Changhua 彰化市 Shōka | |
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 View of the Great Buddha on Baguashan at Changhua City | |
 Seal | |
| Nickname: Bamboo Town (半線城) | |
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| Coordinates:24°04′N120°32′E / 24.067°N 120.533°E /24.067; 120.533 | |
| Country |  Taiwan |
| Province | Taiwan Province |
| County | Changhua County |
| Government | |
| • Type | County-controlled city |
| • Mayor | Lin Shih-shen |
| Area | |
• Total | 65.68 km2 (25.36 sq mi) |
| Population (March 2023) | |
• Total | 226,564 |
| • Density | 3,450/km2 (8,934/sq mi) |
| ISO 3166 code | TW-CHA |
| Website | www |
| Changhua City | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 彰化市 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Changhua (HokkienPOJ:Chiong-hòa orChiang-hòa), officially known asChanghua City, is acounty-administered city and the county seat ofChanghua County inTaiwan. For many centuries the site was home to a settlement ofBabuza people, a coastal tribe ofTaiwanese aborigines. Changhua city is ranked first by population amongcounty-administered cities. It is part of theTaichung–Changhua metropolitan area, which is the second largest in Taiwan.
Historically, Changhua city was a base for theHan Chinese when they invaded Taiwan against the Taiwanese aborigines, constructing a fortress built out ofbamboo. Changhua has a nickname of "Bamboo Town".
Changhua is best known for its landmarkGreat Buddha Statue of Baguashan. At 26 metres tall, the statue sits atop Bagua Mountain overlooking the city. The main walkway up to the giant is lined with statues of figures fromBuddhist lore. Another site of interest is Taiwan's oldesttemple honoring Confucius.
Poasoa (transliterated intoChinese:半線;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:Pòaⁿ-sòaⁿ) was once a center of settlement for theBabuza people (aplains aboriginal tribe). During theDutch period, the area was under the administration of Favorlang (modern-dayHuwei, Yunlin) and was controlled by theDutch East India Company. During theSiege of Fort Zeelandia, the area was also one ofKoxinga's central defense and attack bases. During the Chinese immigration of the 17th century, Changhua city was one of the four cities that had major immigration; it was one of the oldestHan Chinese settlements.
By 1694, Poasoa Village (半線庄) had been established. During the late 17th to late 19th century the area continued to be one of the major urban settlements in central Taiwan. In 1723,Changhua County was established, following theZhu Yigui rebellion. Despite that, rebellions and civil wars continued.
The origin of the modern Changhua City is attributed to the Japanese administration, as they made the city into the official county seat in 1897 underTaichū Ken (Japanese:臺中縣). During this era, the Japanese pronunciationShōka came into use, alongside the "Chinese spellings" of "Changwha, Changhwa, Changhoa, Chanhue, Chan-hua, Tchanghoua".[1]
In 1901, the local administrative unitShōka Chō (彰化廳) was established,[2] but this merged withTaichū Chō (臺中廳) in 1909. In 1920, Shoka was governed under the newTaichū Prefecture. In 1933, Ōtake Village (大竹庄) and Nankaku Village (南郭庄) were merged with Shōka Town and upgraded to Shōka City.
After thehandover of Taiwan from Japan to theRepublic of China on 25 October 1945,Changhua City was established asprovincial city ofTaiwan Province on 25 December the same year. On 30 November 1951, the Changhua City Office was established and subsequently on 1 December 1951, it was downgraded tocounty-administered city and became thecounty seat ofChanghua County.[3]
Changhua city has plenty of flat lands, however, the flat lands are divided in two portions by the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan. One on the South Eastern area and the other on the North Western area. The North Eastern area, although being flat, is often affected by soil erosion caused by typhoons during the summer, thus is not suitable for living.
The temperature of Changhua city on average is 22.4 °C (72.3 °F), annually, with July being the hottest and January being the coolest. Annual rainfall is 1,723.4 mm (67.85 in), June being the wettest and November being the driest. Rainfall decreases westward closer to the coastline.
| Climate data for Changhua (Dacun) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1995–present) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 30.3 (86.5) | 33.6 (92.5) | 33.8 (92.8) | 34.1 (93.4) | 36.0 (96.8) | 36.7 (98.1) | 39.2 (102.6) | 36.9 (98.4) | 37.1 (98.8) | 36.1 (97.0) | 33.6 (92.5) | 31.9 (89.4) | 39.2 (102.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 21.6 (70.9) | 22.3 (72.1) | 24.2 (75.6) | 27.3 (81.1) | 30.0 (86.0) | 32.0 (89.6) | 33.2 (91.8) | 32.5 (90.5) | 31.9 (89.4) | 29.9 (85.8) | 27.2 (81.0) | 23.4 (74.1) | 28.0 (82.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 16.4 (61.5) | 17.1 (62.8) | 19.5 (67.1) | 23.0 (73.4) | 25.9 (78.6) | 27.8 (82.0) | 28.9 (84.0) | 28.4 (83.1) | 27.5 (81.5) | 24.8 (76.6) | 21.9 (71.4) | 18.2 (64.8) | 23.3 (73.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 12.8 (55.0) | 13.5 (56.3) | 16.0 (60.8) | 19.5 (67.1) | 22.6 (72.7) | 24.7 (76.5) | 25.5 (77.9) | 25.4 (77.7) | 24.3 (75.7) | 21.4 (70.5) | 18.3 (64.9) | 14.5 (58.1) | 19.9 (67.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 3.8 (38.8) | 5.2 (41.4) | 4.0 (39.2) | 10.0 (50.0) | 15.5 (59.9) | 17.8 (64.0) | 22.5 (72.5) | 22.7 (72.9) | 17.2 (63.0) | 14.7 (58.5) | 8.2 (46.8) | 5.1 (41.2) | 3.8 (38.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 27.8 (1.09) | 51.4 (2.02) | 62.8 (2.47) | 93.8 (3.69) | 187.3 (7.37) | 260.5 (10.26) | 216.9 (8.54) | 243.5 (9.59) | 104.6 (4.12) | 19.9 (0.78) | 21.3 (0.84) | 27.1 (1.07) | 1,316.9 (51.84) |
| Average precipitation days | 4.4 | 5.4 | 6.7 | 7.1 | 8.6 | 10.3 | 8.8 | 10.2 | 5.3 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 76 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 79.0 | 79.8 | 80.1 | 81.5 | 82.6 | 82.0 | 79.8 | 82.8 | 80.5 | 77.8 | 78.6 | 77.1 | 80.1 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 171.8 | 150.2 | 161.0 | 161.8 | 189.5 | 198.1 | 228.6 | 208.7 | 207.7 | 215.5 | 167.1 | 165.3 | 2,225.3 |
| Source: Central Weather Administration (precipitation days 1995–2020, sun 1991–2015)[4] | |||||||||||||
Changhua contains theChanghua County Government andChanghua County Council.
Changhua City is divided into the following villages (in romanized alphabetical order):
Anxi, Ayi, Baobu, Chenggong, Citong, Datong, Dazhu, Fuan, Fugui, Fushan, Futian, Fuxing, Guangfu, Guanghua, Guangnan, Guashan, Guosheng, Guyi, Hediao, Huabei, Huayang, Jiadong, Jianan, Jianbao, Jieshou, Kuaiguan, Longshan, Lunping, Minquan, Minsheng, Nanan, Nanmei, Nanxing, Nanyao, Niupu, Pinghe, Sancun, Shipai, Taifeng, Taoyuan, Tianzhong, Tungfang, Tungxing, Wanan, Wanshou, Wenhua, Wuquan, Xiabu, Xian Xiangshan, Xiangyang, Xingbei, Xinhua, Xinxing, Xinyi, Xishi, Xixing, Yangming, Yanhe, Yanping, Yongfu, Yongsheng, Zhangan, Zhangle, Zhongquan, Zhongshan, Zhongxiao, Zhongyang, Zhongzheng, Zhongzhuang, Zhuanyao, Zhuxiang and Zhuzhong.
Changhua City is one of the more developed areas of Changhua County, industrialization has been ongoing since the 1970s. This is reflected by an increase of factories in Changhua and decreasing amount of agricultural fields. From a poll in 1992, 43.2% of respondents worked in the service sector, 42.4% in the industrial sector and only 14.4% in either the agricultural or fishing sector.
The earliest school in Changhua dated back to 1726 during theQing dynasty. The Japanese administration also improved the education system in Changhua City. Changhua City has 15 elementary schools, 7 junior high schools, 7 senior high schools and 2 technical schools/universities.
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Changhua railway station is the onlyTaiwan Railways Administration station in Changhua City.
Freeway 1 connects Changhua City toTaichung City and is one of the primary route for commuters between the two cities.Freeway 3 intersects with Freeway 1 at Changhua and connects toProvincial Highway 74.
On 25 May 2002,China Airlines Flight 611 broke into pieces in mid-air. Parts of the plane landed in Changhua.[8][9]
Cities and townships ofChanghua County | ||
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