Banqiao District Office, New Taipei City 20111224

Banqiao District () is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

and the seat of

New Taipei City New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, be ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. It has the third-highest

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

in Taiwan, with over . Until the creation of New Taipei City, Banqiao (then transliterated as Banciao or Pan-ch'iao) was an incorporated

county-administered city A county-administered city is a unit of administrative division in Taiwan. Under the administrative structure of Taiwan, it is at the same level as a township or a district. Such cities are under the jurisdiction of counties. It is also the lowes ...

and the former seat of

Taipei County New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, be ...

Name origin

The district's old name was ''Pang-kio'' (), which dates back to the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

during the reign of the

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...

(1735 - 1796 AD). A wooden bridge, locally called ''Pang-kio-thau'' (枋橋頭), was built for pedestrians to cross a brook located in the west of today's Banqiao, the modern day Nanzigou (湳仔溝, literally "Nanzi Creek"). The spellings ''Pankyu'', ''Pankio'', and ''Pankyo'' can be found in English-language works of the early 20th century. In 1920, the

Japanese government The Government of Japan consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and is based on popular sovereignty. The Government runs under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947. It is a unitary state, c ...

modified the name to . The same characters are still used today, but are read ''Bǎnqiáo'' in

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

. However, in

Taiwanese Hokkien Taiwanese Hokkien () (; Tâi-lô: ''Tâi-uân-uē''), also known as Taigi/Taigu (; Pe̍h-ōe-jī/Tâi-lô: ''Tâi-gí / Tâi-gú''), Taiwanese, Taiwanese Minnan, Hoklo and Holo, is a variety of the Hokkien language spoken natively by about 70% ...

, the old name ''Pang-kiô'' is still the norm.

History

In the early 20th century, Pankyo (Pankyu) was a walled city and said to be owned by a landlord who had lived there "in feudal style", surrounded by armed retainers. From 1920 to 1945, during Japanese rule, the area was administrated as , Kaizan District,

Taihoku Prefecture Taihoku Prefecture (台北州; ''Taihoku-shū'') was an administrative division of Taiwan created in 1920, during Japanese rule. The prefecture consisted of modern-day Keelung, New Taipei City, Taipei and Yilan County. Its government office, ...

. Banqiao was upgraded from an

urban township An urban township is a designation of a unit of local government in several countries. United States The term is called ''urban township'' Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio and urban town in Wisconsin. Generally, an urban township is afforded more loca ...

to a

as Pan-ch'iao or Banciao City of

on 1 July 1972. The city became Banqiao District on 25 December 2010.

Geography

Banqiao is located in western part of the

Taipei Basin The Taipei Basin () is a geographic region in northern Taiwan. It is the largest basin in Taiwan. The basin is bounded by the Yangmingshan to the north, the Linkou Plateau to the west, and the Ridge of Xueshan Range to the southeast. The shape ...

of northern Taiwan, in the

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

climate zone. Banqiao is surrounded by

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

to the east, Sanchong to the north, Xinzhuang to the northwest,

Shulin Shulin District () is an inner city District (Taiwan), district in southwestern New Taipei City, Taiwan. History On August 1, 1946, seventeen urban villages () were divided from Yingge District, Yingge Township and made into Shulin Townshi ...

to the southwest, Tucheng to the south, and Zhonghe to the southeast. Banqiao is also bordered by two rivers,

Xindian River The Xindian River (or Xindian Creek) () is a river in northern Taiwan. It flows through New Taipei and the capital Taipei for . Overview The Xindian River is one of the three major tributaries into the Tamsui River. Its main tributary is the B ...

to the northeast and

Dahan River The Dahan River (, also spelled Tahan) is a river in northern Taiwan. It originates in Hsinchu County and then flows through Taoyuan City and New Taipei City for 135 km, before it joins Xindian River in Taipei to form the Tamshui River. T ...

to the northwest.

Economy

Agriculture sector thrived in Banqiao in the 1950s. In the 1960s, manufacturing sector started to appear in the region and in the 1970s industries and commerce have developed. In the 1980 and '90s, finance and commerce grew in the area.

Education

Banqiao is home to several universities, including the

National Taiwan University of Arts National Taiwan University of Arts (NTUA; ) is a university in Banqiao District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. It is the oldest and most prestigious art university in Taiwan. History National Taiwan University of Arts (NTUA) was established as the N ...

. The National Banqiao High School is considered one of the top high schools in New Taipei City.

Universities and colleges

* Chihlee University of Technology * Oriental Institute of Technology

High schools

* Banqiao Senior High School * New Taipei Municipal Haishan High School (新北市立海山高級中學) * National Overseas Chinese High School(國立華僑高級中學) * Kuang Jen Catholic High School (天主教光仁高級中學)

Tourist attractions

Lin Family Mansion and Garden 2006-6-28 11-16-18 0048

Banqiao 435 Art Zone The Banqiao 435 Art Zone () is an art center in Banqiao District, New Taipei, Taiwan. History The area used to be old housing areas for veterans training. In 2012, the Cultural Affairs Department of New Taipei City Government assumed responsibi ...

* Banqiao Agricultural Park *

Banqiao Stadium The Banqiao Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium in Banqiao District, New Taipei, Taiwan. It is administered by the New Taipei City Government. It consists of several parts, of which the Banqiao First Stadium (Traditional Chinese: 板橋第一� ...

* Cihui Temple * Jieyun Temple *

Lehua Night Market The Lehua Night Market () is a night market in Yonghe District, New Taipei, Taiwan. History In 2012, a group filed a complaint to the night market citing the community's safety was compromised by the presence of the night market vendors. In 20 ...

Lin Family Mansion and Garden The Lin Ben Yuan Family Mansion and Garden () in Banqiao District, New Taipei City, Taiwan was a residence built by the Lin Ben Yuan family. It is Taiwan's most complete surviving example of traditional Chinese garden architecture. The Lin Family ...

Nanya Night Market The Nanya Night Market () or Banqiao Night Market is a night market in Banqiao District, New Taipei, Taiwan. Architecture Located at the intersection of Nanya East Road and Nanya South Road, the night market is the largest in Banqiao. It has a ...

New Taipei City Main Public Library The New Taipei City Main Public Library () is the central library of New Taipei City, Taiwan. It is the main library of the New Taipei City Public Library System and opened in May 2015. The building is located in Guixing Rd, Banqiao District, nea ...

* Paleo Wonders Mineral Fossil Museum *

Xinhai Constructed Wetland The Xinhai Constructed Wetland () is a constructed wetland in Banqiao District, New Taipei, Taiwan. History Through the late 20th century, the banks of Dahan Creek turned into garbage dumps due to the growing population and factories within the ...

* Stone Sculpture Park * Zhenwu Temple

Sports facilities

Banqiao has several sports facilities (including

,) and the annual New Taipei City sports game is hosted in the district.

Transportation

Banqiao is well served by multiple public transportation services.

Banqiao station Banqiao () is a railway and metro station in New Taipei, Taiwan served by Taiwan High Speed Rail, TRA and Taipei Metro. With the exception of the Circular Line, all other tracks and platforms in the station are located underground. The sta ...

is served by

THSR Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) is the high-speed railway of Taiwan consisting of one line that runs approximately along the west coast, from the capital Taipei to the southern city of Kaohsiung. With construction and operations managed by a pri ...

bullet trains, conventional rail TRA trains, and the

Taipei Metro Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), branded as Metro Taipei, is a rapid transit system serving the areas of Taipei and New Taipei City, New Taipei in Taiwan, operated by the State-owned enterprise, government-owned Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation ...

. Since beginning of 2020, the Circular line of the Taipei Metro also runs through the district. The Taipei Metro serves the district via the following stations: *

Far Eastern Hospital metro station Far Eastern Hospital () is a metro station in Taipei, Taiwan served by Taipei Metro. Station layout The two-level underground station makes use of island platforms and has three exits. The station is 243 meters long and 20.5 meters wide. Blue ...

Fuzhong metro station Fuzhong () is a metro station in New Taipei, Taiwan served by the Taipei Metro. Station overview This five-level, underground station has two stacked side platforms and three exits. Its location is where the old TRA Banqiao Station used to resid ...

* Xinpu metro station *

Jiangzicui metro station Jiangzicui (, formerly transliterated as Chiangtzu Tsui Station until 2003) is a metro station in New Taipei, Taiwan served by Taipei Metro. Station overview This two-level, underground station has an island platform and six exits. It is located ...

Banxin metro station Banxin station is a station on the Taipei Metro's Circular line. The station was opened on 31 January 2020. It is located in Banqiao District, New Taipei, Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia ...

Xinpu Minsheng metro station Xinpu Minsheng station is a station on the Taipei Metro's Circular line. The station was opened on 31 January 2020. It is located in Banqiao District, New Taipei, Taiwan. An out-of-station transfer to the Bannan line The Bannan or Blue li ...

Bus lines connect Banqiao with downtown

and nearby districts. Provincial Highway 3 and Provincial Highway 64 run through the district.

Infrastructure

Far Eastern Memorial Hospital The Far Eastern Memorial Hospital (FEMH; ) is a hospital in Banqiao District, New Taipei, Taiwan. History The hospital was established on 1 April 1981. In 1985, the hospital became a secondary teaching hospital after it was accredited by the Mi ...

Sister cities

Addison, Texas Addison is an incorporated town in Dallas County, Texas, in the United States. Addison is situated to the immediate north of the city of Dallas, with a 2020 census population of 16,661. Addison and Flower Mound were the only two Texas municipaliti ...

, United States *

Cerritos, California Cerritos (Spanish for "Little hills") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was incorporated on April 24, 1956. As of 20 ...

, United States

Notable residents

* Scott Chang - CEO of Lastertech * Hsiao Chung-cheng, M.D. - Superintendent of * The Lin Ben Yuan Family

Notable natives

* Hsiao Huang-chi, singer, songwriter and judoka *

Ili Ili, ILI, Illi may refer to: Abbreviations * Irish Life International, part of Irish Life and Permanent * Intuitive Logical Introvert, a personality type in socionics * Influenza-like illness * Iran Language Institute, a state-owned, non-profit ...

, artist *

Lin Fong-cheng Lin Fong-cheng (; born 20 March 1940) is a Taiwanese politician. He was the Vice Chairman of the Kuomintang from April 2007 to April 2014. Kuomintang Secretary-General 2005 Mainland China visit In April 2005, Lin joined Lien Chan and other Pa ...

, Minister of Transportation and Communication (1998-2000) * Lin Hsiung-cheng, banker and philanthropist *

Liu Ping-wei Liu Ping-wei (; 30 November 1952 – 21 April 2020) was a Taiwanese politician. He was first elected to the Taiwan Provincial Assembly in 1981 and served continuously until 1998. Liu assumed the speakership of the provincial assembly between 1994 ...

, member of

Legislative Yuan The Legislative Yuan is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) located in Taipei. The Legislative Yuan is composed of 113 members, who are directly elected for 4-year terms by people of the Taiwan Area through a parallel v ...

(1999–2002) *

Yang Ya-che Yang Ya-che (; born 17 July 1971) is a Taiwanese film and television director. He was nominated for Golden Horse Award for Best Director Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in t ...

, film and television director

References

{{Authority control 1846 establishments in China 2010 establishments in Taiwan Populated places established in 1846