Hsinchu County 新竹縣[I] | |
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| Coordinates:24°50′0″N121°0′53″E / 24.83333°N 121.01472°E /24.83333; 121.01472 | |
| Country |  Taiwan |
| Province |  Taiwan Province(nominal subdivision) |
| Seat | Zhubei City |
| Townships/cities | |
| Government | |
| • Body | |
| • Magistrate | Yang Wen-ke (KMT) |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,427.59 km2 (551.20 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 12 of 22 |
| Population (October 2023) | |
• Total | 588,535 |
| • Rank | 10 of 22 |
| • Density | 412.258/km2 (1,067.74/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (National Standard Time) |
| ISO 3166 code | TW-HSQ |
| Website | www |
| Symbols | |
| Bird | Muller's barbet (Megalaima oorti) |
| Flower | Camellia |
| Tree | Broad-leaved podocarpus (Nageia nagi) |
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| Traditional Chinese | 新竹縣 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hsinchu[I] is acounty innorth-western Taiwan. The population of the county is mainlyHakka; with aTaiwanese aboriginal minority in the southeastern part of the county.Zhubei is the county seat, where the government office and county office is located. A portion of theHsinchu Science Park is located in Hsinchu County.
Before the arrival of theHan Chinese, theHsinchu area was home to theindigenousTaokas,Saisiyat, andAtayal. After theSpanish occupied northern Taiwan,Catholic missionaries arrived at Tek-kham in 1626. Minnanese (Hoklo) andHakka came and began to cultivate the land from the plains near the sea towards the river valleys and hills.
In 1684,Zhuluo County was established duringQing dynasty rule and more Han settled near Tek-kham. A Chinese city was established there in 1711 and renamed Hsinchu in 1875.[1] It became part ofTaipeh Prefecture. In the late 19th century, Hoklo people dominated the coastal plains, forcing the Saisiyat and Atayal tribes to move to areas aroundJianshi andWufeng, while the Hakka and Taokas settled together in the river valleys and hills.
Japaneseoccupation of Taiwan began after theFirst Sino-Japanese War in 1895. Hsinchu became known asShinchiku and, by 1920,its prefecture covered the areas of modern-day Hsinchu County andCity,Miaoli, andTaoyuan.
Like the rest of the Taiwan, the county is part of the nominalTaiwan Province of theRepublic of China (ROC), which s no longer has any administrative function practically. After thehandover of Taiwan from Japan to theRepublic of China in 1945, Hsinchu County was established on 25 December 1945.[2] In August 1950, Miaoli and Taoyuan were taken out from the county area to formMiaoli County andTaoyuan County respectively.[3] On 16 August 1950,Hsinchu City was incorporated to the county ascounty-administered city. However, the city was then upgraded again to become aprovincial city on 1 July 1982 and was taken out from Hsinchu County area. The county'sXiangshan Township was incorporated intoHsinchu City on 1 July 1982. In 2021, plans are underway to have both Hsinchu county and city merged into the nation's seventhspecial municipality.[4]
Hsinchu County is located at the northwest part of Taiwan Island. The county bordersTaoyuan City to the north,Miaoli County to the south, theTaiwan Strait to the west, and theXueshan &Dabajian mountains to the east. With an area spanning up to 1,427.59 km2 (551.20 sq mi), Hsinchu County is composed mainly of uplands, tablelands, mountains, the alluvial plains of theFengshan River andTouqian River mouth area, and some ancient river land.[2]
The average climate in Hsinchu County is mild.[5]
Hsinchu County comprises 1city, 3urban townships, 6rural townships and 2mountain indigenous townships.[6][7][8]Zhubei City is the county seat and the location ofHsinchu County Government andHsinchu County Council. The incumbent Magistrate of Hsinchu County isYang Wen-ke of theKuomintang. The following table shows the administrative division of the county:
| Type | Name | Chinese | Hokkien | Hakka | Formosan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | Zhubei City | 竹北市 | Tek-pak | Tsuk-pet | |
| Urban townships (towns) | Guanxi | 關西鎮 | Koan-se | Kûan-sî | KansaiAtayal |
| Xinpu | 新埔鎮 | Sin-po͘ | Sîn-phû | ||
| Zhudong | 竹東鎮 | Tek-tang | Tsuk-tûng | ||
| Rural townships | Baoshan | 寶山鄉 | Pó-san | Pó-sân | |
| Beipu | 北埔鄉 | Pak-po͘ | Pet-phû | ||
| Emei | 峨眉鄉 | Gô-bî | Ngô-mì | ||
| Hengshan | 橫山鄉 | Hoâiⁿ-san | Vàng-sân | ||
| Hukou | 湖口鄉 | Ô͘-kháu | Fù-khiéu | ||
| Qionglin | 芎林鄉 | Khiông-nâ | Khiûng-lìm | ||
| Xinfeng | 新豐鄉 | Sin-hong | Sîn-fûng | ||
| Mountain indigenous townships | Jianshi | 尖石鄉 | Chiam-chio̍h | Tsiâm-sa̍k | NahuyAtayal |
| Wufeng | 五峰鄉 | Ngó͘-hong | Ńg-fûng | GohogoAtayal,Saisiyat |
Colors indicate the common language status ofHakka andFormosan languages within each division.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 366,566 | — |
| 1990 | 374,492 | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 408,577 | +9.1% |
| 2000 | 439,713 | +7.6% |
| 2005 | 487,692 | +10.9% |
| 2010 | 513,015 | +5.2% |
| 2015 | 542,042 | +5.7% |
| 2020 | 570,775 | +5.3% |
| Source:"Populations by city and country in Taiwan".Ministry of the Interior Population Census. May 2018. | ||
The population of the county consists ofHakka,Hoklo,aborigines and new immigrants. The Hakka people constituted around 84% of the total population in 2014, while the aborigines consisted mainly ofAtayal andSaisiyat people.[9] As of October 2023, the total population was 588,535, with 288,912 females and 299,623 males.[10]
After the founding ofHsinchu Science Park in 1980, a high number of high-tech industries began to grow and expand outside the park, attracting workers coming to work and settle in the county.
Education in Hsinchu County is administered by the Education Department ofHsinchu County Government. The county is home to theMinghsin University of Science and Technology andTa Hwa University of Science and Technology.
Hsinchu County is home to the gas-firedHsintao Power Plant with a capacity of 600 MW located inGuanxi Township.
Hsinchu County houses theBaoshan Dam andBaoshan Second Dam.
Hsinchu County has one professional basketball team, theHsinchu JKO Lioneers of theP. League+.[11]
TheHsinchu Station of theTaiwan High Speed Rail is located in the county atZhubei City. Hsinchu County is crossed by threeTaiwan Railways Administration lines, which are theLiujia Line,Neiwan Line andWestern Line.
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Hsinchu County's administrative area is divided into 1 county-administered city, 3 towns and 9 townships, namely: Zhubei City, Zhudong Town, Xinpu Town, Guanxi Town, Xinfeng Township, Emei Township, Baoshan Township, Wufeng Township, Hengshan Township, Beipu Township, Jianshi Township, Qionglin Township and Hukou Township.
Cities and townships ofHsinchu County | ||
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| Cities | | |
| Urban townships | ||
| Rural townships | ||
| Mountain indigenous townships | ||
| National | |
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| Geographic | |
| Other | |
