 | This article has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
Hsinchu 新竹[I] | |
|---|---|
| Hsinchu City | |
.jpg)   .jpg)   .jpg) Clockwise from top:Hsinchu Railway Station,Hsinchu City Government Building, Hsinchu City East Gate,Hsinchu Chenghuang Temple,Hsinchu Zoo, Hsinchu City Moat Park, Hsinchu City Art Gallery and Reclamation Hall | |
 Flag  Logo | |
| Nickname: Windy City (風城) orChu City (竹市) | |
 | |
  Hsinchu Location within Taiwan | |
| Coordinates:24°49′N120°59′E / 24.817°N 120.983°E /24.817; 120.983 | |
| Country |  Republic of China (Taiwan) |
| Province | Taiwan Province(government suspended) |
| Region | Northern Taiwan |
| First mentioned as Tek-kham | 1626 |
| City established | 1711 |
| Renamed to Hsinchu | 1878 |
| Part ofShinchiku Prefecture | 17 April 1895 |
| Reconstituted as aprovincial city | 9 November 1945 |
| Demoted tocounty-administered city withinHsinchu County | 1 December 1951 |
| Provincial city status restored | 1 July 1982 |
| Seat | North District |
| Districts | |
| Government | |
| • Body | |
| • Mayor | Andy Chiu (TPP) |
| Area | |
• Total | 104.15 km2 (40.21 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 20 out of 22 |
| Population (March 2023)[2] | |
• Total | 453,536 |
| • Rank | 15 of 22 |
| • Density | 4,400/km2 (11,000/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (National Standard Time) |
| Postal code | 300 |
| Area code | (0)3 |
| ISO 3166 code | TW-HSZ |
| Bird | Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) |
| Flower | Azalea |
| Website | www |
| Hsinchu | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 新竹 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | New Bamboo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kanji | 新竹 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hiragana | しんちく | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Katakana | シンチク | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former names | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zhuqian | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 竹塹 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Bamboonatural barrier | ||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Nicknames | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windy City | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 風城 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Hsinchu (Chinese:新竹;pinyin:Xīnzhú), officiallyHsinchu City,[I] is acity located in northwesternTaiwan. It is the most populous city in Taiwan that is not aspecial municipality, with estimated 450,655 inhabitants.[3] Hsinchu is a coastal city bordering theTaiwan Strait to the west,Hsinchu County to the north and east, andMiaoli County to the south. Hsinchu is nicknamed theWindy City for its strong northeasternmonsoon during the autumn and winter seasons.[4]
The area was originally settled by theAustronesianTaiwanese indigenous peoples, with the settlement being named "Tek-kham" by theHoklo immigrants. The city was founded byHan Chinese settlers in 1711, and renamed "Hsinchu" in 1878. DuringJapanese rule, the city was named "Shinchiku" and was the seat ofShinchiku Prefecture. The prefecture encompassed present-day Hsinchu City and County, as well as entireTaoyuan and Miaoli. After the ROC rule in 1945, the urban area of Hsinchu was organized as aprovincial city.
In 1980, the Taiwanese government established theHsinchu Science Park, an industrial centre forsemiconductor manufacturing. The headquarters ofTSMC, a semiconductor foundry,MediaTek andUnited Microelectronics Corporation, are all located in the park.[5][6][7]
Besides its industry, Hsinchu is a cultural center of Taiwan.[8] TheChenghuang Temple of Hsinchu, built in 1747, is a common prayer destination. The research institutions ofNational Yang Ming Chiao Tung University andNational Tsing Hua University are both located near the science park.
Hsin-chu is theWade-Gilesromanization of theMandarin pronunciation of theChinese name新竹. The same name is renderedXīnzhú inHanyu Pinyin andSinjhú inTongyong Pinyin.
This name refers to the settlement's original Hokkien nameTek-chhàm (竹塹),[9] meaning "bamboo barrier".[10] The name may transcribe an aboriginal[which?] name meaning "Seashore".[citation needed] The same name is variously recorded as Teukcham,[11] Teuxham,[11] Tekcham,[12] and Teckcham;[13] its Mandarin pronunciation appears as Chuchien.[10]
Hsinchu is popularly nicknamed "The Windy City" for its windy climate[14] and "The Garden City of Culture and Technology" by its tourism department.[10]
The area around Hsinchu City was inhabited by theTaokas aborigines[citation needed][15] when theSpanish occupied northern Taiwan in the 17th century.Catholic missionaries reached the settlement of Tek-kham in 1626. The Spanish were expelled bythe Dutch a few decades later.
Under the Qing, a Chinese town was established at Tek-kham byWang Shih-chieh [zh] and otherHan settlers in 1711.[10] Wang and his party of over 180 people were natives ofKinmen who first camped alongside what is now Dongqian Street inEast District, Hsinchu.[16]
As part of the reorganization of Taiwan byShen Baozhen, theviceroy of Liangjiang, ZhuqianSubprefecture (i.e., Tek-kham) was raised to the level of acounty and renamed Xinzhu (i.e., Sin-tek or Hsinchu) in 1878.[17] When Taiwanwas made a province in 1887, Hsinchu was made a part ofTaipeh Prefecture.
During theJapanese occupation following theFirst 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 in7th place, behindKeelung and ahead ofChanghua ("Shoka"). Shinchiku was raised to town status in 1920 and city status in 1930. At the same time, it became the seat ofShinchiku Prefecture. In 1941, its prefecture was expanded, annexingXiangshan ("Kōzan"). Jiugang ("Kyūminato") and Liujia ("Rokka") merged to becomeZhubei ("Chikuhoku").
TheNationalist government of theRepublic of China established theHsinchu 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 theHsinchu County Government, located inTaoyuan. As the administrative districts were readjusted, Hsinchu was grantedprovincial city status. It used the old prefecture office as its city hall at 120Chung Cheng Road. In February 1946, representative congresses were formed for sevendistrict offices. On 15 April, the city congress was formed. Provincial representatives were elected from among the city legislators.
On 16 August 1950, theadministrative districts on Taiwan were re-adjusted once more, demarcating 16counties and 5provincial cities.
In June 1982, under presidential order, theXiangshan Township ofHsinchu County merged into Hsinchu City. A new municipal government was formally established on 1 July 1982, comprising 103villages and 1,635 neighborhoods. These were organized into the East, North, and Xiangshandistricts by 1 November.[18] 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 arepresentative democracy and the mostlypro formaprovincial 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.
A movement is underway from 2021 to have Hsinchu City andHsinchu County to be upgraded to the nation's seventhspecial municipality.[19]
The city is bordered byHsinchu County to the north and east,Miaoli County to the south, and theTaiwan Strait to the west.
Hsinchu'sclimate ishumid 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 southwestmonsoon, and also experiencesheavy "plum rains" in May and early June.[20] 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 theEast China Sea. Natural hazards such astyphoons andearthquakes are common in the region.[21][22][23]
| Climate data for Hsinchu City (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1938–present） | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 30.3 (86.5) | 30.6 (87.1) | 33.8 (92.8) | 34.1 (93.4) | 35.5 (95.9) | 37.4 (99.3) | 38.0 (100.4) | 39.4 (102.9) | 38.8 (101.8) | 37.9 (100.2) | 34.4 (93.9) | 31.1 (88.0) | 39.4 (102.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 19.1 (66.4) | 19.4 (66.9) | 21.6 (70.9) | 25.6 (78.1) | 28.9 (84.0) | 31.5 (88.7) | 33.2 (91.8) | 32.8 (91.0) | 31.2 (88.2) | 28.0 (82.4) | 25.1 (77.2) | 21.1 (70.0) | 26.5 (79.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 15.7 (60.3) | 16.0 (60.8) | 18.0 (64.4) | 21.9 (71.4) | 25.2 (77.4) | 27.9 (82.2) | 29.3 (84.7) | 28.9 (84.0) | 27.3 (81.1) | 24.4 (75.9) | 21.5 (70.7) | 17.7 (63.9) | 22.8 (73.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.1 (55.6) | 13.4 (56.1) | 15.2 (59.4) | 18.9 (66.0) | 22.2 (72.0) | 24.9 (76.8) | 26.0 (78.8) | 25.8 (78.4) | 24.4 (75.9) | 21.8 (71.2) | 18.8 (65.8) | 15.1 (59.2) | 20 (68) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −0.1 (31.8) | 3.5 (38.3) | 3.4 (38.1) | 4.9 (40.8) | 11.7 (53.1) | 14.7 (58.5) | 20.2 (68.4) | 18.9 (66.0) | 14.7 (58.5) | 9.5 (49.1) | 6.6 (43.9) | 4.0 (39.2) | −0.1 (31.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 75.7 (2.98) | 123.0 (4.84) | 159.8 (6.29) | 161.9 (6.37) | 249.0 (9.80) | 252.0 (9.92) | 120.2 (4.73) | 197.1 (7.76) | 174.5 (6.87) | 53.6 (2.11) | 51.1 (2.01) | 57.7 (2.27) | 1,675.6 (65.95) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 9.8 | 11.3 | 13.5 | 12.7 | 12.0 | 10.6 | 7.9 | 10.7 | 8.9 | 5.5 | 6.8 | 8.0 | 117.7 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 78.3 | 80.4 | 79.6 | 78.4 | 78.1 | 77.0 | 74.3 | 75.9 | 74.5 | 73.8 | 75.5 | 76.3 | 76.8 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 106.7 | 91.0 | 101.0 | 111.6 | 145.4 | 185.0 | 240.6 | 209.7 | 193.5 | 190.0 | 144.8 | 126.1 | 1,845.4 |
| Source: Central Weather Bureau[24][25][26][27][28] | |||||||||||||
.jpg)
| 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% |
| 2020 | 451,412 | +4.0% |
| Source:"Populations by city and country in Taiwan".Ministry of the Interior. May 2018. | ||
Hsinchu City is administered as acity.North District is the seat of Hsinchu City which houses theHsinchu City Government andHsinchu City Council. The incumbent actingMayor isAndy Chiu of theTaiwan People's Party.
Hsinchu has 3districts (區):[29][30]
| Map | Name | Chinese | Hokkien | Hakka | Population (March 2023) | Area (km²) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | East | 東區 | Tang | Tûng | 222,223 | 33.5768 | |
| North | 北區 | Pak | Pet | 152,504 | 15.7267 | ||
| Xiangshan | 香山區 | Hiong-san | Hiông-sân | 78,809 | 54.8491 | ||
Colors indicate the common language status ofHakka within each division.
The city was historicallypan-Blue[citation needed] but in recent years,[when?] thepan-Green coalition has started to rise in popularity. As a result, local factions have decreased in power, and political parties have greater importance in local elections.[31][not specific enough to verify]
Hsinchu City elected aKuomintang legislator,Cheng Cheng-chien, as its representative in theLegislative Yuan during the2020 Taiwan general election, flipping the seat from theDemocratic Progressive Party. Cheng won reelection in the2024 election.
In July 2024, then-MayorAnn Kao was suspended from her duties and sentenced to prison for violating the Anti-Corruption Act and the Criminal Code.[32] Deputy Mayor Andy Chiu subsequently assumed the duties of Mayor.
TheHsinchu Science Park has around 360 companies.[33] The purpose of the park is to attract high-tech investment to Taiwan. Since its establishment in 1978, the government has invested overNT$30 billion in 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.[citation needed]
The semiconductor and related electronic businesses have faced competition from South Korea and the United States. This has resulted in lower profits and an oversupply of some electronic products, such as memory and semiconductors.[citation needed]
In 2020, Hsinchu was classified as a "Sufficiency" levelglobal city by theGlobalization and World Cities Research Network.[34]
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 andNational Tsing Hua University are focused on by the government of Taiwan. Other public and private educational institutions in the city included 33 elementary schools, 19 middle schools, 12 high schools and a complete secondary school.[citation needed]
International schools (grade school and secondary school)
High Schools
Universities
Some tourist attractions in Hsinchu include:
Taiwan'sChinese Professional Baseball League has a professional baseball team,Wei Chuan Dragons, based in Hsinchu.[41]
Major sporting events held by Hsinchu include:
Hsinchu City is mainly served byHsinchu railway station, along with five other minor TRA stations on both theWestern Trunk line and theNeiwan line. There is also anHSR station in nearbyZhubei,Hsinchu County onTaiwan High Speed Rail.
Hsinchu City has recently created a series of cycling routes. Hsinchu is home to many cycling clubs.
Fishing ports are located atNanliao Street, North District, andHaishan, Xiangshan.
Hsinchu Airport is located in the North District and is mainly used as a military airbase. The nearestinternational airport isTaoyuan International Airport, which is located 58 km away from the city.
| 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 | Taiwan | 2002 |
| Airai | Airai |  Palau | 2011 |
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Resources from Wikiversity
Travel information from Wikivoyage(in English)
Geographic data related toHsinchu atOpenStreetMap| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
