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 ...

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 ...

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

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 no ...

Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village The Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village () is an amusement park in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan which has been in operation since 1986.Hehuanshan, Paper Dome, Qingjing Farm, Shanlinxi, Shuiyuan Suspension Bridge and Xitou. Notable cities in Nantou are Nantou City and

Puli Town Luzhi Town () is a famous historic old town located in the Wuzhong District, 18 km east of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, China. Etymology It was also known as Puli (),() has two pronunciations, 'fu' and 'pu'. () is pronounced as Pu-li, not Fu ...

. The official butterfly of Nantou County is the broad-tailed swallowtail butterfly (''Agehana maraho''). Nantou's tung-ting tea is one of the most famous and high-quality oolong teas grown in Taiwan.

History

Early history

Before the arrival of

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 v ...

to Nantou, the Atayal, Bunun and Tsou tribes were distributed throughout the northern and central Nantou. These groups pioneered the early development of mountain regions in Nantou.

Kingdom of Tungning

In 1677, Lin Yi (), a general under the command of Koxinga, led soldiers to establish residence in ' (modern-day Zhushan). 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 v ...

began to enter Nantou via two main routes, 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 ...

and

Maoluo River The Maoluo River () is a tributary of the Wu River (Dadu River) in Taiwan. It is the main tributary on the left bank of the Wu River. Originating from the Jialishan Range, it flows east of the Bagua Plateau through Nantou County, Changhua County, ...

.

Japanese rule

In 1901, during Japanese rule, was one of twenty local administrative offices established. In 1909, part of was merged into Nanto Cho. A major reorganization occurred in 1920, in which the area was administered under

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 ...

together with modern-day

Changhua County Changhua County ( Mandarin Pinyin: ''Zhānghuà Xiàn''; Wade-Giles: ''Chang¹-hua⁴ Hsien⁴''; Hokkien POJ: ''Chiang-hòa-koān'' or ''Chiong-hòa-koān'') is the smallest county on the main island of Taiwan by area, and the fourth smal ...

and Taichung City.

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 northeas ...

on 25 October 1945, the present day area of Nantou County was administered under

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 Taich ...

of Taiwan Province. On 16 August 1950, Nantou County was established by its separation from Taichung County, and Nantou Township was designed as the

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 ...

. On 1 July 1957, the

Zhongxing New Village Zhongxing New Village, sometimes rendered as Chunghsing New Village is an urban village located in Nantou City, Nantou County, Taiwan (ROC) and was until 2018, when the Taiwan Provincial Government was abolished, was the seat of government of ...

in Nantou Township was designed to be the capital of Taiwan Province from the former

Taipei City Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

. In 1981, the county seat was upgraded from Nantou

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, ...

to Nantou

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 ...

. The

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 Se ...

occurred in 1999.

Geography

Nantou County has an area of with a width of and length of . It is the second largest county in Taiwan after Hualien County. There are 41 mountains with peaks over 3,000 meters high, with Mount Yu in Xinyi Township is the highest peak in Nantou County and in Taiwan with a height of 3,952 meters. Around 83% of Nantou County area is covered by hills and mountains. Rain that falls into the mountains area converge into the Dadu River and

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 ...

. There are inland ponds and lakes throughout the mountains in the county, such as the Sun Moon Lake, Bi Pond, Liyu Pond and Cilin Pond.

Climate

The annual average temperature in Nantou County is on level ground and on mountains. The annual average rainfall is less than on level ground and on mountains. The rainy season lasts from April to September and the dry season lasts from October to March.

Government

County Highway 139 and Provincial Highway 3 intersection 20110716

Nantou County consists of 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 ...

, 4 urban townships, 6 rural townships, 2 mountain indigenous townships, 128 villages and 133 neighborhoods. Nantou City is the seat of the county which houses the

Nantou County Government The Nantou County Government () is the local government of Nantou 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 northwestern Pacific Oce ...

and Nantou County Council. The incumbent

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 judic ...

of Nantou County is

Lin Ming-chen Lin Ming-chen () is a politician in the Republic of China. He has been the Magistrate of Nantou County since 25 December 2014. Education Lin earned his bachelor's degree in architecture from China Junior College of Technology and master's degr ...

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 Ta ...

.

Administrative divisions

Colors indicate statutory language status of

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 ...

and Formosan languages in the respective subdivisions.

Politics

南投縣 Nantou County voted two

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 Ta ...

legislators out of two seats to be in the Legislative Yuan during the 2016 Republic of China legislative election.

Demographics and culture

Population

Nantou County has a population of 492,733 people as of January 2020. * The following information is as of June 202
資料
* The population growth and decline is calculated by subtracting the population of the previous month from the current month’s population. Negative values are represented by red letters, positive values are represented by blue letters, and no growth is represented by green letters. * The population density of each district is calculated by rounding 4 to 5 to 1 decimal place * Population growth： ** 高度成長 High growth （年成長率高於1%）：NA（updated 2020） ** 穩定成長 Steady growth （年成長率0.1%~1%）：草屯 Caotun ** 成長停滯 Stagnant growth（年成長率±0.1%）：NA（updated 2020） ** 輕度流失 Mild loss （年成長率-0.5%~-0.1%）：南投、仁愛 ** 中度流失 Moderate Churn （年成長率-1%~-0.5%）：埔里Puli、名間、魚池 ** 高度流失 High churn （年成長率-2%~-1%）：鹿谷、竹山、中寮、信義、水里、集集 ** 嚴重流失 Severe drain （年成長率低於-2%）：國姓

Language

The official language of the county is Mandarin.

Taiwanese Hokkien Taiwanese Hokkien () (; Tâi-lô: ''Tâi-uân-uē''), also known as Taigi/Taigu (; Pe̍h-ōe-jī/ Tâi-lô: ''Tâi-gí / Tâi-gú''), Taiwanese, Taiwanese Minnan, Hoklo and Holo, is a variety of the Hokkien language spoken natively by about ...

,

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 ...

, English and aboriginal languages are also spoken.

Education

U Chi Nan Library and Information Building SW side

There are 2 colleges, 13 senior high and vocational schools, 30 junior high schools, 149 elementary schools, 106 kindergartens and 84 day care centers in the county. Notable universities in the county are National Chi Nan University,

National Chung Hsing University National Chung Hsing University (NCHU; ) is a research-led comprehensive university in South District, Taichung, Republic of China. Currently, NCHU is among the four universities of the Taiwan Comprehensive University System, a research-le ...

and Nan Kai University of Technology.

Energy

Taiwan Power Ccopany Mingtan Power Station

Nantou County houses Taiwan's first pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant, the Takuan Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant commissioned in 1985 with an installed capacity of 1,008 MW. It also houses Taiwan's largest pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant, the Mingtan Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant with an installed capacity of 1,602 MW. Both power plants are located in Shuili Township along the

Shuili River The Shuili or Shueili River () is a river in Nantou County, Taiwan. Geology It flows through Nantou County for 19 km and is the tributary for Zhuoshui River. Power generation The river passes through the Minghu Dam and Mingtan Dam in ...

.

Sports

Notable sporting events held by Nantou County include: * 2003 Asian Canoe Slalom Championships * 2011 Asian Women's Softball Championship * 2013 Asian Canoe Slalom Championships

Tourist attractions

Totem poles in Formosa Aboriginal Cultural Village

* Chung Tai Chan Monastery * Ci En Pagoda * Paper Dome *

Fonghuanggu Bird and Ecology Park The Fonghuanggu Bird and Ecology Park () is a bird park in Lugu Township, Nantou County, Taiwan. History In 1978, the Taiwan Provincial Government decided to build a bird park in Fonghuanggu Scenic Area located in Nantou County and named i ...

*

Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village The Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village () is an amusement park in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan which has been in operation since 1986.Geographic center of Taiwan *

Jufang Hall The Jufang Hall () is a historical building in Nantou City, Nantou County, Taiwan. History The building was originally built in 1922 as Nantou District Produce Exhibition. In 1945 after World War II, the building was used to station troops and ...

*

Lalu Island Lalu Island (Thao language: Lalu; ) is a small island in Sun Moon Lake, Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan. The island used to be much bigger, separating the lake into a part shaped like crescent moon and another part shaped like a round sun. ...

* Ming Shan Resort *

Nantou County Culture Park The Nantou County Culture Park (NCCP; ) is a historical building in Nantou City, Nantou County, Taiwan. History The park's main building, County History Hall, was built in 1937 as the Wude Temple. The structure later served various purposes, ...

* Qingjing Farm * Shanlinxi Forest Recreation Area * Shuiyuan Suspension Bridge * Sun Moon Lake * Sun Moon Lake Wen Wu Temple * Taroko National Park *

Wushe Incident Memorial Park The Wushe Incident Memorial Park () is a memorial park in Ren'ai Township, Nantou County, Taiwan commemorating the Musha Incident in 1930. History The park was set up by the government to commemorate the Seediq people who perished during th ...

* Xitou Nature Education Area * Xuanzang Temple *

Yushan National Park Yushan National Park () is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan and was named after the summit Yushan, the highest peak of the park.Zhushan Zinan Temple The Zhushan Zinan Temple () is a Chinese Temple dedicated to Fude Zhengshen (福德正神) and located in Sheliao Village, Zhushan Township, Nantou County, Taiwan. Popular Activities 1. Borrow money from the Fude Zhengshen (福德正神), th ...

Transportation

Rail

Taiwan Railways Administration

Nantou County is served by the

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 ...

of Taiwan Railways which consists of Zhuoshui, Longquan, Jiji,

Shuili Shuili TownshipChecheng railway stations.

Taiwan High Speed Rail

Although Nantou County does not have a high speed rail station, high speed rail can be accessed by bus to Taichung HSR station.

References

External links

Nantou County Government
* {{Taiwan Nantou divisions

History

Early history

Kingdom of Tungning

Japanese rule

Republic of China

Geography

Climate

Government

Administrative divisions

Politics

Demographics and culture

Population

Language

Education

Energy

Sports

Tourist attractions

Transportation

Rail

Taiwan Railways Administration

Taiwan High Speed Rail

See also

References

External links