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, C ...

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 northe ...

. 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 v ...

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 prefect ...

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 Taiwan ...

. During the Japanese era (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 Ta ...

.) 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 ...

, 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.

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 Zhongliao Township Mingjian Mingjian Township is a rural township in western Nantou County, Taiwan. It is the second smallest township in the county, after Jiji Township. Name and etymology The name Mingjian originates from a Japanese transliteration of the original Tai ...

to the west, Zhushan and Lugu to the south, and

Shuili Shuili TownshipZhuoshui River 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 Chen may refer to: People * Chen (surname) (陳 / 陈), a common Chinese surname * Chen (singer) (born 1992), member of the South Korean-Chinese boy band EXO * Chen Chen (born 1989), Chinese-American poet * (), a Hebrew first name or surname: ...

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 The Jiji Military History Park () is a historical park in Jiji Township, Nantou County, Taiwan about the Republic of China Armed Forces. Features The park displays a set of fighter jet, airplane, battle tank, rocket launcher, amphibious tank etc ...

Jiji Weir The Jiji Weir () is a weir located in Nantou County, Taiwan. The weir is located at the border of three townships in the county, which are Jiji Township, Lugu Township and Zhushan Township. History The construction of the weir started in July ...

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 loca ...

Conservation Education Center Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...

Taiwan Water Museum 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 ...

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 transpor ...

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 ...

References

External links

Jiji Township Office
{{Townships in Taiwan Townships in Nantou County