Beitou District is the northernmost of the twelve

districts 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 ...

of Taipei City, Taiwan. The historical spelling of the district is Peitou. The name originates from the

Ketagalan Ketagalan or Ketangalan () are a Taiwanese aborigines, Taiwanese aboriginal people originating in what is now the Taipei Basin. Their Ketagalan language, language has now become extinct. On 21 March 1996, the road in front of the Presidential O ...

word ''Kipatauw'', meaning witch. Beitou is the most mountainous and highest of Taipei's districts, encompassing a meadow with rivers running through the valley which have abundant steam rising from them; the result of geothermal warming. The valley is often surrounded by mist shrouding the trees and grass. Beitou is famous for its

hot springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...

. In March 2012, it was named one of the ''Top 10 Small Tourist Towns'' by the Tourism Bureau of Taiwan.

History

The area's hot springs had long been enjoyed by the aboriginal people of Taiwan. Shortly before the Japanese period a German sulfur merchant established the first hot spring club in Beitou. During early Japanese rule, ''Hokutō'' () was a village at the entrance of the well-known North Formosa sulfur district. Three Japanese extracting plants in this district produced about of sulfur monthly. The Japanese had already recognized the value of the village as a sanitary resort and constructed a Japanese inn with hot mineral baths provided by the sulfur springs. The hot springs have been developed to include aroma therapy, massage, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, and excellent cuisine which complement the entire spa experience. The mineral waters stream from the numerous geothermal vents that occur naturally in the region and are famous for their health benefits. Between 1920 and 1941, was governed under Shichisei District, Taihoku Prefecture. It was upgraded to a Hokutō Town in 1941. After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the

Republic of China 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 northeast ...

in 1945, it was renamed as ''Peitou''

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 ...

(), belonging to Taipei County. Beginning in 1949, ''Peitou'' and Shilin were administered by the newly formed Yangmingshan Administrative Bureau. Both of them were merged into Taipei City on 1 July 1968 as

. In 1974, Yangmingshan Administrative Bureau underwent restructuring and Beitou District was placed under direct jurisdiction of Taipei City.

Economy

Asus has its headquarters in Beitou.2007 Corporate Sustainability Report
." Asus. 10 of 67. Retrieved on March 15, 2010. "ASUS has its headquarters located in No. 15, Li-Te Rd., Beitou, Taipei 11259, Taiwan."

Institutions

* National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine

Education

Universities and colleges: * Dharma Drum Mountain Community University - Beitou Campus * Fu Hsing Kang College * National Defense University * National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Science * National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University * Taipei City University of Science and Technology * Taipei National University of the Arts Junior and Senior High Schools: * Taipei Municipal Zhong-zheng Senior High School *

Taipei Municipal Fuxing Senior High School The Taipei Municipal Fuxing Senior High School () is a high school in Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan. History The school was established in 1953. Transportation The school is accessible within walking distance north of Xinbeitou Station of Tai ...

* Taipei Xin-Min Junior High School * Taipei Beitou Junior High School * Taipei Mingde Junior High School

Infrastructure

* Beitou Refuse Incineration Plant

Tourism

Beitou has one of the largest concentrations of hot springs and spas in the world. Once a small park where locals used to relax in the hot springs, the Beitou Valley has evolved today to include over thirty resorts; a 20-minute subway ride north of Taipei takes you to Beitou. The resorts and spas are regarded by many locals and international tourists as among the most relaxing and rejuvenating places in the country. The spas consist of different degree pools (from cool to very hot) and minerals. However, residents of this district note that sulfuric fumes from the hot springs do ruin their electric appliances in the long term.

Tourist attractions

Beitou Hot Spring Museum The Beitou Hot Spring Museum () is a museum about hot spring in Beitou Park, Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan. History The construction of the building started in 1911 and completed in 1913 during the Japanese rule of Taiwan. It was initially ...

Beitou Museum The Beitou Museum () or sometimes called Taiwan Folk Arts Museum is a museum in Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan. History Empire of Japan The museum building was originally built in 1921 as Kazan Hotel, the best hot spring hotel during the Taiwa ...

Beitou Park The Beitou Park () is a park in Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan. History The park was created in 1913, making it the third oldest park in Taipei and the first hot spring park on the island. It was constructed to welcome the visit of Prince Hiro ...

* Beitou Plum Garden *

Beitou Presbyterian Church The Beitou Presbyterian Church () is a presbyterian church in Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan. History The church was established in 1912 by George Leslie Mackay. Architecture The church was designed by Canadian Presbyterian missionary William ...

* Grass Mountain Chateau * Guandu Nature Park * Guandu Temple * Hong-Gah Museum * Ketagalan Culture Center *

Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts The Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts (KdMoFA; ) is an art museum in Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan. The museum is located at the Taipei National University of the Arts. History The museum was opened in 2007. Architecture The museum is located insid ...

Lady Zhou's Memorial Gate The Lady Zhou's Memorial Gate () is a paifang in Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan. Name The gate is named after Lady Zhou, a local lady who was born in 1788 and died in 1846. She was widowed a very young age and raised her children as a single ...

* Nung Chan Monastery * Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch *

Thermal Valley The Thermal Valley () is a valley located on the foothill of Yangmingshan National Park in Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan. This makes Thermal Valley one of the sources of acidic sulfur hot spring in the area. Locals also sometimes refer to it as ...

* Tittot Glass Art Museum * Yangmingshan National Park * Zhongxing Guesthouse *

Zhuzihu Ponlai Rice Foundation Seed Field Story House The Zhuzihu Ponlai Rice Foundation Seed Field Story House () is a historic building in Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan. The building is located within Yangmingshan National Park. History Empire of Japan The area where the building stands used t ...

Hot Springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...

in Xin Beitou and Xingyi Road * Beitou Cape: Lighthouse and seaside resort * Puji Temple

Transportation

The district is served by Beitou Station, Xinbeitou Station,

Zhongyi Station The Taipei Metro Zhongyi station (formerly transliterated as Chungyi Station until 2003) is located in Beitou District, Taipei. Taiwan. It is a station on the Tamsui–Xinyi Line. In the past, the station belonged to the now-defunct TRA Tamsui L ...

Qiyan Station The Taipei Metro Qiyan station (formerly transliterated as Chiyen Station until 2003) is located in the Beitou District of Taipei City, Taiwan. It is a station on the Tamsui Line ( Red Line). Station overview The two-level, elevated station st ...

Fuxinggang Station The Taipei Metro Fuxinggang station (formerly transliterated as Fuhsing Kang Station until 2003) is located in Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan. It is a station on the Tamsui Line. In the past, the station belonged to the now-defunct TRA Tamsui Li ...

, Guandu Station,

Qilian Station The Taipei Metro Qilian station (formerly transliterated as Chili An Station until 2003) is located in the Beitou District of Taipei, Taiwan. It is a station on the Tamsui Line ( Red Line). In the past, the station belonged to the now-defunct T ...

Mingde Station The Taipei Metro Mingde station (formerly transliterated as Mingte Station until 2003, traditional Chinese: 捷運明德站) is located in the Beitou District (北投區) of Taipei, Taiwan. The station is on the Tamsui Line, otherwise known as " ...

and

Shipai Station Shipai (, formerly transliterated as Shihpai Station until 2003) is a metro station in Shipai, Taipei, Taiwan served by Taipei Metro. In the past, the station belonged to the now-defunct Tamsui railway line. Station overview The two-level elev ...

of the Taipei Metro.

Notable people

Ashin Chen Hsin-hung (); Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Chhîn Sìn-fên, nicknamed Ashin (;Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: A-sìn), born 6 December 1975, is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter, author, and the vocalist of the Taiwanese band Mayday. Ashin majored in art in college, whe ...

, singer, songwriter and author * Gingle Wang, actress and writer * Tai Chih-yuan, comedian, actor and show host

References

External links

* *
- Photos of Beitou by Junewei(Wayne)
* Ku, Melody. Travel Taiwan. Central Coast Magazine, San Luis Obispo, CA. Dec. 2004. * https://web.archive.org/web/20120226062458/http://www.go2taiwan.net/monthly_selection.php?sqno=23 {{coord, 25.1167, N, 121.5, E, source:kolossus-jawiki, display=title Districts of Taipei Hot springs of Taiwan Taiwan placenames originating from Formosan languages