Cimei Township, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (Qimei Township, Chimei Township) () is a rural township in

Penghu County The Penghu (, Hokkien POJ: ''Phîⁿ-ô͘'' or ''Phêⁿ-ô͘'' ) or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, located approximately west from the main island of Taiwan, covering an area ...

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 ...

. The island is the fifth largest in the Pescadores (Penghu) and the southernmost island in the group. It is the smallest township in Penghu County.

History

Archaeological evidence of prehistoric cultures dating back 4500 years before present was found in Nangang Village in 1983. There were residents on the island during the Ming dynasty. The island came under Qing control in 1683 after the

Battle of Penghu The Battle of Penghu () was a naval battle fought in 1683 between the Qing dynasty and the Kingdom of Tungning. The Qing admiral Shi Lang led a fleet to attack the Tungning forces in Penghu. Each side possessed more than 200 warships. The Tungn ...

. In the early Qing, the island was known as "South Island" () and "Southern Big Island" ().南嶼, 大嶼, The residents of the island were moved to nearby Wang-an and the island was declared permanently off-limits for human habitation. The oldest temple on the island was established in 1706. By the end of the Qing period, the island was generally referred to as "Big Island" (Ta Yu; ). The island was ceded to Japan in 1895. Japan took control of the area during the Pescadores Campaign (1895). During Japanese rule, the island was a ''She''「社」 under Mōan 「望安庄」 (today's Wang-an) called Ō-shima「大嶼」. The Qimei Lighthouse (Cimei Lighthouse) was constructed in 1939, the final lighthouse built in Taiwan during Japanese rule. In 1944, the area was administered as (Ta Yu), ,

Hōko Prefecture was one of the administrative divisions of Taiwan during the Japanese ruling period from 1895 until 1945. The prefecture consisted of modern-day Penghu County. Population Administrative divisions Subprefectures In 1945 ( Shōwa 20), there ...

. The handover of Taiwan 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 ...

occurred in 1945. Ta hsü Township (Dayu; ) was established on December 11, 1945. The island and township were renamed "Chimei/Cimei/Qimei" in 1949 to commemorate a legend ( 七美人塚) from the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, in which seven women committed suicide when

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

raided the island. In 1966, President

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

conducted an inspection of the island. In 1986, Cimei was severely affected by Typhoon Wayne. On April 20, 2002, President

Chen Shui-bian Chen Shui-bian (; born 12 October 1950) is a retired Taiwanese politician and lawyer who served as the president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2000 to 2008. Chen was the first president from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) whic ...

visited the island and delivered remarks on healthcare services in the area. On October 24, 2019 at around 8 AM, two sand smuggling ships from China with a total crew of twenty-eight were apprehended in the waters southwest of the township.

Geography

Cimei is 6.99 km² in area with a coastline of 14.4 kilometers and with about 3,754 people. Composed mostly of basalt formations, the island is the fifth largest island in the Penghu Archipelago.

Infrastructure

* Qimei Power Plant * Qimei Reservoir

Administrative divisions

The township includes six rural villages: * Donghu/Tunghu Village () * Sihu/Xihu Village () * Jhonghe/Zhonghe Village () * Pinghe Village () * Haifong/Haifeng Village () * Nangang Village ()

Tourist attractions

Double-Heart of Stacked Stones The Double-heart of Stacked Stones () or the Twin-Heart Fish Trap is a stone fishing weir located on the north side of Cimei Township, Penghu County, Taiwan. It is a well-preserved ancient fish trap made by stacking stones to form a trap that ...

Little Taiwan * Qimei Lighthouse

Transportation

* Qimei Airport

References

External links

Qimei Township Government website

The location of Qimei
in

【澎湖縣政新聞】七美鄉公所行政大樓落成啟用
('Penghu County Government News- Cimei Township Hall Completed') {{Taiwan Penghu divisions Townships in Penghu County