Hsinchu (, Chinese: 新竹,
Pinyin: ''Xīnzhú'',
Wade–Giles: ''Hsin¹-chu²'') is a
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 ...
located in northwestern
Taiwan. It is the most populous city in
Taiwan Province not among the
special municipalities, with estimated 450,655 inhabitants. Hsinchu is a coastal city bordering the
Taiwan Strait to the west,
Hsinchu County
Hsinchu County (Wade–Giles: ''Hsin¹-chu²'') is a county in north-western Taiwan. The population of the county is mainly Hakka; with a Taiwanese aboriginal minority in the southeastern part of the county. Zhubei is the county capital, where ...
to the north and east, and
Miaoli County
Miaoli County (Mandarin Pinyin: ''miáo lì xiàn''; Hakka PFS: ''Mèu-li̍t-yen''; Hokkien POJ: ''Biâu-le̍k-koān'' or ''Miâu-le̍k-koān'') is a county in western Taiwan. Miaoli is adjacent with Hsinchu County and Hsinchu City to the nort ...
to the south. Nicknamed the ''Windy City'' for its strong northeastern
monsoon during the autumn and winter seasons.
The area was originally settled by the
Austronesian
Austronesian may refer to:
*The Austronesian languages
*The historical Austronesian peoples
The Austronesian peoples, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples in Taiwan, Maritime Southeast Asia, M ...
Taiwanese indigenous peoples, with the settlement being named "Tek-kham" by the
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 ...
immigrants. The city was founded by
Han Chinese settlers in 1711, and renamed to its current form in 1878. During the
Japanese Era, the city was the seat of
Shinchiku Prefecture, named after the city. The prefecture encompassed present-day Hsinchu City and County, as well as entire
Taoyuan and Miaoli. After the ROC rule in 1945, the urban area of Hsinchu was organized as a
provincial city.
In 1980, the Taiwanese government established the
Hsinchu Science Park, a major industrial park, a significant centre for
semiconductor manufacturing, industrial and computer technology development. The park contributes a major proportion of Taiwan's
GDP. This made Hsinchu a vital economic hub for its economy; the headquarters of
TSMC, world's largest independent semiconductor foundry, and
United Microelectronics Corporation, are both located in the park.
Besides its industry, Hsinchu is also an important cultural center of Taiwan. The
Chenghuang Temple of Hsinchu, built during the
Kingdom of Tungning, is a common prayer destination. The research institutions of
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and
National Tsing Hua University are both located near the science park.
Etymology
''Hsin-chu'' is the
Wade-Giles romanization of the
Mandarin pronunciation of the
Chinese name . The same name is rendered ''Xīnzhú'' in
Hanyu 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 ...
and ''Sinjhú'' in
Tongyong Pinyin.
This name refers to the settlement's original Hokkien name ''Tek-chhàm'' (), meaning "bamboo barrier".
[ The name may transcribe an aboriginal name meaning "Seashore". The same name is variously recorded as Teukcham,][.] Teuxham,[ Tekcham, and Teckcham; its Mandarin pronunciation appears as Chuchien.][
Hsinchu is popularly nicknamed "The Windy City" for its windy climate and "The Garden City of Culture and Technology" by its tourism department.][
]
History
Early settlement
The area around Hsinchu City was inhabited by the Taokas aboriginies when the Spanish occupied northern Taiwan in the 17th century. Catholic missionaries reached the settlement of Tek-kham in 1626. The Spanish were expelled by the Dutch
The Dutch (Dutch language, Dutch: ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Netherlands. They share a common history and culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, ...
a few decades later.
Qing Dynasty
Under the Qing, a Chinese town was established at Tek-kham by and other Han settlers in 1711.[.] Wang and his party of over 180 people were natives of Kinmen who first camped alongside what is now Dongqian Street in East District, Hsinchu.
As part of the reorganization of Taiwan by Shen Baozhen, the viceroy of Liangjiang, Zhuqian Subprefecture (i.e., Tek-kham) was raised to the level of a county and renamed Xinzhu (i.e., Sin-tek or Hsinchu) in 1878. When Taiwan was made a province in 1887, Hsinchu was made a part of Taipeh Prefecture.
Japanese rule
During the Japanese occupation following the First Sino-Japanese War, the cityknown at the time as Shinchikuwas among the province's most populous. In 1904, its 16,371 residents ranked it in 7th place, behind Keelung
Keelung () or Jilong () (; Hokkien POJ: '), officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. The city is a part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with its neighbors, New Taipe ...
and ahead of Changhua ("Shoka"). Shinchiku was raised to town status in 1920 and city status in 1930. At the same time, it became the seat of Shinchiku Prefecture. In 1941, its prefecture was expanded, annexing Xiangshan ("Kōzan"). Jiugang ("Kyūminato") and Liujia ("Rokka") merged to become Zhubei ("Chikuhoku").
Republic of China
The Nationalist government of 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 ...
established the Hsinchu City Government in 1945 to oversee all of what had been Shinchiku Prefecture under the Japanese.
In 1946, the Take-Over Committee dissolved and replaced by the Hsinchu County Government, located in Taoyuan. As the administrative districts were readjusted, Hsinchu was granted provincial city status. It used the old prefecture office as its city hall at 120 Road. In February 1946, representative congresses were formed for seven district offices. On 15 April, the city congress was formed. Provincial representatives were elected from among the city legislators.
On 16 August 1950, the administrative districts on Taiwan were re-adjusted once more, demarcating 16 counties and 5 provincial cities.
In June 1982, under presidential order, the Xiangshan Township of Hsinchu County
Hsinchu County (Wade–Giles: ''Hsin¹-chu²'') is a county in north-western Taiwan. The population of the county is mainly Hakka; with a Taiwanese aboriginal minority in the southeastern part of the county. Zhubei is the county capital, where ...
merged into Hsinchu City. A new municipal government was formally established on 1 July 1982, comprising 103 villages and 1,635 neighborhoods. These were organized into the East, North, and Xiangshan 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 ...
by 1November. By June 1983, the new government consisted of three bureaus (Civil Service, Public Works, and Education), four departments (Finance, Social Welfare, Compulsory Military Service, and Land Affairs), four offices (Secretary, Planning, Personnel, and Auditing), and 49 various sections. The Police Department, Tax Department, and Medicine and Hygiene Department were considered affiliate institutions.
From 1994 to 1999, as Taiwan made its transition from authoritarian rule to a representative democracy and the mostly ''pro forma'' provincial level of government began to be dissolved, regulations were established for the self-government of Hsinchu. A deputy mayor, consumer officer, and three consultants were added to the city government. In 2002, the city added a Bureau of Labor and transferred Compulsory Military Service to the Department of Civil Service.
A movement is underway from 2021 to have Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County
Hsinchu County (Wade–Giles: ''Hsin¹-chu²'') is a county in north-western Taiwan. The population of the county is mainly Hakka; with a Taiwanese aboriginal minority in the southeastern part of the county. Zhubei is the county capital, where ...
to be upgraded to 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
The city is bordered by Hsinchu County
Hsinchu County (Wade–Giles: ''Hsin¹-chu²'') is a county in north-western Taiwan. The population of the county is mainly Hakka; with a Taiwanese aboriginal minority in the southeastern part of the county. Zhubei is the county capital, where ...
to the north and east, Miaoli County
Miaoli County (Mandarin Pinyin: ''miáo lì xiàn''; Hakka PFS: ''Mèu-li̍t-yen''; Hokkien POJ: ''Biâu-le̍k-koān'' or ''Miâu-le̍k-koān'') is a county in western Taiwan. Miaoli is adjacent with Hsinchu County and Hsinchu City to the nort ...
to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the west.
Climate
Hsinchu's climate is humid subtropical ( Koppen: Cfa). The city is located in a part of the island that has a rainy season that lasts from February to September, with the heaviest time coming late April through August during the southwest monsoon, and also experiences heavy "plum rains" in May and early June. The city succumbs to hot humid weather from June until September, while October to December are arguably the most pleasant times of year. Hsinchu is affected by easterly winds off of the East China Sea
The East China Sea is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. It covers an area of roughly . The sea’s northern extension between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula is the Yellow Sea, separated b ...
. Natural hazards such as typhoons and earthquakes are common in the region.
Government
Hsinchu City is administered as a 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 ...
. North District is the seat of Hsinchu City which houses the Hsinchu City Government and Hsinchu City Council. The incumbent Acting Mayor of Hsinchu City is Chen Chang-hsien.
Administrative divisions
Hsinchu has 3 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 ...
():
Colors indicate the common language status of Hakka within each division.
Politics
Hsinchu City voted one Kuomintang legislator to be in 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 ...
during the 2020 Taiwan general election The 2020 Taiwanese general election was held on 11 January 2020 to elect the 15th President and Vice President of Taiwan, and all 113 members of the 10th Legislative Yuan.
Presidential election
In the presidential election, voters elected the Pre ...
.
Economy
The Hsinchu Science Park is home to 360 high tech companies. As a result, the city has the highest income level in Taiwan.
The purpose of the park is to attract high tech investment to Taiwan and to make the area the economic center for the information industry. The park is designed to cater for high quality R&D, production, work, life and also recreation. From its establishment in 1978, the government has invested over NT$30 billion on software and hardware ventures. In 2001, it developed of land in the park and in southern Hsinchu, attracting 312 high-tech companies' investments. Viewing the performance of Hsinchu Science Park in the past 21 years, it can be said that it holds a decisive position in the economic development in Taiwan, with international acclaim.
Although the semiconductor and related electronic businesses have been doing well, they face fierce competition from South Korea and the United States. This has resulted in lower profits and over-supply of some electronic products such as memory and semiconductors. Therefore, manufacturers, government, academia, and the R&D sectors all recognize the challenges faced by Taiwan's high-tech development. The government has endeavored to upgrade Hsinchu Science Park into a global manufacturing and R&D center of high-end products. They also plan to intensify the cooperation among the manufacturing, academic, and research sectors by introducing incubation centers, in order to elevate the technological standard in the park. Further, through the development of the northern, central, and southern industrial park and its satellite sites, it hopes to sow the seeds of high tech business in all of Taiwan, leading to a vigorous era of high tech development.
In 2020, Hsinchu is classified as a "Sufficiency" level global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.
Education
Hsinchu City is one of the most focused educational centers in northern Taiwan. It has six universities in this concentrated area and among these universities, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and National Tsing Hua University are highly focused by government in Taiwan on its academic development. Other public and private educational institutions in the city included 33 elementary schools, 19 middle schools, 12 high school and complete secondary school.
International schools (grade school and secondary school)
* Pacific American School
* Hsinchu International School
Hsinchu International School (HIS; ) is Private school, private, international school located in Xiangshan District, Hsinchu, Xiangshan District, Hsinchu City, Taiwan offering education to foreign-born students. Founded in 1981 by the Dutch Elec ...
* Hsinchu American School
High Schools
* National Experimental High School
* National Hsinchu Senior High School
* National Hsinchu Girls' Senior High School
The National Hsinchu Girls' Senior High School () is a high ranked public high school in East District, Hsinchu City, Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and Sout ...
* National HsinChu Commercial Vocational High School
* National Hsinchu Senior Industrial Vocational School
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ...
* Hsinchu Municipal Chien Kung Senior High School
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 inhab ...
* Hsinchu Municipal Cheng Te Senior High School
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 in ...
* Hsinchu Municipal Hsiang Shan Senior High School
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 ...
* Hsinchu Shu Guang Girls' Senior High School
Hsinchu (, Chinese: 新竹, Hanyu Pinyin, Pinyin: ''Xīnzhú'', Wade–Giles: ''Hsin¹-chu²'') is a Provincial city (Taiwan), city located in northwestern Taiwan. It is the most populous city in Taiwan Province not among the Special munici ...
* Hsinchu World Senior High School
* Hsinchu St. Peter High School
* Hsinchu Kuang-Fu Senior High School
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 ...
Universities
* National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
* National Tsing Hua University
* Chung Hua University
Chung Hua University (CHU; ) is a private university located in Xiangshan District, Hsinchu City, Taiwan. It was formerly known as Chung Hua Polytechnic Institute founded in 1990 by three local Hsinchu entrepreneurs, Ron-Chang Wang, Zau-Juang T ...
* Hsuan Chuang University
* Yuanpei University of Medical Technology
Yuanpei University of Medical Technology (YUMT; ) is a private university in Xiangshan District, Hsinchu City, Taiwan.
History
The university was originally established on 8 November 1964 as Yuanpei Institute of Medical Technology after it was ...
* National Hsinchu University of Education
National Tsing Hua University Nan-Da Campus (NTHU Nan-Da Campus; ) is a university campus in East District, Hsinchu City, Taiwan of National Tsing Hua University.
History
The campus was originally established in April 1940 as a training institu ...
Tourist attractions
* Aqueduct Museum of Hsinchu City
The Aqueduct Museum of Hsinchu City () is a museum in East District, Hsinchu, East District, Hsinchu, Hsinchu City, Taiwan.
History
The museum was opened in April 2019.
Exhibitions
The museum exhibits the history of water supply in Hsinchu Cit ...
* Black Bat Squadron Memorial Hall
* Chenghuang Temple of Hsinchu
* Glass Museum of Hsinchu City
* Hsinchu City Art Site of Railway Warehouse
* Hsinchu CKS Baseball Stadium
* Hsinchu Museum of Military Dependents Village
* Hsinchu Fish Harbor
* Hsinchu Zoo
* National Hsinchu Living Arts Center
* 17 Kilometer Coastal Scenic Area
Seventeen or 17 may refer to:
*17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18
* one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017
Literature
Magazines
* ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine
* ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...
* Eighteen Peaks Mountain Park
Eighteen or 18 may refer to:
* 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19
* one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018
Film, television and entertainment
* ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the short s ...
* Hsinchu Eastern Gate
Hsinchu (, Chinese: 新竹, Hanyu Pinyin, Pinyin: ''Xīnzhú'', Wade–Giles: ''Hsin¹-chu²'') is a Provincial city (Taiwan), city located in northwestern Taiwan. It is the most populous city in Taiwan Province not among the Special munici ...
* Chenghuang Temple Night Market -
* Tsing Hus Night market
* Green Grass Lake
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a co ...
Sports
Major sporting events held by Hsinchu include:
* 1997 World Youth Baseball Championship
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic (1997 film), Titanic'', the List of highest-grossing films, highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; ...
* 2005 BWF Para-Badminton World Championships
5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. It has attained significance throughout history in part because typical humans have five digits on eac ...
Transportation
Rail
Hsinchu City is mainly served by Hsinchu railway station along with five other minor TRA stations on both Western Trunk line
Western Trunk line () is a railway line of the Taiwan Railways Administration in western Taiwan. It is by far the busiest line, having served over 171 million passengers in 2016. The total length of the line is 404.5 km.
The line is an offi ...
and Neiwan line. There is also an HSR station in nearby Zhubei, Hsinchu County
Hsinchu County (Wade–Giles: ''Hsin¹-chu²'') is a county in north-western Taiwan. The population of the county is mainly Hakka; with a Taiwanese aboriginal minority in the southeastern part of the county. Zhubei is the county capital, where ...
on Taiwan High Speed Rail.
Cycling
Hsinchu City has recently created a series of cycling routes to help cyclists navigate the city more easily. Hsinchu is home to many cycling clubs
Sea ports
Pleasure and fishing ports are located at Nanliao Street, North District and in Haishan, Xiangshan district.
Airport
Military air base in North District.
Notable natives
* Chi Cheng, the 1968 Olympic bronze medalist in track and field
* Yuan T. Lee
Yuan Tseh Lee (; born 19 November 1936) is a Taiwanese chemist and a Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. He was the first Taiwanese Nobel Prize laureate who, along with the Hungarian-Canadian John C. Polanyi and America ...
, 1986 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry
* Chiang Hsiao-yen, Vice Premier (1997)
* Lin Cho-liang
Cho-Liang Lin (Lin Cho-liang, , born January 29, 1960), born in Hsinchu, Taiwan, is an American violinist who is renowned for his appearances as a soloist with major orchestras. Musical America named him its "Instrumentalist of the Year" in 200 ...
, Taiwanese American violinist
* Hsieh Su-Wei, Taiwanese tennis player and former World No. 1 in doubles
* Hebe Tien, solo artist and member of the S.H.E
* David Wu, member of the U.S. House of Representatives for the state of Oregon from 1999 until 2011.
* Cyndi Wang, singer
* Chen Qiaoen, singer, actress, 7F Member
* Lü Shao-chia, Taiwanese conductor
* Wen Shang-Yi
Monster or Wen Shang-yi (; born 28 November 1976, in Hsinchu County, Taiwan), is one of the two guitarists and leader of the Taiwanese rock band, Mayday.
Monster became interested in music and the guitar while studying at the Affiliated Se ...
, guitarist and leader of the band Mayday
Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice-procedure radio communications.
It is used to signal a life-threatening emergency primarily by aviators and mariners, but in some countries local organiza ...
International relations
Twin towns — sister cities
Hsinchu is twinned
Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to:
* In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so;
* Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning
* Twinning inst ...
with:
See also
* Administrative divisions of the Republic of China
* List of cities in Taiwan
In the structural hierarchy of the administrative divisions in the Republic of China (Taiwan), there are three types of administrative divisions under its territorial control with the Mandarin word shì (市, "city") in their names.
There a ...
Notes
Words in native languages
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
1982 establishments in Taiwan
Provincial cities of Taiwan