Chiayi City 嘉義市 Ka-gi, Kagi, Chiai, Chia-i | |
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| Chiayi City | |
       Clockwise from top left: Hinoki Village, Chiayi Confucius Temple, Fountain at the Lantan Reservoir, Chiayi City Sports Arena, Chiayi Municipal Culture Center, Chiayi Sun Shooting Tower, National Chiayi University | |
 Flag  Logo | |
| Nickname: Peach City (桃城) orJia City (嘉市) | |
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| Country |  Republic of China (Taiwan) |
| Province |  Taiwan Province(de facto dissolved) |
| Region | Southwestern Taiwan |
| First mentioned | 1787 |
| Renamed to Kagi | 17 April 1895 |
| Autonomous city | 1930 |
| Provincial city | 25 October 1945 |
| Downgraded tocounty-administered city | 16 August 1950 |
| Provincial city status restored | 1 July 1982 |
| Seat | East District |
| Districts | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Chiayi City Government |
| • Mayor | Huang Min-hui (KMT) |
| Area | |
• Total | 60.03 km2 (23.18 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 21 out of 22 |
| Elevation | 69 m (226 ft) |
| Population (January 2023)[2] | |
• Total | 263,188 |
| • Rank | 18 of 22 |
| • Density | 4,400/km2 (11,000/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (National Standard Time) |
| Postal code | 600 |
| Area code | 05 |
| ISO 3166 code | TW-CYI |
| Flower |
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| Tree | Hong Kong orchid tree |
| Website | www |
| Chiayi City | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.svg) "Chiayi" inTraditional (top) andSimplified (bottom) Chinese characters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 嘉義市 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 嘉义市 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kanji | 嘉義市 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hiragana | かぎし | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Katakana | カギシ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Chiayi (/ˈdʒjɑːˈiː/,[3]TaigiPOJ:Ka-gī;Chinese:嘉義), officially known asChiayi City, is acity located inChianan Plain insouthwestern Taiwan, surrounded byChiayi County with a population of 263,188 inhabitants as of January 2023.
TheHoanya people inhabited present-day Chiayi under its historical name ofTirosen prior to the arrival ofHan Chinese in Taiwan and was ruled by theDutch and theKingdom of Tungning under various names. During theQing dynasty, Tirosen was governed as part ofTaiwan Prefecture inFujian underZhuluo County and the city was renamedKagee in 1787. The city was renamedKagi during theJapanese era but anearthquake in 1906 destroyed much of the town. Kagi was administered as part ofTainan Prefecture from 1920 onwards. Following thesurrender of Japan in 1945, theRepublic of China, whodeposed the Qing in 1911, took control of the city (renamed Chiayi City) and administered it as a provincial city ofTaiwan Province before being integrated into Chiayi County in 1950 as acounty-administered city. The city was restored to its status as a provincial city in 1982. In 1998, Taiwan Province was streamlined and Chiayi City has been governed directly since then by theExecutive Yuan.
The city is known forAlishan National Scenic Area and warmhumid subtropical climate in the summer months. Left with the landmarks of Japanese colonial rule, Chiayi City has the round-island railway system andAlishan Forest Railway where the city is the starting point along with various Japanese temples.
Like the county, Chiayi City's former Chinese placename was Tsu-lo-san[4] (Chinese:諸羅山;pinyin:Zhūluóshān;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:Chu-lô-san), a representation of the originalFormosan-language nameTirosen. A shortened version, Tsulo, was then used to nameTsulo County, which originally covered the underdeveloped northern two-thirds of the island. In 1704, the county seat was moved to Tsulosan, the site of modern-dayChiayi City. Following the 1723Zhu Yigui rebellion, the county was reduced in size. In 1787, the county and city were renamedChiayi (嘉義;lit. 'commended righteousness') by theQianlong Emperor to acknowledge the citizens' loyalty during theLin Shuangwen rebellion.[5]
First inhabited by theHoanyaaborigines, the region was namedTirosen (variantsTirocen,Tiracen). With the arrival ofHan Chinese immigrants in southwestern Taiwan, the name evolved to becomeTsulosan (Chinese:諸羅山;pinyin:Zhūluóshān;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:Chu-lô-san) inHokkien. Eventually, Tsulosan was shortened to simply Tsulo. Because of the choice of the characters, it has been mistakenly suggested that the origin of the name came from the expression "mountains surrounding the east". "Peach City" is another name for Chiayi City due to its peach-shaped territory in ancient times. The tip of the peach is around Central Fountain and was called "Peach-tip" by citizens.
Tsulosan was once the foothold to which people from the mainland immigrated. In 1621,Chinese Peter [zh], who came fromZhangzhou,Fujian Province, first led his people to cultivate this land after they landed atPonkan (modern-dayBeigang).
Records from theDutch era, beginning in 1624, show Tirosen as the usual form of the name; it also occurred asTirassen,Tirozen,Tilocen,Tilossen,Tilocen, andThilocen.[6] The place was north of Mattau (modern-dayMadou, Tainan) and south of Favorlang (Huwei, Yunlin).
In 1661 (the 15th year ofYung-Li,Ming dynasty),Koxinga defeated the Dutch based in Taiwan and founded theKingdom of Tungning. He established one province,Cheng-Tien-Fu [zh], and two counties,Tien-Hsing [zh] andWan-Nien [zh], demarcated by the Hsin-Kang River (Chinese:新港溪, now theYanshui River). Chiayi was under the jurisdiction of the Tien-Hsing County.
In 1683, when Qing rule began, the island was governed asTaiwan Prefecture under the administration ofFujian Province. In 1684,Tsulo County was established and initially encompassed the underdeveloped northern two-thirds of Taiwan. (Taiwan and Hongsoa counties were divided from Wan-Nien County during theKingdom of Tungning, which was changed from Tien-Hsing County.) In 1704, the county seat was moved to Tsulosan, the site of modern-day Chiayi City, and had wooden city walls.
In 1727, the county magistrate, Liu Liang-Bi rebuilt the gatehouses and set a gun platform for each gatehouse. The four gatehouses were named: "Chin Shan" (襟山) for East, "Tai Hai" (帶海) for West, "Chung Yang" (崇陽) for South, and "Kung Chen" (拱辰) for North. In 1734 (the 12th year of Yongzheng), magistrate Lu-Hung built piercing-bamboo to better protect the city.
In 1786, theLin Shuangwen rebellion was an attempt to siege Tsulosan but failed to overcome the defense of the inhabitants. Consequently, on November 3 of the next year, the Qing Emperor conferred the nameKagee (嘉義;lit. 'commended righteousness') to praise the citizens' loyalty.
In the mid-1800s, a custom of annual riotous massstoning developed in the city.[7][better source needed]
In 1887, a separateTaiwan Province was declared and the island was administratively divided into four prefectures; the city of Kagee belonged toTainan Prefecture.
In 1895, Taiwan was ceded toJapan in theTreaty of Shimonoseki. The1906 Meishan earthquake devastated the entire city wall except the Eastern Gate. The Japanese authorities reconstructed the city. Industries and trades started to flourish. According to the census taken in 1904, Kagi was the fourth most populous city in Taiwan, with a population of over twenty thousand.[8]
TheGreat Kagi earthquake (later also known as the 1906 Meishan earthquake) struck the city in mid March 1906.[9]
In looking over some of my more recent Notes, it seems impossible to make the foregoing references to Ka-gi without adding a few words about that dreadful earthquake which devastated the region in March 1906. I was there soon after, and had a profound feeling of sadness on seeing whole streets covered with fallen beams and otherdebris ; on seeing, too, so many traces of the awful suffering on every side. Within Ka-gi city, and a limited area around, 1,216 persons were suddenly thrust out into the eternal world. Not fewer than 2,306 persons were seriously injured, and 13,259 houses were laid low. The great mysterious Power then tore the earth into deep, open chasms in several places. Many of the narrow escapes and calamities were very affecting ; particularly that of our blind evangelist Toa-un, who ran out of doors with his wife as the shaking began. The demented mother, however, could not bear the thought of her two helpless young children being left behind, and she darted in to rescue them, when my poor blind pupil became childless and a widower in an instant of time. No sooner had theGovernor-General atTai-pak received telegraphic information of the magnitude of the calamity, than instructions were issued for a large company of surgeons, nurses, and assistants to proceed at once to Ka-gi. Wide hospital-sheds were erected without delay, and the work of relief was carried on with a rare amount of self-denial and promptitude. Even already, the city has lost much of its most desolate appearance, and the projected improvements give promise that it will have a more attractive look than ever. –William Campbell, 1915
In 1907, the construction ofAlishan Forest Railway toMount Ali was begun. In 1920, the city became an autonomous group asKagi Town (嘉義街), Kagi District, withinTainan Prefecture, which included modern-dayTainan City,Chiayi County andYunlin County. In 1930, the town was upgraded to an autonomous city under the same prefecture.
After thehandover of Taiwan from Japan to theRepublic of China in October 1945,Chiayi City was established as aprovincial city ofTaiwan Province. The city consisted of 8 districts, which were Bajiang, Beimen, Beizhen, Nanmen, Tungmen,Tungshan, Ximen and ZhuweiDistricts. In 1946, the districts was reorganized to 6 districts in which Bajiang and Nanmen were merged to become Xinnan, Beimen and Beizhen were merged to become Xinbei, Tungmen and Tungshan were merged to become Xindong, Ximen and Zhuwei were merged to become Xinxi District and there were 2 addition of districts fromTainan County which wereShuishang andTaibao Districts.[10]
Chiayi saw some of the most violent events during the228 Incident. In early March, local militas surrounded theShueishang Airport and fought against theKMT military.[11] There were over 300 casualties.[12] On 12 March 1947, negotiators for peace, includingTan Teng-pho andPhuan Bok-tsi [zh], were arrested after arriving at the airport and were executed on 25 March. The Kuomintang also executed many civilians in Chiayi.[13]
On 16 August 1950, because of the re-allocation of administrative areas in which Taiwan was divided into 16 counties, five provincial cities and a special bureau, Chiayi City was downgraded to acounty-administered city and merged withChiayi County to be thecounty seat. As a result, a shortage of capital hindered its development.
On 1 July 1982, Chiayi City was elevated again to aprovincial city as a result of pressure from local elites.[14] On 6 October 1990, theEast District andWest District were established.[15]
Chiayi City is located on the north side ofChianan Plain, south west of Taiwan Island. On the east side is theMount Ali, on the west side is theChiayi Airport, on the north side is thePuzi River and on the south side is theBazhang River. The distance from east to west of Chiayi City is 15.8 km (9.8 mi) and from north to south is 10.5 km (6.5 mi) with a total area of 60.0256 km2 (23.1760 sq mi). Chiayi City is completely surrounded byChiayi County. Most of Chiayi City land is broad flat fertile plains. The terrain slowly rises from west to east. Chiayi is also one of the closest Taiwanese cities to theTropic of Cancer, with the latitudinal line lying just south of the city.
Chiayi City has a warmhumid subtropical climate (KöppenCwa) that closely borders a truetropical climate. Northeasterly winds during fall and winter mean that rainfall is depressed during that time, while southwesterly winds during summer and the later portion of spring bring most of the year's rainfall, with more than 60% falling from June to August. Humidity is high year-round, even during winter.
| Climate data for Chiayi (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1968–present） | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 31.7 (89.1) | 33.0 (91.4) | 34.1 (93.4) | 34.2 (93.6) | 37.2 (99.0) | 37.0 (98.6) | 37.2 (99.0) | 36.6 (97.9) | 36.7 (98.1) | 36.5 (97.7) | 33.6 (92.5) | 32.5 (90.5) | 37.2 (99.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 22.5 (72.5) | 23.0 (73.4) | 25.4 (77.7) | 28.4 (83.1) | 30.9 (87.6) | 32.8 (91.0) | 33.4 (92.1) | 32.8 (91.0) | 32.1 (89.8) | 30.1 (86.2) | 27.6 (81.7) | 23.9 (75.0) | 28.6 (83.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 16.8 (62.2) | 17.7 (63.9) | 20.2 (68.4) | 23.5 (74.3) | 26.3 (79.3) | 28.3 (82.9) | 28.9 (84.0) | 28.4 (83.1) | 27.4 (81.3) | 24.9 (76.8) | 22.0 (71.6) | 18.4 (65.1) | 23.6 (74.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 12.9 (55.2) | 14.1 (57.4) | 16.2 (61.2) | 19.5 (67.1) | 22.6 (72.7) | 24.7 (76.5) | 25.4 (77.7) | 25.2 (77.4) | 24.0 (75.2) | 21.1 (70.0) | 18.0 (64.4) | 14.2 (57.6) | 19.8 (67.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 1.8 (35.2) | 2.6 (36.7) | 2.7 (36.9) | 8.2 (46.8) | 13.9 (57.0) | 17.5 (63.5) | 21.7 (71.1) | 19.7 (67.5) | 17.6 (63.7) | 11.5 (52.7) | 6.7 (44.1) | 0.4 (32.7) | 0.4 (32.7) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 27.5 (1.08) | 44.9 (1.77) | 53.0 (2.09) | 86.6 (3.41) | 170.0 (6.69) | 318.6 (12.54) | 387.4 (15.25) | 443.8 (17.47) | 212.3 (8.36) | 30.2 (1.19) | 21.5 (0.85) | 25.8 (1.02) | 1,821.6 (71.72) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 5.1 | 5.5 | 6.8 | 8.1 | 10.4 | 13.8 | 15.3 | 17.9 | 9.4 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 102.6 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 77.9 | 79.3 | 79.3 | 79.8 | 79.9 | 77.5 | 77.2 | 80.1 | 80.1 | 78.9 | 78.7 | 76.8 | 78.8 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 161.4 | 139.7 | 157.9 | 157.0 | 175.5 | 186.6 | 206.4 | 182.2 | 186.2 | 197.0 | 158.9 | 159.2 | 2,068 |
| Source: Central Weather Bureau[16][17][18][19][20] | |||||||||||||
Chiayi City is aprovincial city ofTaiwan Province of theRepublic of China. The city is governed by theChiayi City Government, while the residence is represented in theChiayi City Council. The currentMayor of Chiayi City isHuang Min-hui of theKuomintang.
Chiayi City is divided into twodistricts.East District is the city seat which houses theChiayi City Government.
| Map | Name | Chinese | Taiwanese | Hakka | Population (2016) | Area (km2) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | East | 東區 | Tang | Tûng | 122,877 | 29.1195 | |
| West | 西區 | Se | Sî | 147,396 | 30.9061 | ||
Chiayi City voted oneDemocratic Progressive Party legislator to be in theLegislative Yuan during the2020 Taiwanese legislative election. It has historically been a verypan-Green city. During the martial law era, most people of Chiayi supportedtangwai politicians. However, the voting gap between the DPP and the KMT has narrowed in recent years.[21] In the2022 Taiwanese local elections, Chiayi City re-electedHuang Min-hui ofKuomintang to be themayor.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 253,573 | — |
| 1990 | 257,597 | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 261,391 | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 266,183 | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 272,364 | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 272,390 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 270,366 | −0.7% |
| 2020 | 266,005 | −1.6% |
| Source:"Populations by City and Country in Taiwan" (in Chinese).Ministry of the Interior Population Census. | ||
On 17 December 2015,Chiayi City Government launched a program to set up solar panels at schools and offices in the city to reduce green house gases. The program is expected to produce 3.55 million kWh of electricity annually and to help reducing carbon emission by 1,700 tonnes.[22]
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Chiayi is the city of wind music in Taiwan. The wind music festival started as a local event in 1988, when it was more like a joint performance by local wind music bands. Over the years the festival has become the most anticipated annual event in Chiayi.[24]
Major sporting events held by Chiayi include:
Chiayi istwinned with:
East Orange,New Jersey, United States (1972)Jackson,Mississippi, United States (1972)Juneau,Alaska, United States (1977)Murray,Utah, United States (1977)
Bulacan Province,Philippines (1980)Martinsburg,West Virginia, United States (1988)Syracuse,New York, United States (1995)Hsinchu City, Taiwan (2002)
Chiayi City is served byChiayi Station andJiabei Station of theTaiwan Railways Administration. Chiayi Station is the starting point for theAlishan Forest Railway. The city is also accessible fromTHSR Chiayi Station inChiayi County.
Chiayi Bus Rapid Transit connects Chiayi City toChiayi HSR station in the neighboringTaibao City.Chiayi City Bus serves the urban areas of Chiayi City.
Chiayi City is served byChiayi Airport in the neighboringShuishang Township.
Chiayi City and its street foods, including the famousChiayi turkey rice, were featured on theNetflix TV series,Street Food, in season 1.[25]
It was on a later occasion I arrived in Ka-gi to find the people engaged in their absurd periodic custom of stonethrowing.
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Chiayi travel guide from Wikivoyage
Geographic data related toChiayi atOpenStreetMap23°28′48″N120°26′59″E / 23.48000°N 120.44972°E /23.48000; 120.44972
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