Hsinchu

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Hsinchu 新竹[I]
City
Hsinchu City
Flag Logo
Nickname(s):  City of wind (風城)
Hsinchu Location Within Taiwan
Coordinates: 24°49′N 120°59′E / 24.817°N 120.983°E / 24.817; 120.983Coordinates: 24°49′N 120°59′E / 24.817°N 120.983°E / 24.817; 120.983
Country	Republic of China (Taiwan)
Province	Taiwan Province (de facto defunct)
Region	Northern Taiwan
Seat	North District
Districts	hide 3 districts East North Xiangshan
Government
• Mayor	Lin Chih-chien (DPP)
Area [1]
• Total	104.15 km2 (40.21 sq mi)
Area rank	20 out of 22
Population  (October 2019)[2]
• Total	448,207
• Rank	15 of 22
• Density	4,300/km2 (11,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (National Standard Time)
Postal code	300
Area code(s)	(0)3
ISO 3166 code	TW-HSZ
Bird	Eurasian magpie (Pica pica)
Flower	Azalea
Website	www.hccg.gov.tw/en/

Hsinchu
Chinese name
Chinese	新竹
showTranscriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xīnzhú Bopomofo ㄒㄧㄣㄓㄨˊ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Shinjwu Wade–Giles Hsin¹-chu² Tongyong Pinyin Sinjhú Yale Romanization Syīnjú MPS2 Shīnjú IPA [ɕín.ʈʂǔ] Hakka Pha̍k-fa-sṳ Sîn-chuk Southern Min Hokkien POJ Sin-tek Tâi-lô Sin-tik
Japanese name
Kanji	新竹
Kana	しんちく
showTranscriptions Romanization Shinchiku

Former names
Zhuqian
Traditional Chinese	竹塹
Simplified Chinese	竹堑
Literal meaning	Bamboo Barrier
showTranscriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhúqiàn Wade–Giles Chu-ch‘ien Southern Min Hokkien POJ Tek-khàm

Nicknames
Windy City
Traditional Chinese	風城
Simplified Chinese	风城
showTranscriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Fēngchéng Bopomofo ㄈㄥㄔㄥˊ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Fengcherng Wade–Giles Fêng-chʻêng Tongyong Pinyin Fongchéng Yale Romanization Fēngchéng MPS2 Fēngchéng

Hsinchu^[I] (Chinese: 新竹, Pinyin: Xīnzhú, Wade–Giles: Hsin¹-chu²) is a city in Taiwan. Hsinchu is the 7th largest city in Taiwan by population, with 446,701 inhabitants,^[3] and the largest not to be a special municipality. Hsinchu is a windy coastal city bordering the Taiwan Strait to the west, Hsinchu County to the north and east, and Miaoli County to the south.

The area was settled by Taiwanese indigenous peoples, with the settlement bearing the Hokkien name Tek-kham. The city was founded by Han settlers in 1711, and was renamed to its current form in 1878. During the Japanese Era, the city was made the seat of Shinchiku Prefecture, named after the city. The Republic of China regained control of Hsinchu after World War II.

In 1980, the Taiwanese government established the Hsinchu Science Park, a major industrial park, currently one of the world's most significant centers for semiconductor manufacturing, industrial and computer technology development. The park contributes a major proportion of Taiwan's GDP. This made Hsinchu a vital economic hub for the worldwide semiconductor industry; the headquarters of TSMC, world's largest independent semiconductor foundry, and United Microelectronics Corporation, are both located in the park.

Besides its industry, Hsinchu is also an important cultural center of Taiwan. The Chenghuang Temple of Hsinchu, built during the Kingdom of Tungning, is a common prayer destination. The research institutions of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and National Tsing Hua University are both located near the science park. In 2020, Hsinchu is classified as a "Sufficiency" level global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.^[4]

Etymology[]

Hsin-chu is the Wade-Giles romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of the Chinese name 新竹. The same name is rendered Xīnzhú in Hanyu Pinyin and Sinjhú in Tongyong Pinyin.

This name refers to the settlement's original Hokkien name Tek-chhàm (竹塹),^[5] meaning "bamboo barrier".^[6] The name may transcribe an aboriginal^[which?] name meaning "Seashore".^{[citation needed]} The same name is variously recorded as Teukcham,^[7] Teuxham,^[7] and Teckcham;^{[citation needed]} its Mandarin pronunciation appears as Chuchien.^[6]

Hsinchu is popularly nicknamed "The Windy City" for its windy climate^{[citation needed]} and "The Garden City of Culture and Technology" by its tourism department.^[6]

History[]

Early settlement[]

The area around Hsinchu was inhabited by the Taokas, Saisiyat, and Atayal aborigines^{[citation needed]} when the Spanish occupied northern Taiwan in the 17th century. Catholic missionaries reached the settlement of Tek-kham in 1626. The Spanish were expelled by the Dutch a few decades later.

Qing Dynasty[]

Under the Qing, a Chinese town was established at Tek-kham by Wang Shijie and other Han settlers in 1711.^[6]

As part of the reorganization of Taiwan by Shen Baozhen, the viceroy of Liangjiang, Zhuqian Subprefecture (i.e., Tek-kham) was raised to the level of a county and renamed Xinzhu (i.e., Sin-tek or Hsinchu) in 1878.^[8] When Taiwan was made a province in 1887, Hsinchu was made a part of Taipeh Prefecture.

Japanese Rule[]

During the Japanese occupation following the First Sino-Japanese War, the city—known at the time as Shinchiku—was among the province's most populous. In 1904, its 16,371 residents ranked it in 7th place, behind Keelung and ahead of Changhua ("Shoka"). Shinchiku was raised to town status in 1920 and city status in 1930. At the same time, it became the seat of Shinchiku Prefecture. In 1941, its prefecture was expanded, annexing Xiangshan ("Kōzan"). Jiugang ("Kyūminato") and Liujia ("Rokka") merged to become Zhubei ("Chikuhoku").

Republic of China[]

The Nationalist government of the Republic of China established the Hsinchu City Government in 1945 to oversee all of what had been Shinchiku Prefecture under the Japanese.

In 1946, the Take-Over Committee dissolved and replaced by the Hsinchu County Government, located in Taoyuan. As the administrative districts were readjusted, Hsinchu was granted provincial city status. It used the old prefecture office as its city hall at 120 Chung Cheng Road. In February 1946, representative congresses were formed for seven district offices. On 15 April, the city congress was formed. Provincial representatives were elected from among the city legislators.

On 16 August 1950, the administrative districts on Taiwan were re-adjusted once more, demarcating 16 counties and 5 provincial cities.

In June 1982, under presidential order, the Xiangshan Township of Hsinchu County merged into Hsinchu City. A new municipal government was formally established on 1 July 1982, comprising 103 villages and 1,635 . These were organized into the East, North, and Xiangshan districts by 1 November.^[9] By June 1983, the new government consisted of three bureaus (Civil Service, Public Works, and Education), four departments (Finance, Social Welfare, Compulsory Military Service, and Land Affairs), four offices (Secretary, Planning, Personnel, and Auditing), and 49 various sections. The Police Department, Tax Department, and Medicine and Hygiene Department were considered affiliate institutions.

From 1994 to 1999, as Taiwan made its transition from authoritarian rule to a representative democracy and the mostly pro forma provincial level of government began to be dissolved, regulations were established for the self-government of Hsinchu. A deputy mayor, consumer officer, and three consultants were added to the city government. In 2002, the city added a Bureau of Labor and transferred Compulsory Military Service to the Department of Civil Service.

Geography[]

The city is bordered by Hsinchu County to the north and east, Miaoli County to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the west.

Climate[]

Hsinchu's climate is humid subtropical (Koppen: Cfa). The city is located in a part of the island that has a rainy season that lasts from February to September, with the heaviest time coming late April through August during the southwest monsoon, and also experiences meiyu in May and early June.^[10] The city succumbs to hot humid weather from June until September, while October to December are arguably the most pleasant times of year. Hsinchu is affected by easterly winds off of the East China Sea. Natural hazards such as typhoons and earthquakes are common in the region.^[11][12][13]

Government[]

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1985	304,010	—
1990	324,426	+6.7%
1995	340,255	+4.9%
2000	368,439	+8.3%
2005	394,757	+7.1%
2010	415,344	+5.2%
2015	434,060	+4.5%
Source:"Populations by city and country in Taiwan". Ministry of the Interior Population Census.

Hsinchu City is administered as a city. North District is the seat of Hsinchu City which houses the Hsinchu City Government and Hsinchu City Council. The incumbent Mayor of Hsinchu City is Lin Chih-chien of the Democratic Progressive Party.

Administrative divisions[]

Hsinchu has 3 districts (區):^[15][16]

Map	Name		Chinese	Hokkien	Hakka	Population (2016)	Area (km²)
		East	東區	Tang	Tûng	208,122	33.5768
		North	北區	Pak	Pet	149,300	15.7267
		Xiangshan	香山區	Hiong-san	Hiông-sân	76,836	54.8491

Colors indicate the common language status of Hakka within each division.

Politics[]

Hsinchu City voted one Democratic Progressive Party legislator to be in the Legislative Yuan during the 2016 Taiwan general election.^[17]

Economy[]

The Hsinchu Science Park is home to 360 high tech companies. As a result, the city has the highest income level in Taiwan.^[18]

The purpose of the park is to attract high tech investment to Taiwan and to make the area the economic center for the information industry. The park is designed to cater for high quality R&D, production, work, life and also recreation. From its establishment in 1978, the government has invested over NT$30 billion on software and hardware ventures. In 2001, it developed 2.5 km² (0.97 sq mi) of land in the park and 0.5 km² (0.19 sq mi) in southern Hsinchu, attracting 312 high-tech companies' investments. Viewing the performance of Hsinchu Science Park in the past 21 years, it can be said that it holds a decisive position in the economic development in Taiwan, with international acclaim.

Although the semiconductor and related electronic businesses have been doing well, they face fierce competition from South Korea and the United States. This has resulted in lower profits and over-supply of some electronic products such as memory and semiconductors. Therefore, manufacturers, government, academia, and the R&D sectors all recognize the challenges faced by Taiwan's high-tech development. The government has endeavored to upgrade Hsinchu Science Park into a global manufacturing and R&D center of high-end products. They also plan to intensify the cooperation among the manufacturing, academic, and research sectors by introducing incubation centers, in order to elevate the technological standard in the park. Further, through the development of the northern, central, and southern industrial park and its satellite sites, it hopes to sow the seeds of high tech business in all of Taiwan, leading to a vigorous era of high tech development.

Education[]

Hsinchu City is one of the most focused educational centers in northern Taiwan. It has six universities in this concentrated area and among these universities, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and National Tsing Hua University are highly focused by government in Taiwan on its academic development. Other public and private educational institutions in the city included 33 elementary schools, 19 middle schools, 12 high school and complete secondary school, National Hsinchu Senior High School, National Hsinchu Girls' Senior High School and National Experimental High School are prestigious.

International schools (grade school and secondary school)

• Pacific American School^[19]
• Hsinchu International School^[20]
• Hsinchu American School^[21]

High Schools

• National Experimental High School
• National Hsinchu Senior High School
• National Hsinchu Girls' Senior High School

Universities

• National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
• National Tsing Hua University
• Chung Hua University
• Hsuan Chuang University
• Yuanpei University of Medical Technology
• National Hsinchu University of Education

Tourist attractions[]

• Aqueduct Museum of Hsinchu City
• Black Bat Squadron Memorial Hall
• Chenghuang Temple of Hsinchu
• Glass Museum of Hsinchu City
• Hsinchu City Art Site of Railway Warehouse
• Hsinchu CKS Baseball Stadium
• Hsinchu Museum of Military Dependents Village
• Hsinchu Fish Harbor
• Hsinchu Zoo
• National Hsinchu Living Arts Center
• ^[22]
• Tsing Hus Night Market

Name	Feature	Location
Chenghuang Temple Night Market	Most of the old stands in Cheng-huang Temple are of 50-year-old history, the famous snacks here are Hsin-chu meat balls, pork balls, spring rolls, braised pork rice, cuttlefish thick soup, rice noodles, and cow tongue shaped cakes (quote from Tourism Bureau, MOTC, T.O.C.[23])	Cheng-huang Temple and fa-lian shrine square
Neiwan Old Street	Traditional Hakka restaurants and shops serve ginger lily-flavored glutinous rice dumplings, Hakka tea, and Hakka rice cakes.[24]	Hengshan Town

Transportation[]

Rail[]

Hsinchu City is mainly served by Hsinchu TRA station along with five other minor TRA stations on both Western Trunk line and Neiwan Line. There is also a HSR station on the high-speed line from Taipei to Zuoying.

Cycling[]

Hsinchu City has recently created a series of cycling routes to help cyclists navigate the city more easily. Hsinchu is home to many cycling clubs

Seaports[]

Pleasure and fishing ports are located at Nanliao Street, North District and in Haishan, Xiangshan district.

Airport[]

Military air base in North District.

Notable natives[]

• Chi Cheng, the 1968 Olympic bronze medalist in track and field
• Yuan T. Lee, 1986 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry
• Chiang Hsiao-yen, Vice Premier (1997)
• Lin Cho-liang, Taiwanese American violinist
• Hsieh Su-Wei, Taiwanese tennis player and former World No. 1 in doubles
• Hebe Tien, solo artist and member of the S.H.E
• David Wu, member of the U.S. House of Representatives for the state of Oregon from 1999 until 2011.
• Cyndi Wang, singer
• Chen Qiaoen, singer, actress, 7F Member
• Lü Shao-chia, Taiwanese conductor
• Wen Shang-Yi, guitarist and leader of the band Mayday

International relations[]

Twin towns — sister cities[]

Hsinchu is twinned with:^[25]

City	Region	Country	Since
Beaverton	Oregon	United States	1988
Cary	North Carolina	United States	1993
Cupertino	California	United States	1998
Richland	Washington	United States	1988
Plano	Texas	United States	2003
Okayama	Okayama Prefecture	Japan	2003
Puerto Princesa	Palawan	Philippines	2006
Fairfield	New South Wales	Australia	1994
Chiayi City	Taiwan	Republic of China (Taiwan)	2002
Airai	Airai	Palau	2011

See also[]

• Administrative divisions of the Republic of China
• List of cities in Taiwan

Notes[]

Words in native languages[]

References[]

External links[]

• Official website (in English)
• Geographic data related to Hsinchu at OpenStreetMap