan, Taichung lo.... Taiwan News. 10 May 2017 . 2 March 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043956/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3159648. 6 March 2019. live.
  28. Web site: The World According to GaWC 2020 . GaWC - Research Network . Globalization and World Cities . 31 August 2020.
  29. Web site: Pacific American School. www.pacificamerican.org. 7 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190630072832/https://pacificamerican.org/. 30 June 2019. live.
  30. Web site: Hsinchu International School. hc.edu.tw. 7 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190509204715/http://www.hdis.hc.edu.tw/. 9 May 2019. live.
  31. Web site: Hsinchu American School. hc.edu.tw. 9 January 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20071221073542/http://www.has.hc.edu.tw/. 21 December 2007. live.
  32. Web site: Theme Tours - Department of Tourism Hsinchu City Government. hccg.gov.tw. 9 June 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151004044103/http://dep-tourism-en.hccg.gov.tw/web/SG?pageID=24245. 4 October 2015. dead.
  33. Web site: Experience the True Heart of Taiwan . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080616023934/http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/lan/cht/managerword/index_new.asp . 16 June 2008 . 21 May 2008 . taiwan.net.tw.
  34. Web site: Neiwan Old Street travel guide of hot destinations (Sinotour)–Taiwan travel hotels,Hsinchu County tourism,Neiwan Old Street . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131105065305/http://sinotour.com/tourguide/hsinchu/neiwan-old-street.html . 5 November 2013 . 5 November 2013.
  35. Web site: Dragons . CPBL . Chinese Professional Baseball League . 1 January 2023.
  36. Web site: Sister Cities . Hsinchu City Government . 15 February 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150215124419/http://en.hccg.gov.tw/web/SG?pageID=25441 . 15 February 2015 . live .