Lably
Skip to content

Hsinchu County

County in Taiwan

  • 4 min read
  • 12 chapters

Explore on Lably

ToursExplore Lably’s 3D tours

History

Early history

Before the arrival of Han Chinese colonists the Hsinchu area was home to the indigenous Taokas, Saisiyat, and Atayal. After the Spanish occupied northern Taiwan, Catholic missionaries arrived at Tek-kham in 1626. Hoklos and Hakkas came and began to cultivate the land from the plains near the sea towards the river valleys and hills.

Hakka immigration

In 1684, Zhuluo County was established and more Han settled near Tek-kham. A Chinese city was established there in 1711 and renamed Hsinchu in 1875. It became part of Taipeh Prefecture. In the late 19th century, Hoklo people dominated the coastal plains, forcing the Saisiyat and Atayal tribes to move to areas around Jianshi and Wufeng, while the Hakka and Taokas settled together in the river valleys and hills.

Japanese occupation

During the Japanese occupation of Hsinchu became known as Shinchiku and, by 1920, its prefecture covered the areas of modern-day Hsinchu County and City, Miaoli, and Taoyuan.

Republic of China

Like the rest of the Taiwan, the county is part of the nominal Taiwan Province of the Republic of China (ROC), which s no longer has any administrative function practically. After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China in 1945, Hsinchu County was established on 25 December 1945. In August 1950, Miaoli and Taoyuan were taken out from the county area to form Miaoli County and Taoyuan County respectively. On 16 August 1950, Hsinchu City was incorporated to the county as county-administered city. However, the city was then upgraded again to become a provincial city on 1 July 1982 and was taken out from Hsinchu County area. The county's Xiangshan Township was incorporated into Hsinchu City on 1 July 1982. In 2021, plans are underway to have both Hsinchu county and city merged into the nation's seventh special municipality.

Sign in to keep reading

11 more chapters are free with a Lably account.

More in Geography

New WorldMajority of lands of the Western HemisphereIslamic worldMuslim-majority countries, states, districts, or townsNorthern HemisphereHalf of Earth that is north of the EquatorMainland ChinaGeopolitical term for China without Hong Kong, Macau, TaiwanSouthern HemisphereHalf of Earth that is south of the EquatorRoman provinceAncient Roman administrative regions