Sanyi Township () is a rural township in southern

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 ...

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 ...

. It is famous for its (woodcarving) industry, earning it the name the ''Woodcarving Kingdom of Taiwan''.

Geography

Sanyi is located in the mountains of northwestern Taiwan. On its northeastern boundary is Sanjiao Mountain at 567 meters, and to the east lies

Huoyan Mountain Huoyan Mountain ( zh, t=火炎山, p=Huǒyánshān, l="fire mountain") is a mountain located at the border of Sanyi and Yuanli Townships in Miaoli County, Taiwan. The mountain is known for its jagged exposed laterite surfaces that look like f ...

at 602 meters. As of January 2023, its population was estimated to be 15,124.

Administrative divisions

The township comprises seven villages: Guangcheng, Liyutan, Longteng, Shengxing, Shuanghu, Shuangtan and Xihu.

Politics

The township is part of Miaoli County Constituency I

electoral district An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

for

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 ...

Economy

Initially, the Sanyi area produced timber and hides. Later

tung oil Tung oil or China wood oil is a drying oil obtained by pressing the seed from the nut of the tung tree (''Vernicia fordii''). The oil and its use are believed to have originated in ancient China and appear in the writings of Confucius from abou ...

was extracted from the abundant

tung tree ''Vernicia fordii'', usually known as the tung tree (, ''tóng'') is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family native to southern China, Myanmar, and northern Vietnam. It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 20 m tall, wit ...

s and

camphor Camphor () is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel ('' Cinnamomum camphora''), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the k ...

from the camphor trees. Concurrently the wood carving industry developed. At one point, over 80% of local families were employed in wood carving."Treasures of Miaoli: The Museum of Wood Sculpture in Miaoli County" International Culture and Tourism Bureau, Miaoli County
In English At the end of the 20th century Sanyi began developing a tourist industry.

Tourist attractions

Shengxing Station Sheng Hsing (), also spelled Shengsing, Shengxing or Shengzing, is a railway station on the Taiwan Railways Administration West Coast line ( Former Mountain line). It is located in Sanyi Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan. It is now a tourist spot ...

, completed in 1905, is the highest station (402 meters) in Taiwan built along the "Old Mountain Railway". It was built entirely of wood, using no nails, and took five years to complete. The last train stopped at the station on 23 September 1987, because the steep route of the "Old Mountain Railway" could not accommodate the newer, larger trains."Sheng-hsing Station" CTIN Taiwan Travel Network
In Chinese Nearby is a 726-meter train tunnel built in 1905. It has successfully withstood a large number of earthquakes, including the quake of 21 September 1999 (921). At the tunnel entrance are some old troop barracks where during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

local troops were stationed to protect the railway. * Sanyi Old Street and Mudiao * Sanyi Wood Sculpture Museum, opened in 1995, shows the development of local wood carving from a craft in the late 19th century to contemporary art of the 21st century. *

Huoyan Mountain Ecology Museum The Huoyan Mountain Ecology Museum () is a museum of ecology about Huoyan Mountain in Sanyi Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan.http://okgo.tw/butyview.html?id=02420 Transportation The museum is accessible within walking distance south from Sanyi ...

displays detailed information about the geological formation of Huoyan Mountain, as well as the flora and fauna of the area. * The Tung tree festival is held each year when the tung trees bloom in late April. * Liyutan Dam *

Longteng Bridge The Longteng Bridge (), officially known as the Yutengping Bridge (), is a former bridge in Longteng Village, Sanyi Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan. History The bridge was built in 1906 during Japanese rule, and was named . It was designed b ...

* West Lake Resortopia

Transportation

* TRA Sanyi Station * TRA

* TRA Yutengping Station

Notable natives

Luo Shih-feng Luo Shih-feng or Daniel Lo (; born 22 July 1968) is a Taiwanese singer, songwriter and television host. He was born in Miaoli County and is of Hakka descent. Luo performs Hokkien pop and Mandopop, and received a Golden Bell Award in 1997, f ...

singer and television host

References

External links

*
"The Story of a Small Town: Sanyi" Wesley Girls' High School
in English {{Authority control Townships in Miaoli County