Dongshi District (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Tûng-sṳ) is a suburban district in eastern Taichung,

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 ...

(Taiwan). It is the third largest district by area in Taichung City after Heping District and Taiping District. A majority of the residents are Hakka, making it an enclave in an otherwise non-Hakka county. Its Hakka dialect is very distinct compared to the dialects of other counties. Dongshi is situated on a narrow, north–south oriented plain, flanked by the Dajia River to the west and the

Xueshan Range The Xueshan Range is a mountain range in northern Taiwan. It faces the Chungyang Range on the southeast. The tallest peak of Xueshan Range is Xueshan ("Snowy Mountain"), which has a height of . Shei-Pa National Park is located around the peak ...

to the east. It is this sense of being pressed up against that ridge, at the easternmost edge of the large west-central plain, that gives the town its name. Its elevation ranges from about 330 meters along the Dajia River to 1201 meters in the foothills of the Central Mountain Range. The township is bounded by (clockwise from the north) Zhuolan, Heping, Xinshe, Shigang,

Fengyuan Fengyuan District () is a district located in north-central Taichung, Taiwan on the south bank of the Dajia River. Fengyuan district is the third most populated district among former Taichung County, ranking after Dali and Taiping district. Feng ...

, Houli, and Sanyi.

History

After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the

in 1945, Dongshi was organized as 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 ...

of Taichung County. On 25 December 2010, Taichung County was merged with Taichung City and Dongshi was upgraded to a district of the

city 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 ...

. Buildings in Dongshi were severely damaged by the Chi-Chi earthquake in 1999.

Administrative divisions

Dongshi is divided into 25 villages , which are Beixing, Zhongning, Tungan , Nanping, Yanping, Shangxin, Guangxing, Taichang, Zhongke, Fulong, Longxing, Xincheng, Yifu, Shangcheng, Xiacheng, Qingdong, Qingfu, Tungxin, Yuening, Xiaxin, Xinglong, Maoxing, Taixing, Beitou and Mingzheng.

Famous features

Dongshi includes some greenspace and significant farmland; largely orchards. Dongshi is known for its pears, which are large and almost spherical with a thin, light yellowish-brown rugose skin. In a good year, their flavor is excellent. Intensive topwork at the start of each season involves grafting Japanese pear bud slips to the tree stock. Dongshih Hakka Culture Area

The old train station has been converted into the Dongshih Hakka Cultural Park. Historical Hakka cultural artefacts along with modern works of art are on display. This area also marks the eastern terminus of the Dongshih-Fongyuan Bicycle Greenway (東豐自行車綠廊.) This greenway was converted from a former railway track. The town is also noted for two large forest parks in the mountainous eastern parts of the county. Dongshi Forest Park (東勢林場) and Sijiaolin (四角林林場) are managed by the Changhua County and Taichung City Agricultural Committees respectively.

Native products

* Persimmon * Pear

Tourist attractions

Dongshi Forestry Culture Park The Dongshi Forestry Culture Park () is a forest in Dongshi District, Taichung, Taiwan. History The forest area was originally established in 1956. In 1960, the Taiwan Daxueshan Forestry Corporation was established to collaborate with the Gove ...

Fuxing Suspension Bridge The Fuxing Suspension Bridge () is a suspension bridge connecting Dongshi District and Xinshe District in Taichung, Taiwan. History The bridge was opened in 2013. Technical specifications The bridge spans over a length of 150 meters over Dajia ...

* Shihgang Dam * Dongshi Forest Garden * Dongshi Hakka Cultural Park

Transportation

Dongshi is served by Provincial Highway 8, known as the Central Cross-Island Highway, Provincial Highway 3, and Taichung Special Route 1, which leads to the Daxueshan National Forest Recreation Area.

Notable natives

* Chan Hao-ching, tennis athlete * Latisha Chan, tennis athlete *

Shyu Jong-shyong Shyu Jong-shyong (; born 7 October 1957) is a Taiwanese politician. Education Shyu obtained his bachelor's degree in political science from Soochow University (Taiwan), Soochow University in 1981. He then continued his studies in the United Sta ...

, Deputy Secretary-General of

Executive Yuan The Executive Yuan () is the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Its leader is the Premier, who is appointed by the President of the Republic of China, and requires confirmation by the Legislative Yuan. ...

(2015–2016)

References

* * {{Districts in Taiwan Districts of Taichung