Hsinchu County (

Wade–Giles Wade–Giles () is a romanization system for Mandarin Chinese. It developed from a system produced by Thomas Francis Wade, during the mid-19th century, and was given completed form with Herbert A. Giles's '' Chinese–English Dictionary'' of ...

: ''Hsin¹-chu²'') is a

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 ...

in north-western

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 population of the county is mainly

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...

; with a

Taiwanese aboriginal Taiwanese indigenous peoples (formerly Taiwanese aborigines), also known as Formosan people, Austronesian Taiwanese, Yuanzhumin or Gaoshan people, are the indigenous peoples of Taiwan, with the nationally recognized subgroups numbering about ...

minority in the southeastern part of the county.

Zhubei Zhubei ( Wade-Giles: ''Chupei''; Hakka PFS: ''Chuk-pet''; Hokkien POJ: ''Tek-pak'') is a city in the nation of Taiwan. It is one of the fastest-growing settlements in Taiwan, with a population gain of 51,000 between 2010 and 2019, the highest ...

is the county capital, where the government office and county office is located. A portion of the

Hsinchu Science Park The Hsinchu Science Park (HSP; ) is an industrial park established by the government of Taiwan on 15 December 1980. It straddles Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County in Taiwan. History The idea of the establishment of the Hsinchu Science Park was ...

is located in Hsinchu County.

History

Early history

Before the arrival of the

Han Chinese 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 va ...

, the

Hsinchu Hsinchu (, Chinese: 新竹, Pinyin: ''Xīnzhú'', Wade–Giles: ''Hsin¹-chu²'') is a city located in northwestern Taiwan. It is the most populous city in Taiwan Province not among the special municipalities, with estimated 450,655 inhabi ...

area was home to the

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 ...

Taokas, Saisiyat, and Atayal. After the Spanish occupied northern Taiwan,

Catholic missionaries Missionary work of the Catholic Church has often been undertaken outside the geographically defined parishes and dioceses by religious orders who have people and material resources to spare, and some of which specialized in missions. Eventually, p ...

arrived at Tek-kham in 1626. Minnanese (

Hoklo The Hoklo people or Hokkien people () are a Han Chinese (also Han Taiwanese) subgroup who speak Hokkien, a Southern Min language, or trace their ancestry to Southeastern Fujian, China and known by various endonyms or other related terms such a ...

) and

came and began to cultivate the land from the plains near the sea towards the river valleys and hills.

Qing dynasty

In 1684,

Zhuluo County Zhuluo County () was a political division in Taiwan from 1684 to 1787, during Qing Dynasty rule of the island. Initially encompassing the underdeveloped northern two-thirds of Taiwan, the county shrank in size as the population and economy of the ...

was established during Qing dynasty rule and more Han settled near Tek-kham. A Chinese city was established there in 1711 and renamed Hsinchu in 1875. It became part of

Taipeh Prefecture Taipeh Prefecture () was a Qing dynasty prefecture created from the northern part of Taiwan Prefecture, Qing-era Taiwan in 1875, while the island was still part of Fujian Province. It consisted of a region surrounding modern-day Taipei, including ...

. In the late 19th century, Hoklo people dominated the coastal plains, forcing the Saisiyat and Atayal tribes to move to areas around Jianshi and Wufeng, while the Hakka and Taokas settled together in the river valleys and hills.

Japanese rule

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

occupation of Taiwan began after the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the po ...

in 1895. Hsinchu became known as ''Shinchiku'' and, by 1920, its prefecture covered the areas of modern-day Hsinchu County and

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 ...

Miaoli Miaoli City (Wade–Giles: ''Miao²-li⁴''; Hakka PFS: ''Mèu-li̍t-sṳ''; Hokkien POJ: ''Biâu-le̍k-chhī'' or ''Miâu-le̍k-chhī'') is a county-administered city and the county seat of Miaoli County, Taiwan. Miaoli has a relatively h ...

, and Taoyuan.

Republic of China

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, Hsinchu County was established on 25 December 1945. In August 1950, Miaoli and Taoyuan were taken out from the county area to form Miaoli County and

Taoyuan County Taoyuan County () is under the administration of Changde, Hunan, Hunan Province, China. The Yuan River, a tributary of the Yangtze, flows through Taoyuan. It covers an area of 4441 square kilometers, of which is arable land. It is from Zhangji ...

respectively. On 16 August 1950,

Hsinchu City Hsinchu (, Chinese: 新竹, Pinyin: ''Xīnzhú'', Wade–Giles: ''Hsin¹-chu²'') is a city located in northwestern Taiwan. It is the most populous city in Taiwan Province not among the special municipalities, with estimated 450,655 inhabi ...

was incorporated to the county as

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 ...

. However, the city was then upgraded again to become a provincial city on 1 July 1982 and was taken out from Hsinchu County area. The county's Xiangshan Township was incorporated into

on 1 July 1982. In 2021, plans are underway to have both Hsinchu county and city merged into the nation's seventh

special municipality Special municipality may refer to: * Special municipality (Netherlands) There are twelve provinces of the Netherlands (), representing the administrative layer between the national government and the local municipalities, with responsibility fo ...

Geography

Hsinchu County is located at the northwest part of Taiwan Island. The county borders

Taoyuan City Taoyuan () is a special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan) located in northwestern Taiwan, neighboring New Taipei City to the north-east, Yilan County, Taiwan, Yilan County to the south-e ...

to the north, Miaoli County to the south, 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 ...

to the west, and the

Xueshan Xueshan, formerly known as and by other names, is a mountain in the Heping District of Taichung, Taiwan. It is the 2nd-highest mountain in Taiwan and in East Asia, at above sea level. It is located in the Shei-Pa National Park and is visib ...

& Dabajian mountains to the east. With an area spanning up to , Hsinchu County is composed mainly of uplands, tablelands, mountains, the alluvial plains of the

Fengshan River The Fengshan River () is a river in northern 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 Repub ...

and

Touqian River The Touqian River () is a river in northern 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 ...

mouth area, and some ancient river land.

Climate

The average climate in Hsinchu County is mild.

Administration

Hsinchu County controls 1

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 ...

, 3 urban townships, 6 rural townships and 2 mountain indigenous townships.

Zhubei City Zhubei ( Wade-Giles: ''Chupei''; Hakka PFS: ''Chuk-pet''; Hokkien POJ: ''Tek-pak'') is a city in the nation of Taiwan. It is one of the fastest-growing settlements in Taiwan, with a population gain of 51,000 between 2010 and 2019, the highest ...

is the seat of Hsinchu County which houses the

Hsinchu County Government The Hsinchu County Government () is the local government of the Republic of China that governs Hsinchu County. Organization * Civil Affairs Department * Finance Department * International Economic Development Department * Public Works Depart ...

and

Hsinchu County Council The Hsinchu County Council (HCC; ) is the elected county council of Hsinchu County, Republic of China. The council composes of 35 councilors lastly elected through the 2018 Taiwanese local elections, 2018 Republic of China local election on 24 No ...

. The incumbent Magistrate of Hsinchu County is

Yang Wen-ke Yang Wen-ke (; born 22 March 1951) is a Taiwanese politician. He is the Magistrate of Hsinchu County since 25 December 2018 after winning the 2018 municipality election of the Republic of China on 24 November 2018. Political career Hsinchu Co ...

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 ...

. The administrative division of the county are: Colors indicate the common language status of

and

Formosan languages The Formosan languages are a geographic grouping comprising the languages of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan, all of which are Austronesian. They do not form a single subfamily of Austronesian but rather nine separate subfamilies. The Taiwa ...

within each division.

Demographics

The population of the county consists of

, aborigines and new immigrants. The Hakka people constituted around 84% of the total population in 2014, while the aborigines consisted mainly of Atayal and

Saisiyat people The Saisiyat (; Hakka Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''賽夏族(Sòi-hà-tshu̍k)''), also spelled Saisiat, are an indigenous people of Taiwan. In 2000 the Saisiyat numbered 5,311, which was approximately 1.3% of Taiwan's total indigenous population, making t ...

. As of January 2017, the total population was 547,794, with 267,599 females and 280,195 males in 187,644 households.

Economy

High tech industry

After the founding of

in 1980, a high number of high-tech industries began to grow and expand outside the park, attracting workers coming to work and settle in the county.

Education

Education in Hsinchu County is administered by the Education Department of

. The county is home to the

Minghsin University of Science and Technology Minghsin University of Science and Technology (MUST; ) is a private university in Xinfeng Township, Hsinchu County, Taiwan. History I. Industrial Junior College Period MUST was founded in 1966 that was known as Ming Hsin Engineering College (ME ...

and

Ta Hwa University of Science and Technology Minth University of Science and Technology (MUST; ) is a private university in Qionglin Township, Hsinchu County, Taiwan. History Introduction to :Minth University of Technology and Science # Numbered list itemSince the establishment of the sc ...

Energy

Power generations

Hsinchu County is home to the gas-fired Hsintao Power Plant with a capacity of 600 MW located in Guanxi Township.

Water supply

Hsinchu County houses the

Baoshan Dam The Baoshan Dam () is a dam located in Baoshan Township, Hsinchu County, Taiwan. The dam supplies water to Hsinchu City and cooling water to factories in Hsinchu Science and Industrial Park. History The dam was initially constructed in 1981 ...

and

Baoshan Second Dam The Baoshan Second Dam () is a dam in Baoshan Township, Hsinchu County, Taiwan. History In 1986, the planning team of Water Resources Bureau of the Taiwan Provincial Government conducted preliminary study for a dam exploration to alleviate w ...

Tourist attractions

Beipu Citian Temple The Beipu Citian Temple () is a Buddhist temple in Beipu Township, Hsinchu County, Taiwan. History The Taiwanese aborigines had been a fierce rebel force in the early days in the development of Beipu. In order to pray for peace within the local ...

* Mount Dabajian * Former Residence of Zhang Xueliang *

Green World Ecological Farm Green World Ecological Farm () is a theme park in Beipu Township, Hsinchu County, Taiwan that focuses on ecological education. Covering , the park includes an educational farm, a house, a zoo, and a botanical garden that occupies about and hos ...

Leofoo Village Theme Park The Leofoo Village Theme Park () is a theme park and a safari located in Guanxi Township, Hsinchu County, Taiwan. It features three roller coasters, including an inverted shuttle coaster, Screaming Condor, an Intamin twist-and-turn coaster dub ...

Little Ding-Dong Science Theme Park The Little Ding-Dong Science Theme Park () is a theme park in Xinfeng Township, Hsinchu County, Taiwan. It is the only outdoor natural science park in Taiwan aimed to promote scientific knowledge and creative thoughts in children. History The t ...

Rueylong Museum The Rueylong Museum () is a natural history museum in Qionglin Township, Hsinchu County, Taiwan. Transportation The museum is accessible within walking distance east from Shangyuan Station of the Taiwan Railways. See also * List of museums ...

Shei-Pa National Park Shei-Pa National Park () is a national park located in the central part of Taiwan around the peaks of Hsuehshan and Dabajian Mountain, with an area of , covering the area of Hsinchu County, Miaoli County and Taichung City. High mountain ecology, ...

Tapung Old Fort The Tapung Old Fort or Mount Lidong Fort () is a former fort in Jianshi Township, Hsinchu County, Taiwan. History After the end of First Sino-Japanese War and the signing of Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895, the Japanese soldiers quickly spread ...

Zhudong Animation and Comic Creative Park The Zhudong Animation and Comic Creative Park () is a theme park in Zhudong Township, Hsinchu County, Taiwan. History The park was opened for trial basis on 18 December 2015 on its western part in a ceremony attended by Hsinchu County Magist ...

Zhudong Timber Industry Exhibition Hall The Zhudong Timber Industry Exhibition Hall () is a museum about timber in Zhudong, Zhudong Township, Hsinchu County, Taiwan. History The exhibition hall was established in 1943. Exhibition The exhibition hall features the history of timber ...

Beipu Old Street Beipu Township (; Hakka: ''Pet-phû-hiông'') is a rural township in Hsinchu County, Taiwan. Beipu is well known in Taiwan as a center of Hakka culture, especially for production of ''dongfang meiren'' tea and its special Hakkanese blends of t ...

* Neiwan Old Street * Emei Huge Buddha Statue

Transportation

Rail

The Hsinchu Station of the

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 ...

is located in the county at

. Hsinchu County is crossed by three

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 ...

lines, which are the

Liujia Line The Liujia Line () is a branch line of the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) Western Line. It is located in Hsinchu County, Taiwan. It was built to link the Western Line to the THSR's Hsinchu Station, speeding up transit times between the two ...

Neiwan Line The Neiwan line () is a railway branch line in Taiwan operated by the Taiwan Railways Administration. It is located in Hsinchu County. History The Neiwan line was completed on 11 September 1951. It became a popular tourist site in the early ...

and Western Line.

Notable people

Chen Ying-git Chen Ying-git () is a female singer of Taiwanese Hakka heritage. She has produced albums from the 1980s through the 1990s like another singer, Jody Chiang. One of her famous songs is 海海人生. She also sang a famous duet called 酒醉黑白話 ...

, singer *

Cyndi Wang Cyndi Wang Hsin-ling (; born 5 September 1982) is a Taiwanese singer and actress. Wang debuted her musical career as she released her debut album, ''Begin...'' (2003). Besides her musical career, Wang has starred in many TV dramas, including ' ...

, singer-actress *

Hebe Tien Hebe Tien (; born 30 March 1983) is a Taiwanese singer and actress. She rose to fame in the early 2000s as a member of Taiwanese girl group S.H.E. The release of her debut album, '' To Hebe'' (2010), established her as a solo artist. Tien's s ...

, singer-actress and a member of girl group

S.H.E S.H.E is a Taiwanese girl group whose members are Selina Jen, Hebe Tien, and Ella Chen. They formed in 2001 and are managed by HIM International Music but decided not to renew their contract in 2019 due to having their own management company. ...

Joanne Tseng Joanne Tseng Chih-chiao (; born 17 November 1988) is a Taiwanese actress, singer and television host. Early life Tseng was born on 17 November 1988 in Jianshi, Hsinchu, Taiwan. She has an older sister, Chih-ying (曾之萦). Both of her par ...

, actress *

Joe Chen Joe Chen Chiao-en (; born 4 April 1979) is a Taiwanese actress, singer and television host. Known as the "Queen of Idol Dramas", Chen is known for her roles in ''The Prince Who Turns into a Frog'' (2005), ''Fated to Love You'' (2008) and '' The Qu ...

, actress *

Landy Wen Landy Wen (; Atayal: ''Yungai Hayung'') is a Taiwanese singer. In 2010, she was cast in a TV drama based on the Bret Easton Ellis Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964) is an American author, screenwriter, short-story writer, and director. ...

, singer *

Miu Chu Miu Chu (; 16 December 1981 – 3 July 2022) was a Taiwanese singer. She was the winner of the third season of the Taiwanese reality television show '' Super Idol''. Chu performed at the Kaohsiung lantern festival in a concert on 12 February ...

, singer

International relations

Sister cities

Miyazaki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Miyazaki Prefecture has a population of 1,073,054 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 7,735 km2 (2,986 sq mi). Miyazaki Prefecture borders Ōita Prefecture to the north, Kuma ...

, Japan * Santa Clara,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States * Westmont,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, United States *

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...