Jiji () or Chichi is an urban
township
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 ...
located in the west central portion of
Nantou County
Nantou County (; Hokkien POJ: ''Lâm-tâu-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Nàm-thèu-yen'') is the second largest county of Taiwan by area, located in the central part of the country. It is also the only non-coastal county in Taiwan. Its name derives fro ...
,
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 ...
. Jiji is the smallest of Taiwan's townships by area.
The township is a popular destination on the
Jiji Railway Line. In March 2012, it was named one of the ''Top 10 Small Tourist Towns'' by the Tourism Bureau of Taiwan.
History
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 ...
from
Zhangzhou
Zhangzhou (), alternately romanized as Changchow, is a prefecture-level city in Fujian Province, China. The prefecture around the city proper comprises the southeast corner of the province, facing the Taiwan Strait and surrounding the prefec ...
began arriving in the area in 1771. The name originates from "Chiv-Chiv", a phrase in the
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 ...
.
During the
Japanese era
The , also known as , is the first of the two elements that identify years in the Japanese era calendar scheme. The second element is a number which indicates the year number within the era (with the first year being ""), followed by the literal ...
(1895–1945), Jiji was a collection and shipping export point for camphor produced in the surrounding areas. By 1940, it was administrated as Shūshū Town (集集街), Niitaka District (新高郡),
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 ...
(now
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 ...
.) Jiji township then encompassed a much larger area that included the present-day
Shuili Township.
In 1946, Niitaka District was renamed Yushan District (玉山區),
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 ...
, and Jiji contemporaneously became a township. In 1950, Shuili Township was separated from Jiji. During World War II, a U.S. bomber was shot down by Japanese artillery, killing four airmen. The township was the epicenter of the eponymous and devastating 1999
Chi-Chi earthquake
The Chi-Chi earthquake (later also known as the Jiji earthquake) (), also known as the great earthquake of September 21 (), was a 7.3 ML or 7.7 Mw earthquake which occurred in Jiji (Chi-Chi), Nantou County, Taiwan on Tuesday, 21 S ...
.
Demographics
As of December 2016, Jiji was home to a total population of 11,035, including 5,745 males and 5,290 females. Historically, the population peaked at 16,395 in 1970, and has fallen steadily since then. By contrast, the number of households grew from 2,772 in 1970 to a high of 4,376 in 2014, falling slightly to 4,308 by 2016.
Geography
Jiji is bordered by
Zhongliao to the north,
Mingjian to the west,
Zhushan and
Lugu to the south, and
Shuili
Shuili TownshipZhuoshui 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 ...
flows westward along the south border of the township. Jiji Township has a total area of 49.72 square kilometers. The lowest point in the township is 230 m above sea level and its highest point is Big Jiji Mountain (集集大山) at 1392 m above sea level. The township is rather mountainous and is surrounded by mountains on all sides.
Administrative divisions
Jiji is divided into 11
villages
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
: Ailiao, Bazhang, Fushan, Guangming, Heping, Jiji, Linwei, Tianliao, Yongchang, Yuying and Wucuo.
Politics
The 2014 mayoral election was won by 29-year-old
Chen Chi-heng of the newly formed
Trees Party
The Trees Party () is a minor political party in Taiwan. The core ideology of the party is environmentalism, and it is commonly identified as a "third force" party belonging to neither the Pan-Blue or Pan-Green Coalitions. The party was formed i ...
, in what was characterized by the media as a surprise.
Tourist attractions
*
Jiji Rail Station
*
Jiji Military History Park
*
Jiji Weir
The Jiji Weir () is a weir located in Nantou County, Taiwan. The weir is located at the border of three townships
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Alth ...
*
Mingxin Academy
The Mingxin Academy () is a former tutorial academy in Jiji Township, Nantou County, Taiwan.
History
The academy was built in 1885 during the Qing Dynasty rule as the first private school within the area. In 1908, it moved to its current loc ...
*
Conservation Education Center
*
Taiwan Water Museum
Transportation
Jiji Township is served by
Jiji Station
Jiji () is a railway station on the Taiwan Railways Administration Jiji line located in Jiji Township, Nantou County, Taiwan.
History
The station was opened for operation on 14 January 1922 during Japanese rule which was mostly used for transp ...
and
Longquan Station 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 ...
Jiji line
The Jiji Line () is a branch line of the Taiwan Railways Administration, located in Changhua and Nantou Counties in Taiwan. The length of the line is 29.7 km.
History
The line was originally built by Taipower in 1922 to facilitate the c ...
.
References
External links
Jiji Township Office
{{Townships in Taiwan
Townships in Nantou County