Cimei Township, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (Qimei Township, Chimei Township) () is a rural township in

Penghu County The Penghu ( , Hokkien POJ: ''Phîⁿ-ô͘'' or ''Phêⁿ-ô͘'' ) or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, about west of the main island of Taiwan across the Penghu Channel, coveri ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. The island is the fifth largest in the Pescadores (Penghu) and the southernmost island in the group. It is the smallest township in Penghu County.

History

Archaeological evidence of prehistoric cultures dating back 4500 years before present was found in Nangang Village in 1983. There were residents on the island during the Ming dynasty. The island came under Qing control in 1683 after the Battle of Penghu. In the early Qing, the island was known as "South Island" () and "Southern Big Island" ().南嶼, 大嶼, The residents of the island were moved to nearby Wang-an and the island was declared permanently off-limits for human habitation. The oldest temple on the island was established in 1706. By the end of the Qing period, the island was generally referred to as "Big Island" (Ta Yu; ). The island was ceded to Japan in 1895. Japan took control of the area during the Pescadores Campaign (1895). During Japanese rule, the island was a ''She''「社」 under Mōan 「望安庄」 (today's Wang-an) called Ō-shima「大嶼」. The Qimei Lighthouse (Cimei Lighthouse) was constructed in 1939, the final lighthouse built in Taiwan during Japanese rule. In 1944, the area was administered as (Ta Yu), ,

Hōko Prefecture was one of the administrative divisions of Taiwan during the Japanese ruling period from 1895 until 1945. The prefecture consisted of modern-day Penghu County. Population Administrative divisions Subprefectures Before its dissolution in ...

. The handover of Taiwan to the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

occurred in 1945. Ta hsü Township (Dayu; ) was established on December 11, 1945. The island and township were renamed "Chimei/Cimei/Qimei" in 1949 to commemorate a legend ( 七美人塚) from the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

, in which seven women committed suicide when

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

raided the island. In 1966, President Chiang Kai-shek conducted an inspection of the island. In 1986, Cimei was severely affected by Typhoon Wayne. On April 20, 2002, President

Chen Shui-bian Chen Shui-bian ( zh, t=陳水扁; born 12 October 1950) is a Taiwanese former politician and lawyer who served as the fifth president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2000 to 2008. Chen was the first president from the Democratic Progres ...

visited the island and delivered remarks on healthcare services in the area. On October 24, 2019, at around 8 AM, two sand smuggling ships from China with a total crew of twenty-eight were apprehended in the waters southwest of the township.

Geography

Cimei is 6.99 km² in area with a coastline of 14.4 kilometers and a population of about 3,909 people. Composed mostly of basalt formations, the island is the fifth largest island in the Penghu Archipelago.

Infrastructure

* Qimei Power Plant * Qimei Reservoir

Administrative divisions

The township includes six rural villages: * Donghu/Tunghu Village () * Sihu/Xihu Village () * Jhonghe/Zhonghe Village () * Pinghe Village () * Haifong/Haifeng Village () * Nangang Village ()

Tourist attractions

Double-Heart of Stacked Stones The Double-Heart of Stacked Stones () or the Twin-Heart Fish Trap is a stone fishing weir located on the north side of Cimei Township, Penghu County, Taiwan. It is a well-preserved ancient fish trap made by stacking stones to form a trap that r ...

Little Taiwan * Qimei Lighthouse

Transportation

* Qimei Airport

Education

There are two schools in Qimei: * Chi-Mei Junior High School (澎湖縣立七美國民中學) * Cimei Primary School (澎湖縣立七美國民小學) File:Cimei Elementary School main gate in the morning on 30 October 2009.jpg, Cimei Primary School

References

External links

Qimei Township Government website

【澎湖縣政新聞】七美鄉公所行政大樓落成啟用
('Penghu County Government News- Cimei Township Hall Completed') {{Taiwan Penghu divisions Townships in Penghu County Penghu Islands