Sandimen Township is a mountain indigenous township in

Pingtung County Pingtung County is a county located in southern Taiwan. It has a warm tropical monsoon climate and is known for its agriculture and tourism. Kenting National Park, Taiwan's oldest national park, is located in the county. The county seat is Pin ...

Taiwan Province Taiwan Province (; PFS: ''Thòi-vàn-sén'' or ''Thòi-vân-sén'') is a nominal administrative division of the Republic of China (ROC). Its definition has remained part of the Constitution of the Republic of China, but the province is no lon ...

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northea ...

. The population of the township consists mainly of the

Paiwan people The Paiwan () are an indigenous people of Taiwan. They speak the Paiwan language. In 2014, the Paiwan numbered 96,334. This was approximately 17.8% of Taiwan's total indigenous population, making them the second-largest indigenous group. The maj ...

with a substantial Rukai minority.

Names

Ethnic Chinese settlers adapted the original Paiwan name into

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...

(; or ). Under Japanese rule the name was . Following the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the

in 1945, the area became Sandimeng Township () but the name was changed again in 1947 to Sandi Township () but the Taiwanese pronunciation of ''Soaⁿ-tē-mn̂g'' continued to be commonly used. In August 1992, the township assumed its current name.

History

During the Japanese era, Sandimen was grouped with modern-day

Majia Township Majia Township () is a mountain indigenous township in Pingtung County, Taiwan. The area is known as Makazayazaya (瑪家雑牙雑牙社) in the Paiwan language, and the Taiwanese mountain pitviper (''Ovophis monticola makazayazaya'') is named af ...

and

Wutai Township Wutai may refer to: Locations in mainland China or Taiwan * Wutai County (五台县), of Xinzhou, Shanxi * Mount Wutai (五台山), mountain sacred to Buddhism in Shanxi * Wutai, Dancheng County (吴台镇), town in Dancheng County, Henan * Wut ...

as , which was governed under of

Takao Prefecture was one of the administrative divisions of Taiwan during the Japanese rule. The prefecture consisted of modern-day Kaohsiung City and Pingtung County. Population Administrative divisions Cities and districts In 1945 ( Shōwa 20), the ...

. Following the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

takeover of Taiwan in 1945, Sandimen was assigned to

Kaohsiung County Kaohsiung County was a county in southern Taiwan between 1945 and 2010. The county seat was located in Fongshan City. History Kaohsiung County was established on 6 December 1945 on the territory of Takao Prefecture () shortly after the end of ...

and, on 16 August 1950, it became a part of the newly established

Geography

*Population: 7,784 people (December 2014) *Area:

Administrative divisions

The township comprises 10 villages: Anpo, Dalai, Dashe, Dewen, Jingshan, Jingye, Koushe, Mani, Saijia and Sande.

Tourist attractions

Guchuan Bridge The Guchuan Bridge () is a bridge connecting Sandimen Township and Wutai Township in Pingtung County, Taiwan. At the height of 99 meters, it is the tallest bridge pier in Taiwan. History The bridge was opened for traffic on 5 October 2013 aft ...

Maolin National Scenic Area The Maolin National Scenic Area () is a national scenic area in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County of Taiwan. Geology The scenic area is located at the western side of Central Mountain Range foothill which covers three rivers. It is located within ...

References

External links

Sandimen Government website
{{Authority control Townships in Pingtung County Taiwan placenames originating from Formosan languages