Changhua County (

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 ...

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

: ''Zhānghuà Xiàn''; Wade-Giles: ''Chang¹-hua⁴ Hsien⁴'';

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...

POJ: ''Chiang-hòa-koān'' or ''Chiong-hòa-koān'') is the smallest

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

on the main

island of Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, News media, press and Western literature, literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of ...

by area, and the fourth smallest in the country. With a total population of 1.3 million, Changhua County is the most populous county in the Republic of China. Its capital is

Changhua City Changhua (Hokkien POJ: ''Chiong-hòa'' or ''Chiang-hòa''), officially known as Changhua City, is a county-administered city and the county seat of Changhua County in Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. For many centuries the site was h ...

and it is part of the

Taichung–Changhua metropolitan area The Taichung–Changhua metropolitan area () is the second largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Prior to 2010, It was officially defined as including the following areas: Since the merger of Taichung City and the former Taichung County Tai ...

History

Early history

There are 32 prehistoric burial sites in Changhua that date back 5000 years. The original name of the area was ''Poasoa'' (), so-named by the local

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

tribes. Poasoa used to be inhabited primarily by the

Babuza people The Babuza (, formerly incorrectly called 貓霧捒族; pinyin: ''Māowùshùzú'') are a Taiwanese aboriginal people, living primarily in Changhua County and around the western part of Taiwan's Central Basin. See also * Babuza language * Kingd ...

, who have since been mostly assimilated by the

Han people The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive ...

Qing dynasty

Qing rule in Taiwan began in 1683, and in 1684,

Taiwan Prefecture Taiwan Prefecture or Taiwanfu was a prefecture of Taiwan during the Qing dynasty. The prefecture was established by the Qing government in 1684, after the island came under Qing dynasty rule in 1683 following its conquest of the Kingdom of Tungnin ...

was established to administer Taiwan under

Fujian Province Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...

. The prefecture consisted of three counties: , and Zhuluo. Poasoa and modern-day Changhua County were under the jurisdiction of Zhuluo, but the Changhua area was spread over three counties. In 1723, after the

Zhu Yigui Zhu Yigui (; 1690–1722) was the leader of a Taiwanese uprising against Qing dynasty rule in mid-1721. He came from a peasant family of Zhangzhou Hokkien ancestry and lived in the village of Lohanmen located in the area of modern-day Neimen Dist ...

rebellion, an inspector official in Taiwan requested to the Qing Emperor to designate Changhua to another county magistrate and legal warden because of the increasing population in the northern part of Zhuluo County. As a result, Changhua County was created, encompassing the area of modern Changhua County,

Taichung Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Taiw ...

, half of

Yunlin County Yunlin County (Mandarin pinyin: ''Yúnlín Xiàn''; Taigi POJ: ''Hûn-lîm-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Yùn-lìm-yen'') is a county in western Taiwan. Yunlin County borders the Taiwan Strait to the west, Nantou County to the east, Changhua County t ...

and three townships of Nantou County. Changhua County Hall was built in the middle of the district and is regarded as the beginning of the Changhua County establishment. The name of Changhua, meaning "manifestation of a royal civilization", is formally worded "manifestation of the majestic Emperor's civilization spread over the seas".

Japanese rule

During early Japanese rule, the island was subdivided into three : Taihoku, Taiwan, and Tainan. Changhua was ruled under Taiwan Ken. In 1920, after several administrative changes,

Taichū Prefecture was one of the administrative divisions of Japanese Taiwan. The prefecture consisted of modern-day Taichung City, Changhua County and Nantou County. It is also the origin of the name of modern-day Taichung. The Taichū Prefecture was the scene ...

was established, covering modern-day Changhua County, Nantou County and

Taichung City Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Tai ...

. By 1930, the population in Changhua already exceeded one million.

After World War II

After the after World War II of Taiwan on 25 December 1945, the area of the current Changhua County was established under the jurisdiction of

Taichung County Taichung County was a county in central Taiwan between 1945 and 2010. The county seat was in Yuanlin Township before 1950 and Fongyuan City after 1950. History Taichung County was established on 26 November 1945 on the territory of Taichū P ...

. On 16 August 1950 after its separation from Taichung County, Changhua County was established with

as its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

on 1 December 1951.

Geography

Changhua county is located on the west coast of Taiwan, bordering

on the north separated by

Dadu River The Dadu River (), known in Tibetan as the Gyelmo Ngul Chu, is a major river located primarily in Sichuan province, southwestern China. The Dadu flows from the eastern Tibetan Plateau into the Sichuan Basin where it joins with the Min River, a t ...

, so Changhua County and Taichung City are often referred to as the

. Changhua County is bordered by

to the south by the

Zhuoshui River The Zhuoshui River, also spelled Choshui or Jhuoshuei River, () is the longest river in Taiwan. It flows from its source in Nantou County up to the western border of the county, subsequently forming the border between Yunlin County and Changhua ...

. To the east, Changhua County is separated from Nantou County and southern Taichung City by

Bagua Plateau The Pakua Plateau or Bagua Plateau (), also known as the Pakua Mountain Range (), is a plateau located in central-western Taiwan. It stretches across Changhua County and Nantou County. The plateau borders the Changhua Plain in the west and the Tai ...

. To the west, Changhua County faces the

Taiwan Strait The Taiwan Strait is a -wide strait separating the island of Taiwan and continental Asia. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is wide. The Taiwan Strait is itself a s ...

. The county's total area is , being Taiwan's smallest county. It owns a of coastline. The landscape of Changhua can be roughly divided into two parts, one being the western flat land, and the other being the Changhua Plain. This two combines measures up to 88% of Changhua county's total area. The highest elevation in Changhua is "Hen Shan", at .

Administration

Changhua County is divided into 2

cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

, 6 urban

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

and 18 rural

is the seat of the county which houses the

Changhua County Government The Changhua County Government (CHCG; ) is the local government of Changhua County, Taiwan. Organization * Magistrate * Deputy Magistrate * Secretary-general First Class Department * Department of Civil Affairs * Department of Finance * Depar ...

and

Changhua County Council The Changhua County Council (CHCC; ) is the elected county council of Changhua County, Taiwan. The council composes of 54 councilors elected in local elections held every four years. History The council was originally established and held its f ...

. Changhua County has the highest number of urban townships of all counties in Taiwan. It also has the second highest number of rural townships after

Pingtung County Pingtung County is a county located in southern Taiwan. It has a warm tropical monsoon climate and is known for its agriculture and tourism. Kenting National Park, Taiwan's oldest national park, is located in the county. The county seat is Pin ...

. The current

Magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

of Changhua County is

Wang Huei-mei Wang Huei-mei (; born 22 November 1968) is a Taiwanese politician. She is the incumbent Magistrate of Changhua County since 25 December 2018. Education Wang obtained her bachelor's and master's degree in political science from Tunghai Universit ...

of the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

Electoral politics

Changhua County, an electoral

bellwether A bellwether is a leader or an indicator of trends.bellwether
" ''Cambridge Dictionary''. Ret ...

, is seen as a political battleground between the

(KMT) and the

Democratic Progressive Party The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a Taiwanese nationalist and centre-left political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). Controlling both the Republic of China presidency and the unicameral Legislative Yuan, it is the majori ...

(DPP). While it has historically favored the KMT, recent elections have swung in the direction of the DPP.

County Magistrate

The Changhua County Magistrate is the democratically elected chief executive officer of the county. The current incumbent is

Wang Huei-Mei Wang Huei-mei (; born 22 November 1968) is a Taiwanese politician. She is the incumbent Magistrate of Changhua County since 25 December 2018. Education Wang obtained her bachelor's and master's degree in political science from Tunghai Universit ...

of the

Legislative Yuan

Since the reorganization of the

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 ...

into a 113-member chamber in 2008, Changhua has been divided into four constituencies, each of which return one legislator. In 2011 the incumbent in Changhua 1, Chen Shou-ching, died in office. Because there was less than a year left on her term in office, the seat was left vacant until the 2012 election. In 2014 a by-election was held in Changhua 4 after Wei Ming-ku was elected as Changhua County Magistrate.

Culture

Changhua County in films

You Are the Apple of My Eye ''You Are the Apple of My Eye'' (, ) is a 2011 Taiwanese Coming of age film, coming of age romance film. It is based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Taiwanese author Giddens Ko, who also made his directorial debut with ...

Economy

Lukang Lukang, formerly romanized as Lugang and also known by other names, is an urban township in northwestern Changhua County, Taiwan. The township is on the west coast of Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait. Lukang was an important sea port in the 18t ...

used to be the economic hub of central Taiwan in its early years where it was a commercially prosperous area. It was an important trading port during 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 ...

Farming

Around 1,200 hectares of total land used for growing fruits in the county is used for grape cultivation with

Xihu Township Xihu Township () is a rural township in Miaoli County, Taiwan. Geography Xihu is surrounded by Miaoli City on its east, Houlong to the north, Tongxiao to the west, and Tongluo to the south. In January 2017, its population was estimated at 7,2 ...

acts as the largest grape production hub in the county.

Education

National Changhua University of Education The National Changhua University of Education (NCUE; ) is a normal university in Changhua City, Changhua County, Taiwan. History NCUE was initially established in 1745 as Baisha Academy. In August 1971, it was renamed to Taiwan Provincial C ...

Dayeh University Dayeh University (DYU; ) is a private university in Dacun Township, Changhua County, Taiwan, and accredited by ACCSB. History The school was established in 1990 as Dayeh Institute of Technology by Song Gen Yeh who wanted to establish the firs ...

* MingDao University *

Chienkuo Technology University Chienkuo Technology University (CTU; ) is a private university located in Changhua City, Changhua County, Taiwan. The university offers undergraduate and graduate programs in a variety of fields, including engineering, management, design, huma ...

Chung Chou University of Science and Technology Chung Chou University of Science and Technology (CCUT; ) is a private university located in Yuanlin City, Changhua County, Taiwan. History CCUT was originally established as Chung Chou Vocational Institute of Engineering in 1969. In 1991, the s ...

Energy

Changhua County is home to Taiwan's two gas-fired power plants,

Hsingyuan Power Plant The Hsingyuan Power Plant or Star Buck Power Plant () is a gas-fired power plant in Chang-Bin Industrial Park, Lukang, Changhua, Lukang Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. History In April 2005, Hsing-yuan Power Corporation was approved by the Go ...

and

Hsingneng Power Plant The Hsingneng Power Plant, Star Energy Power Plant or Changbin Power Plant () is a gas-fired power plant in Chang-Bin Industrial Park, Lukang Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. History The power plant was commissioned in March 2004 and started ...

, with a capacity of 490 MW each. Both power plants are located in Lukang Township. In August 2016, the

signed an agreement with Canada's Northland Power and Singapore's Yushan Energy to develop "Hai Long", a 1,200 MW-capacity offshore wind generation project spread over off the coast of the county. With an installed capacity of 188.5 MW from 83 onshore wind turbine, Changhua County has the largest wind energy capacity of any county, municipality or city in Taiwan. As of 2015, there were 21 offshore wind farms located in the water offshore of the county.

Tourism

Changhua was one of the cultural centers of Taiwan, with a lot of ancient monuments and structures left from the

, including the

Confucian Temple A temple of Confucius or Confucian temple is a temple for the veneration of Confucius and the sages and philosophers of Confucianism in Chinese folk religion and other East Asian religions. They were formerly the site of the administration ...

, Tian Ho Gung, built in

in 1647. There are currently 6 National Certified Historical Monuments, 42 County Certified Historical Monuments, 67 Historical Infrastructures, and 1 Cultural Center in Changhua County.

Museums

Museums in the county include the

BRAND'S Health Museum The BRAND'S Health Museum () is a museum in Changhua Coastal Industrial Park, Lukang Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. History The museum was set up by BRAND'S Essences in November 2003 at the Changhua Coastal Industrial Park. Overhaul renova ...

Changhua County Art Museum The Changhua County Art Museum () is an art museum in Changhua City, Changhua County, Taiwan. History The museum was opened on 25 November 2014 and inaugurated by Magistrate Cho Po-yuan. The ceremony was attended by various artists from the cou ...

and Lukang Folk Arts Museum.

Art and culture centers

The county is home to the following art and culture centers, which are

Changhua Arts Hall The Changhua Arts Hall () is an art gallery in Changhua City, Changhua County, Taiwan. Architecture The art gallery is housed in the Jungshan Hall, a quaint building dating back several decades. The building also doubles as a performance theat ...

, Lukang Culture Center and

National Changhua Living Art Center The National Changhua Living Art Center () is an arts center in Changhua City, Changhua County, 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 n ...

Temples

Temples in Changhua County are *

Baozang Temple The Baozang Temple () is a Guanyin Temple in Fenyuan Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. History The temple was originally built in 1672, during the Qing Dynasty rule. It was then rebuilt in 1971. The temple is designated as a third grade hist ...

(芬園寶藏寺) : built in 1672 and dedicated to

Guanyin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...

Bodhisattva, designated as a third grade historic building * Changhua Confucian Temple (彰化孔廟) : built in 1726 and renovated in 1830, is a Grade 1 national historical site *

Hushan Temple The Hushan Temple () is a temple in Huatan Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. It enshrines Guanyin Bodhisattva. History In 1725 during the Qianlong Emperor, the temple constructed. The temple was then built on the land of Lai Feng-kao. See al ...

(虎山巖) : built in 1747 and dedicated to

Bodhisattva *

Kaihua Temple The Kaihua Temple () is a temple in Guanghua Village, Changhua City, Changhua County, Taiwan. History The temple was originally constructed in 1724 as Guanyin Shrine. It was then the political and education center of the region. In 1753, local ...

(彰化開化寺) : originally constructed in 1724 as Guanyin Shrine *

Lukang Longshan Temple The Lukang Longshan Temple () is a Guanyin temple in Lukang Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. History The temple was originally constructed in 1738 as a small temple. It was then later remodeled by local residents to a larger scale. The much ...

(鹿港龍山寺) : first built in 1738, renowned for its exquisite woodcarvings, as well as for its stone sculptures, especially the 12 major support columns in the main hall, twined by auspicious dragons hewn from solid stone *

Lukang Wen Wu Temple The Lukang Wen Wu Temple () is a Wen Wu temple in Lukang, Changhua, Lukang Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. History The temple was established in 1812. Architecture The temple area consists of Martial Temple (武廟), Literature Shrine (文 ...

(鹿港文武廟) : first built in 1806, consists of Martial Temple (武廟), Literature Shrine (文祠) and Wenkai Academy (文開書院) *

Nanyao Temple The Nanyao Temple () is a Mazu temple in Nanyao Village, Changhua City, Changhua County, Taiwan. It is designated as a third grade historic building. History The construction of the temple was completed in 1738 and originally named Mazu Temp ...

(彰化南瑤宮) : completed in 1738 and originally named Mazu Temple, designated as a third grade historic building *

Shetou Doushan Temple The Shetou Doushan Temple () is an ancestral temple in Shetou Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. History The temple underwent renovation in 1971 in which the verandas at the two sides were changed to a flat-top format. Architecture The templ ...

(社頭斗山祠) : built in 1880,

ancestral temple An ancestral shrine, hall or temple ( or , vi, Nhà thờ họ; Chữ Hán: 家祠户), also called lineage temple, is a temple dedicated to deified ancestors and progenitors of surname lineages or families in the Chinese tradition. Ances ...

of "Xiao" (蕭) clan * Yuanching Temple (元清觀) : constructed in 1763, one of the earliest temple in Taiwan that is dedicated to

Jade Emperor The Jade Emperor or Yudi ( or , ') in Chinese culture, traditional religions and myth is one of the representations of the first god ( '). In Daoist theology he is the assistant of Yuanshi Tianzun, who is one of the Three Pure Ones, the three ...

Nature

Nature tourism in the county are

Alice's Garden The Alice's Garden () is a garden in Fenyuan Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. Architecture The garden has various themes, with Lychee as their main theme, the special farm produce of Fenyuan. There are 22 Lychee figurines installed around th ...

and

Changhua Fitzroy Gardens The Changhua Xizhou Gardens () is a garden in Xizhou Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. Geography The park covers an area of 123 hectares, making it the largest plain park in Taiwan. The design of the gardens follow the design of Fitzroy Garde ...

Historical buildings

Historical buildings in the county are the Changhua Wude Hall,

Daodong Tutorial Academy Daodong Tutorial Academy () is a former tutorial academy during the Qing Dynasty rule of Taiwan in Hemei Township, Changhua County, Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of ...

Fuxing Barn The Fuxing Barn () is a former barn in Fuxing, Changhua, Fuxing Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. History The barn was built in 1928, during Taiwan under Japanese rule, Japanese rule in the 17th year of Mingkuo, by Fuxing Farmers' Association ...

, Lukang Ai Gate, Lukang Kinmen Hall,

Lukang Rimao Hang The Lukang Rimao Hang () is a historic building in Lukang, Changhua, Lukang Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. History The Lukang Rimao Hang was built in 1784 by Lin Zhensong who came from Fujian and settled in Lukang in 1765 as a merchant. In 1 ...

, Luocuo Church, Spring of Youth,

Yi Yuan Mansion The Yi Yuan Mansion or Maxing Chen Yi-Yuan Family Mansion () is a historical house in Xiushui Township, Changhua County, Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and ...

and Yusan Hall.

Transportation

Rail

There are 8 stations in Changhua County of the

Taiwan Railways Administration Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) is a railway operator in Taiwan. It is an agency of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, responsible for managing, maintaining, and running conventional passenger and freight railway services ...

(TRA), with the largest being

Changhua Station Changhua () is a railway station in Changhua City, Changhua County, Taiwan served by Taiwan Railways. It is located at the southern junction of the Taichung line and Coastal line, where the line continues onto the southern section of the West ...

located in Changhua City. The rest are: Huatan Station, Dacun Station, Yuanlin Station, Yongjing Station,

Shetou Station Shetou () is a railway station on the Taiwan Railways Administration West Coast line located in Shetou Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. Around the station * Shetou Doushan Temple * THSR Changhua Station See also * List of railway stations ...

, Tianzhong Station and

Ershui Station Ershui Station () is a railway station of the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) West Coast line (Taiwan), West Coast line located in Ershui, Ershui Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. It is also the western terminus of the Jiji line. History E ...

Taiwan High Speed Rail 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 ...

has also one station in the county, which is

Road

National Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbere ...

and National Highway 3 both pass through Changhua County. In addition, there are plenty of provincial highways as well. The

Xiluo Bridge The Xiluo Bridge () is a bridge connecting Xiluo Township in Yunlin County and Xizhou Township in Changhua County in Taiwan crossing over Zhuoshui River. History Empire of Japan On 24 March 1936, the local people of the area set up a committe ...

, with a span over 1,900 meters and opened in 1953, links Changhua County with neighboring

Sister cities

Nagano Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,052,493 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

(2008)

Relative location

Notable individuals

Giddens Ko Giddens Ko (; born 25 August 1978) is a Taiwanese novelist and filmmaker. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Management from National Chiao Tung University and Master of Social Science from Tunghai University. He has published more than 60 boo ...

: Taiwanese novelist and filmmaker.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control