Hsinchu

Hsinchu (Chinese 新竹市, Pinyin Xīnzhú Shì, Tongyong Pinyin Sinjhú Shìh, W.-.G. Hsin-chu Shih, Zhuyin ㄒㄧㄣ ㄓㄨˊ ㄕˋ - "new or fresh bamboo") is a county-level city in northwestern Republic of China on Taiwan with a population of 431,029 and an area of 104.1526 km². (as of September 2014) It is often called the "windy city" (Chinese 風城 / 风城, pinyin fēngchéng - "city of wind"), because of its strong wind from the Taiwan Strait.

Hsinchu has become known primarily for its high concentration of semiconductor manufacturers. A duty-free zone - the Hsinchu Technology Park (Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park) - has been established here, where more than 20 semiconductor plants have been built. Among others, the industrial park houses the headquarters of LCD flat panel display manufacturer AU Optronics and the world's two largest semiconductor foundries: TSMC and UMC, as well as other semiconductor companies such as Elan, Winbond and Powerchip. The companies Sinonar and NexPower manufacture solar cells and solar modules here.

Hsinchu is also home to Tsing Hua State University and Yang Ming Chiao Tung State University. The former was founded in 1911 as a preparatory school for further study in the USA in Beijing and expanded into a full university in 1925 (Tsing Hua University). During the Chinese Civil War or World War II, Tsing Hua University merged with Peking State University and Nankai State University. In the wake of the Civil War, a split occurred and part of the faculty moved to Hsinchu in 1955. There, the Tsing Hua Institute of Nuclear Sciences was established. This became the Tsing Hua State University in 1956.

Both universities have been in strong competition since their foundation. The rivalry is particularly evident in the annual Mei-Chu Tournament / Mei-Zhu Tournament (梅竹賽 / 梅竹赛, Méi-Zhú-Sài), a series of sports and games competitions in March. The relationship is fondly compared to that of Athens (NTHU) and Sparta (NCTU), or to Cambridge and Oxford.

History

The city of Hsinchu was once home to the Taokas, one of Taiwan's indigenous tribes. Their ancient name was "Zhúqiàn", which means "bamboo moat". The Taokas originally lived in the wetlands around Xiangshan and only later opened up the northern areas of Taiwan.

In 1711, Wang Shijie (王世傑 / 王世杰, Wáng Shìjié), the first settler from southern Fujian, migrated to Hsinchu. He lived in Alley 36 of Dongqian Street (東前街36傑, Dōngqiánjiē 36 Jié), the oldest street in Hsinchu, also called the "dark street". Many of today's fields were laid out at this time.

In 1723, the Danshui Sub-Prefecture was established in Hsinchu. Eleven years later, to improve the security of the city, bamboo was grown for a city fortification and four tower gates were built. Now the name Hsinchu (新竹, Xīnzhú), "New Bamboo," was fitting.

In 1826, 47 members of the local nobility, including the first jinshi (Chinese 進士 / 进士 Pinyin jìnshì) of Taiwan Zheng Yongxi (鄭用錫 / 郑用锡, Zhèng Yòngxí), requested that a wall be built of stone, to be financed by the residents. The request was granted and a new city wall with a moat and four tower gates were built: Yingxi East Gate (迎曦, Yíngxī), Yishuang West Gate (挹爽, Yìshuǎng), Gexun South Gate (歌薰), and Gongchen North Gate (拱辰). Furthermore, the roads leading to the gates were widened to 3.8m. Nowadays, only the east gate and parts of the moat remain.

In 1875, the Qing Imperial Court dissolved the Danshui Sub-Prefecture and divided northern Taiwan into three counties, Danshui, Hsinchu and Yilan. Hsinchu and Yilan counties still exist today.

In 1895, China had to cede the island of Taiwan to Japan. Under the new Japanese rule, Hsinchu was organized as a sub-prefecture. During the following 50 years of Japanese colonial administration, the image of the city changed fundamentally. A railway line was built, roads were widened, and many old buildings and the city wall were torn down. From 1920, Hsinchu was the capital of the newly established Shinchiku Prefecture, which included the area of Hsinchu City and that of the present-day counties of Hsinchu, Miaoli, and Taoyuan City. After the island of Taiwan became part of the Republic of China at the end of World War II, administrative reform took place and Hsinchu became a county-level city on February 28, 1946. At that time, the urban area was divided into seven districts: North, East, West, South, Zhudong, Baoshan and Xiangshan. On October 25, 1951, the city was enlarged to include the area of the present-day county municipalities of Guanxi, Xinpu, Hukou, Hongmao, Zhubei, Huangshan, Qionglin, Beipu, and Emei, so that it comprised most of present-day Hsinchu County. The very next year, however, it lost its county status as part of another administrative reform, becoming part of Hsinchu County and limited to the merged former North, East, West and South counties.

The government of the Republic of China, which initially ruled all of China, focused its work on industrial development and the development of mineral and energy resources. In 1980, the Hsinchu Science Park was founded in Hsinchu and brought the city high-tech and technical products of high quality from its own production. The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), founded in Hsinchu in 1973, became of great importance and was the nucleus of Taiwan's IT industry.

On July 1, 1982, the county seat of Hsinchu was enlarged to include the municipality of Xiangshan, after which it was granted the status of a county-level city in Taiwan Province, thus leaving the county. On November 1, 1990, Hsinchu was administratively divided into three municipalities - North, East and Xiangshan.

Administrative division

Hsinchu is divided into three districts (區 Qu), which in turn are subdivided into a combined 120 districts (里, Lì):