Changhua County ( Mandarin

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally writte ...

: ''Zhānghuà Xiàn''; Wade-Giles: ''Chang¹-hua⁴ Hsien⁴''; Hokkien POJ: ''Chiang-hòa-koān'' or ''Chiong-hòa-koān'') is the smallest county on the main island of Taiwan by area, and the fourth smallest in the country. With a total population of 1.3 million, Changhua County is the most populous county in the Republic of China. Its capital is

Changhua City Changhua (Hokkien POJ: ''Chiong-hòa'' or ''Chiang-hòa''), officially known as Changhua City, is a county-administered city and the county seat of Changhua County in Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. For many centuries the site was h ...

and it is part of the

Taichung–Changhua metropolitan area The Taichung–Changhua metropolitan area () is the second largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Prior to 2010, It was officially defined as including the following areas: Since the merger of Taichung City and the former Taichung County Tai ...

History

Early history

There are 32 prehistoric burial sites in Changhua that date back 5000 years. The original name of the area was ''Poasoa'' (), so-named by the local

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

tribes. Poasoa used to be inhabited primarily by the Babuza people, who have since been mostly assimilated by the

Han people The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive var ...

Qing dynasty

Qing rule in Taiwan began in 1683, and in 1684,

Taiwan Prefecture Taiwan Prefecture or Taiwanfu was a prefecture of Taiwan during the Qing dynasty. The prefecture was established by the Qing government in 1684, after the island came under Qing dynasty rule in 1683 following its conquest of the Kingdom of Tungnin ...

was established to administer Taiwan under Fujian Province. The prefecture consisted of three counties: , and Zhuluo. Poasoa and modern-day Changhua County were under the jurisdiction of Zhuluo, but the Changhua area was spread over three counties. In 1723, after the

Zhu Yigui Zhu Yigui (; 1690–1722) was the leader of a Taiwanese uprising against Qing dynasty rule in mid-1721. He came from a peasant family of Zhangzhou Hokkien ancestry and lived in the village of Lohanmen located in the area of modern-day Neimen Dist ...

rebellion, an inspector official in Taiwan requested to the Qing Emperor to designate Changhua to another county magistrate and legal warden because of the increasing population in the northern part of Zhuluo County. As a result, Changhua County was created, encompassing the area of modern Changhua County, Taichung, half of Yunlin County and three townships of Nantou County. Changhua County Hall was built in the middle of the district and is regarded as the beginning of the Changhua County establishment. The name of Changhua, meaning "manifestation of a royal civilization", is formally worded "manifestation of the majestic Emperor's civilization spread over the seas".

Japanese rule

During early Japanese rule, the island was subdivided into three : Taihoku, Taiwan, and Tainan. Changhua was ruled under Taiwan Ken. In 1920, after several administrative changes, Taichū Prefecture was established, covering modern-day Changhua County, Nantou County and

Taichung City Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Tai ...

. By 1930, the population in Changhua already exceeded one million.

After World War II

After the after World War II of Taiwan on 25 December 1945, the area of the current Changhua County was established under the jurisdiction of Taichung County. On 16 August 1950 after its separation from Taichung County, Changhua County was established with

as its county seat on 1 December 1951.

Geography

Changhua county is located on the west coast of Taiwan, bordering

on the north separated by

Dadu River The Dadu River (), known in Tibetan as the Gyelmo Ngul Chu, is a major river located primarily in Sichuan province, southwestern China. The Dadu flows from the eastern Tibetan Plateau into the Sichuan Basin where it joins with the Min River, a t ...

, so Changhua County and Taichung City are often referred to as the

. Changhua County is bordered by Yunlin County to the south by the Zhuoshui River. To the east, Changhua County is separated from Nantou County and southern Taichung City by Bagua Plateau. To the west, Changhua County faces the

Taiwan Strait The Taiwan Strait is a -wide strait separating the island of Taiwan and continental Asia. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is wide. The Taiwan Strait is itself a ...

. The county's total area is , being Taiwan's smallest county. It owns a of coastline. The landscape of Changhua can be roughly divided into two parts, one being the western flat land, and the other being the Changhua Plain. This two combines measures up to 88% of Changhua county's total area. The highest elevation in Changhua is "Hen Shan", at .

Administration

Changhua County is divided into 2

cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

, 6 urban

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

and 18 rural

is the seat of the county which houses the

Changhua County Government The Changhua County Government (CHCG; ) is the local government of Changhua County, Taiwan. Organization * Magistrate * Deputy Magistrate * Secretary-general First Class Department * Department of Civil Affairs * Department of Finance * Depar ...

and Changhua County Council. Changhua County has the highest number of urban townships of all counties in Taiwan. It also has the second highest number of rural townships after Pingtung County. The current Magistrate of Changhua County is Wang Huei-mei of 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 ...

Electoral politics

Changhua County, an electoral

bellwether A bellwether is a leader or an indicator of trends.bellwether
" ''Cambridge Dictionary''. Ret ...

, is seen as a political battleground between the

(KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). While it has historically favored the KMT, recent elections have swung in the direction of the DPP.

County Magistrate

The Changhua County Magistrate is the democratically elected chief executive officer of the county. The current incumbent is Wang Huei-Mei of the

Legislative Yuan

Since the reorganization of the Legislative Yuan into a 113-member chamber in 2008, Changhua has been divided into four constituencies, each of which return one legislator. In 2011 the incumbent in Changhua 1, Chen Shou-ching, died in office. Because there was less than a year left on her term in office, the seat was left vacant until the 2012 election. In 2014 a by-election was held in Changhua 4 after Wei Ming-ku was elected as Changhua County Magistrate.

Culture

Changhua County in films

* You Are the Apple of My Eye

Economy

Lukang used to be the economic hub of central Taiwan in its early years where it was a commercially prosperous area. It was an important trading port during the Qing Dynasty.

Farming

Around 1,200 hectares of total land used for growing fruits in the county is used for grape cultivation with Xihu Township acts as the largest grape production hub in the county.

Education

National Changhua University of Education The National Changhua University of Education (NCUE; ) is a normal university in Changhua City, Changhua County, Taiwan. History NCUE was initially established in 1745 as Baisha Academy. In August 1971, it was renamed to Taiwan Provincial C ...

* Dayeh University * MingDao University *

Chienkuo Technology University Chienkuo Technology University (CTU; ) is a private university located in Changhua City, Changhua County, Taiwan. The university offers undergraduate and graduate programs in a variety of fields, including engineering, management, design, huma ...

* Chung Chou University of Science and Technology

Energy

Changhua County is home to Taiwan's two gas-fired power plants,

Hsingyuan Power Plant The Hsingyuan Power Plant or Star Buck Power Plant () is a gas-fired power plant in Chang-Bin Industrial Park, Lukang, Changhua, Lukang Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. History In April 2005, Hsing-yuan Power Corporation was approved by the Go ...

and Hsingneng Power Plant, with a capacity of 490 MW each. Both power plants are located in Lukang Township. In August 2016, the

signed an agreement with Canada's Northland Power and Singapore's Yushan Energy to develop "Hai Long", a 1,200 MW-capacity offshore wind generation project spread over off the coast of the county. With an installed capacity of 188.5 MW from 83 onshore wind turbine, Changhua County has the largest wind energy capacity of any county, municipality or city in Taiwan. As of 2015, there were 21 offshore wind farms located in the water offshore of the county.

Tourism

Changhua was one of the cultural centers of Taiwan, with a lot of ancient monuments and structures left from the Qing Dynasty, including the Confucian Temple, Tian Ho Gung, built in Lukang in 1647. There are currently 6 National Certified Historical Monuments, 42 County Certified Historical Monuments, 67 Historical Infrastructures, and 1 Cultural Center in Changhua County.

Museums

Museums in the county include the

BRAND'S Health Museum The BRAND'S Health Museum () is a museum in Changhua Coastal Industrial Park, Lukang Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. History The museum was set up by BRAND'S Essences in November 2003 at the Changhua Coastal Industrial Park. Overhaul renova ...

, Changhua County Art Museum and Lukang Folk Arts Museum.

Art and culture centers

The county is home to the following art and culture centers, which are Changhua Arts Hall, Lukang Culture Center and National Changhua Living Art Center.

Temples

Temples in Changhua County are * Baozang Temple (芬園寶藏寺) : built in 1672 and dedicated to Guanyin Bodhisattva, designated as a third grade historic building * Changhua Confucian Temple (彰化孔廟) : built in 1726 and renovated in 1830, is a Grade 1 national historical site * Hushan Temple (虎山巖) : built in 1747 and dedicated to Guanyin Bodhisattva * Kaihua Temple (彰化開化寺) : originally constructed in 1724 as Guanyin Shrine * Lukang Longshan Temple (鹿港龍山寺) : first built in 1738, renowned for its exquisite woodcarvings, as well as for its stone sculptures, especially the 12 major support columns in the main hall, twined by auspicious dragons hewn from solid stone *

Lukang Wen Wu Temple The Lukang Wen Wu Temple () is a Wen Wu temple in Lukang, Changhua, Lukang Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. History The temple was established in 1812. Architecture The temple area consists of Martial Temple (武廟), Literature Shrine (文 ...

(鹿港文武廟) : first built in 1806, consists of Martial Temple (武廟), Literature Shrine (文祠) and Wenkai Academy (文開書院) * Nanyao Temple (彰化南瑤宮) : completed in 1738 and originally named Mazu Temple, designated as a third grade historic building *

Shetou Doushan Temple The Shetou Doushan Temple () is an ancestral temple in Shetou Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. History The temple underwent renovation in 1971 in which the verandas at the two sides were changed to a flat-top format. Architecture The templ ...

(社頭斗山祠) : built in 1880, ancestral temple of "Xiao" (蕭) clan * Yuanching Temple (元清觀) : constructed in 1763, one of the earliest temple in Taiwan that is dedicated to Jade Emperor

Nature

Nature tourism in the county are Alice's Garden and

Changhua Fitzroy Gardens The Changhua Xizhou Gardens () is a garden in Xizhou Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. Geography The park covers an area of 123 hectares, making it the largest plain park in Taiwan. The design of the gardens follow the design of Fitzroy Garde ...

Historical buildings

Historical buildings in the county are the Changhua Wude Hall, Daodong Tutorial Academy,

Fuxing Barn The Fuxing Barn () is a former barn in Fuxing, Changhua, Fuxing Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. History The barn was built in 1928, during Taiwan under Japanese rule, Japanese rule in the 17th year of Mingkuo, by Fuxing Farmers' Association ...

, Lukang Ai Gate, Lukang Kinmen Hall,

Lukang Rimao Hang The Lukang Rimao Hang () is a historic building in Lukang, Changhua, Lukang Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. History The Lukang Rimao Hang was built in 1784 by Lin Zhensong who came from Fujian and settled in Lukang in 1765 as a merchant. In 1 ...

, Luocuo Church, Spring of Youth, Yi Yuan Mansion and Yusan Hall.

Transportation

Rail

There are 8 stations in Changhua County of the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA), with the largest being Changhua Station located in Changhua City. The rest are: Huatan Station, Dacun Station, Yuanlin Station, Yongjing Station,

Shetou Station Shetou () is a railway station on the Taiwan Railways Administration West Coast line located in Shetou Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. Around the station * Shetou Doushan Temple * THSR Changhua Station See also * List of railway stations ...

, Tianzhong Station and

Ershui Station Ershui Station () is a railway station of the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) West Coast line (Taiwan), West Coast line located in Ershui, Ershui Township, Changhua County, Taiwan. It is also the western terminus of the Jiji line. History E ...

Taiwan High Speed Rail Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) is the high-speed railway of Taiwan consisting of one line that runs approximately along the west coast, from the capital Taipei to the southern city of Kaohsiung. With construction and operations managed by a pri ...

has also one station in the county, which is Changhua Station.

Road

National Highway 1 and National Highway 3 both pass through Changhua County. In addition, there are plenty of provincial highways as well. The Xiluo Bridge, with a span over 1,900 meters and opened in 1953, links Changhua County with neighboring Yunlin County.

Sister cities

* Nagano Prefecture, Japan (2008)

Relative location

Notable individuals

Giddens Ko Giddens Ko (; born 25 August 1978) is a Taiwanese novelist and filmmaker. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Management from National Chiao Tung University and Master of Social Science from Tunghai University. He has published more than 60 boo ...

: Taiwanese novelist and filmmaker.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control