Chiayi (,), officially known as Chiayi City, is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

located in

Chianan Plain Chianan, Chia-nan, or Jianan may refer to: * Chiayi–Tainan Plain, also known as the Chianan or Jianan Plain (, ''Jiānán Píngyuán''), a large plain on Taiwan Island * Chianan Irrigation (, ''Jianán Dàzùn''), also known as the Kanan Irrigat ...

in southwestern Taiwan, surrounded by

Chiayi County Chiayi is a County (Taiwan), county in Taiwan. Located in Regions of Taiwan, southwestern Taiwan surrounding but not including Chiayi City, it is the sixth largest county in the island of Taiwan. Its major tourist destination is Alishan Natio ...

with a population of 263,188 inhabitants as of January 2023. The Hoanya people inhabited present-day Chiayi under its historical name of ''Tirosen'' prior to the arrival of

Han Chinese The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...

in Taiwan and was ruled by the Dutch and the

Kingdom of Tungning The Kingdom of Tungning, also known as Tywan, was a dynastic maritime state that ruled part of southwestern Taiwan and the Penghu islands between 1661 and 1683. It is the first predominantly ethnic Han state in Taiwanese history. At its z ...

under various names. During the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

, Tirosen was governed as part of Taiwan Prefecture in

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

under Zhuluo County and the city was renamed Kagee in 1787. The city was renamed ''Kagi'' during the Japanese era but an earthquake in 1906 destroyed much of the town. Kagi was administered as part of

Tainan Prefecture was one of the administrative divisions of Taiwan during the Japanese rule. The prefecture consisted of modern-day Tainan City, Chiayi City, Chiayi County, and Yunlin County. Population Administrative divisions Cities and districts In ...

from 1920 onwards. Following the

surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...

in 1945, the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, who deposed the Qing in 1911, took control of the city (renamed Chiayi City) and administered it as a provincial city of

Taiwan Province Taiwan Province ( zh, t=臺灣省 , p=Táiwān Shěng , poj=Tâi-oân-séng; PFS: ''Thòi-vàn-sén'' or ''Thòi-vân-sén'') is a ''de jure'' administrative division of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Provinces remain a titular division as ...

before being integrated into Chiayi County in 1950 as a

county-administered city A county-administered city is a third-level administrative divisions of Taiwan, administrative division in the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan) below a Counties of Taiwan, county, which in turn is below of a Provinces of China, province. Under t ...

. The city was restored to its status as a provincial city in 1982. In 1998, Taiwan Province was streamlined and Chiayi City has been governed directly since then by the

Executive Yuan The Executive Yuan () is the executive (government), executive branch of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Under the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China, amended constitution, the head of the Execut ...

. The city is known for Alishan National Scenic Area and warm

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

in the summer months. Left with the landmarks of Japanese colonial rule, Chiayi City has the round-island railway system and Alishan Forest Railway where the city is the starting point along with various Japanese temples.

Name

Like the county, Chiayi City's former Chinese placename was Tsu-lo-san (), a representation of the original Formosan-language name ''Tirosen''. A shortened version, Tsulo, was then used to name Tsulo County, which originally covered the underdeveloped northern two-thirds of the island. In 1704, the county seat was moved to Tsulosan, the site of modern-day

Chiayi City Chiayi (,), officially known as Chiayi City, is a Provincial city (Taiwan), city located in Chianan Plain in Regions of Taiwan, southwestern Taiwan, surrounded by Chiayi County with a population of 263,188 inhabitants as of January 2023. The H ...

. Following the 1723

Zhu Yigui Zhu Yigui (; 1690–1722) was a rebel leader of a Taiwanese uprising against Qing dynasty rule in mid-1721. He came from Zhangzhou and was of humble peasant origin. He was of Hokkien ancestry and lived in the village of Lohanmen located in the ar ...

rebellion, the county was reduced in size. In 1787, the county and city were renamed ''Chiayi'' (; ) by the

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, personal name Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China pr ...

to acknowledge the citizens' loyalty during the Lin Shuangwen rebellion.

History

Early history

First inhabited by the Hoanya aborigines, the region was named Tirosen (variants ''Tirocen'', ''Tiracen''). With the arrival of

immigrants in southwestern Taiwan, the name evolved to become ''Tsulosan'' () in

Hokkien Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...

. Eventually, Tsulosan was shortened to simply Tsulo. Because of the choice of the characters, it has been mistakenly suggested that the origin of the name came from the expression "mountains surrounding the east". "Peach City" is another name for Chiayi City due to its peach-shaped territory in ancient times. The tip of the peach is around Central Fountain and was called "Peach-tip" by citizens. Tsulosan was once the foothold to which people from the mainland immigrated. In 1621, , who came from

Zhangzhou Zhangzhou (, ) is a prefecture-level city in Fujian Province, China. The prefecture around the city proper comprises the southeast corner of the province, facing the Taiwan Strait and (with Quanzhou) surrounding the prefecture of Xiamen. Nam ...

Province, first led his people to cultivate this land after they landed at ''Ponkan'' (modern-day Beigang).

Dutch Formosa

Records from the Dutch era, beginning in 1624, show Tirosen as the usual form of the name; it also occurred as ''Tirassen'', ''Tirozen'', ''Tilocen'', ''Tilossen'', ''Tilocen'', and ''Thilocen''. The place was north of Mattau (modern-day Madou, Tainan) and south of Favorlang ( Huwei, Yunlin).

Kingdom of Tungning

In 1661 (the 15th year of Yung-Li,

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

Koxinga Zheng Chenggong (; 27 August 1624 – 23 June 1662), born Zheng Sen () and better known internationally by his honorific title Koxinga (, from Taiwanese: ''kok sèⁿ iâ''), was a Southern Ming general who resisted the Qing conquest of Chin ...

defeated the Dutch based in Taiwan and founded the

. He established one province, , and two counties, and , demarcated by the Hsin-Kang River (, now the Yanshui River). Chiayi was under the jurisdiction of the Tien-Hsing County.

Qing dynasty

In 1683, when Qing rule began, the island was governed as Taiwan Prefecture under the administration of

Fujian Province Fujian is a province in southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefecture city by population is Qua ...

. In 1684, Tsulo County was established and initially encompassed the underdeveloped northern two-thirds of Taiwan. (Taiwan and Hongsoa counties were divided from Wan-Nien County during the

, which was changed from Tien-Hsing County.) In 1704, the county seat was moved to Tsulosan, the site of modern-day Chiayi City, and had wooden city walls. In 1727, the county magistrate, Liu Liang-Bi rebuilt the gatehouses and set a gun platform for each gatehouse. The four gatehouses were named: "Chin Shan" () for East, "Tai Hai" () for West, "Chung Yang" () for South, and "Kung Chen" () for North. In 1734 (the 12th year of Yongzheng), magistrate Lu-Hung built piercing-bamboo to better protect the city. In 1786, the Lin Shuangwen rebellion was an attempt to siege Tsulosan but failed to overcome the defense of the inhabitants. Consequently, on November 3 of the next year, the Qing Emperor conferred the name Kagee (; ) to praise the citizens' loyalty. In the mid-1800s, a custom of annual riotous mass

stoning Stoning, or lapidation, is a method of capital punishment where a group throws stones at a person until the subject dies from blunt trauma. It has been attested as a form of punishment for grave misdeeds since ancient times. Stoning appears t ...

developed in the city. In 1887, a separate

was declared and the island was administratively divided into four prefectures; the city of Kagee belonged to

Japanese rule

In 1895, Taiwan was ceded to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

in the

Treaty of Shimonoseki The , also known as the Treaty of Maguan () in China or the in Japan, was signed at the hotel in Shimonoseki, Japan, on April 17, 1895, between the Empire of Japan and Qing China. It was a treaty that ended the First Sino-Japanese War, ...

. The 1906 Meishan earthquake devastated the entire city wall except the Eastern Gate. The Japanese authorities reconstructed the city. Industries and trades started to flourish. According to the census taken in 1904, Kagi was the fourth most populous city in Taiwan, with a population of over twenty thousand. The Great Kagi earthquake (later also known as the 1906 Meishan earthquake) struck the city in mid March 1906. In 1907, the construction of Alishan Forest Railway to Mount Ali was begun. In 1920, the city became an autonomous group as , Kagi District, within

, which included modern-day Tainan City,

and

Yunlin County Yunlin is a Counties of Taiwan, county in Regions of Taiwan, western Taiwan. Yunlin County borders the Taiwan Strait to the west, Nantou County to the east, Changhua County to the north at the Zhuoshui River, and Chiayi County to the south at th ...

. In 1930, the town was upgraded to an autonomous city under the same prefecture.

Republic of China

After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the

in October 1945, Chiayi City was established as a provincial city of

. The city consisted of 8 districts, which were Bajiang, Beimen, Beizhen, Nanmen, Tungmen, Tungshan, Ximen and Zhuwei

Districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

. In 1946, the districts was reorganized to 6 districts in which Bajiang and Nanmen were merged to become Xinnan, Beimen and Beizhen were merged to become Xinbei, Tungmen and Tungshan were merged to become Xindong, Ximen and Zhuwei were merged to become Xinxi District and there were 2 addition of districts from

Tainan County Tainan County was a County (Taiwan), county in southern Taiwan between 1945 and 2010. The county seat was in Xinying District, Sinying City. History Tainan County was established on 7 January 1946 on the territory of Tainan Prefecture () sh ...

which were Shuishang and Taibao Districts. Chiayi saw some of the most violent events during the

228 Incident The February 28 incident (also called the February 28 massacre, the 228 incident, or the 228 massacre) was an anti-government uprising in Taiwan in 1947 that was violently suppressed by the Kuomintang–led nationalist government of the R ...

. In early March, local militas surrounded the Shueishang Airport and fought against the KMT military. There were over 300 casualties. On 12 March 1947, negotiators for peace, including Tan Teng-pho and , were arrested after arriving at the airport and were executed on 25 March. The Kuomintang also executed many civilians in Chiayi. On 16 August 1950, because of the re-allocation of administrative areas in which Taiwan was divided into 16 counties, five provincial cities and a special bureau, Chiayi City was downgraded to a

and merged with

to be the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. As a result, a shortage of capital hindered its development. On 1 July 1982, Chiayi City was elevated again to a provincial city as a result of pressure from local elites. On 6 October 1990, the East District and West District were established.

Geography

Chiayi City is located on the north side of

, south west of Taiwan Island. On the east side is the Mount Ali, on the west side is the

Chiayi Airport Chiayi Airport () , commonly known as Shueishang Airport (), is an airport in Shuishang Township, Chiayi County, Taiwan. The airport has one runway, and it is used as a civilian airport and is co-located next to Chiayi Air Base. Chiayi Airport ...

, on the north side is the Puzi River and on the south side is the Bazhang River. The distance from east to west of Chiayi City is and from north to south is with a total area of . Chiayi City is completely surrounded by

. Most of Chiayi City land is broad flat fertile plains. The terrain slowly rises from west to east. Chiayi is also one of the closest Taiwanese cities to the

Tropic of Cancer The Tropic of Cancer, also known as the Northern Tropic, is the Earth's northernmost circle of latitude where the Sun can be seen directly overhead. This occurs on the June solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun ...

, with the latitudinal line lying just south of the city.

Climate

Chiayi City has a warm

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Cwa'') that closely borders a true

tropical climate Tropical climate is the first of the five major climate groups in the Köppen climate classification identified with the letter A. Tropical climates are defined by a monthly average temperature of or higher in the coolest month, featuring hot te ...

. Northeasterly winds during fall and winter mean that rainfall is depressed during that time, while southwesterly winds during summer and the later portion of spring bring most of the year's rainfall, with more than 60% falling from June to August. Humidity is high year-round, even during winter.

Government

Chiayi City is a provincial city of

of the

. The city is governed by the Chiayi City Government, while the residence is represented in the Chiayi City Council. The current

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Chiayi City is

Huang Min-hui Huang Ming-hui (; born 20 January 1959) is a Taiwanese people, Taiwanese politician. She was a member of the Legislative Yuan from 1999 to 2005. Her tenure as vice chairperson of the Kuomintang (2008–16) overlapped with two terms as Mayor of C ...

of the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...

Administrative divisions

Chiayi City is divided into two

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

. East District is the city seat which houses the Chiayi City Government.

Politics

Chiayi City voted one

Democratic Progressive Party The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a centre to centre-left Taiwanese nationalist political party in Taiwan. As the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition, one of the two main political camps in Taiwan, the DPP is currently the ...

legislator to be in the

Legislative Yuan The Legislative Yuan () is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) located in Taipei. The Legislative Yuan is composed of 113 members, who are directly elected for four-year terms by people of the Taiwan Area through a ...

during the

2020 Taiwanese legislative election Legislative elections were held in Taiwan on 11 January 2020 to elect the 113 members of the Legislative Yuan. The elections were held concurrently with presidential elections. The term of the Legislative Yuan began on 1 February 2020. The Dem ...

. It has historically been a very pan-Green city. During the martial law era, most people of Chiayi supported

tangwai The ''Tangwai'' movement, or simply ''Tangwai'' (), was a loosely knit political movement in Taiwan in the mid-1970s and early 1980s. Although the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) had allowed contested elections for a small number of seats in the Legi ...

politicians. However, the voting gap between the DPP and the KMT has narrowed in recent years. In the

2022 Taiwanese local elections Local elections were held in Taiwan on 26 November and 18 December 2022 to elect county magistrates (city mayors), county (city) councilors, township mayors, township councilors and chiefs of village (borough) in 6 municipalities and 16 counties ...

, Chiayi City re-elected

to be the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Demographics

Education

* National Chiayi University *

National Chung Cheng University National Chung Cheng University (CCU; ) is a national university in Minxiong Township, Chiayi County, Taiwan. CCU is a member of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. History National Chung Cheng University was the first ...

* Chung Jen College of Nursing, Health Science and Management

Energy

Green energy

On 17 December 2015, Chiayi City Government launched a program to set up solar panels at schools and offices in the city to reduce green house gases. The program is expected to produce 3.55 million kWh of electricity annually and to help reducing carbon emission by 1,700 tonnes.

Tourist attractions

* Alishan Forest Railway & Railway Park * Art Site of Chiayi Railway Warehouse * Chia-Le-Fu Night Market * Chiayi Art Museum * Chiayi Botanical Garden * Chiayi Cheng Huang Temple * Chiayi City Municipal Baseball Stadium * Chiayi Cultural and Creative Industries Park * Chiayi Jen Wu Temple *

Chiayi Municipal Museum The Chiayi Municipal Museum () is a museum in East District, Chiayi City, Taiwan. History The founding of the museum was a collective community effort in the hope to establish a cultural public space for all of the residents of Chiayi City. Am ...

* Chiayi Park ** Chiayi Confucian Temple ** Kagi Shrine ** Sun-Shooting Tower * Chiayi Prison Museum * Hinoki Village * Lantan Lake * Museum of Old Taiwan Tiles * St. John's Cathedral * Taiwan Hinoki Museum * Water Source Water Meter Room * Wenhua Road Night Market * Historic Archives Building of Chiayi City () * 228 Memorial Park * National 228 Memorial Park * Chung Cheng Park * * Chiayi International Band Festival Chiayi is the city of wind music in Taiwan. The wind music festival started as a local event in 1988, when it was more like a joint performance by local wind music bands. Over the years the festival has become the most anticipated annual event in Chiayi.

Sports

Major sporting events held by Chiayi include: * 1999 Asian Youth Boys Volleyball Championship * 2001 Baseball World Cup (Co-hosted with

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

New Taipei New Taipei City is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality located in regions of Taiwan, northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 4,004,367 as of January 2023, making it the most populous city in Taiwan, a ...

, and

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsiung City has a population of approximately 2.73 million p ...

) * 2012 Asian Soft Tennis Championship * 2018 World University Baseball Championship

Notable residents/natives

* Tan Ting-pho (1895–1947), Taiwan famous painter. * Sow-Hsin Chen (1935–2021), American physicist, Professor. *

Vincent Siew Siew Wan-chang (; born 3 January 1939), known also by his English name Vincent Siew, is a Taiwanese politician who served as the ninth vice president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2008 to 2012. He was the first Taiwanese-born Prem ...

(1939), Taiwanese politician, Vice President of the Republic of China (2008–2012), Vice-Chairman of the Kuomintang. *

(1959), former mayor of Chiayi City, vice chairperson of Kuomintang, a member of the Legislative Yuan (1999 and 2005). * Lo Chen-Jung (1961), Taiwanese left-handed baseball pitcher. * Wu Bai (1968), Taiwanese rock singer.

International relations

Twin towns — sister cities

Chiayi is twinned with: * East Orange,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, United States (1972) * Jackson,

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, United States (1972) *

Juneau Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the capital of Alaska in 1906, when the government of wha ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, United States (1977) * Murray,

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, United States (1977) * Bulacan Province,

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

(1980) * Martinsburg,

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, United States (1988) * Syracuse,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States (1995) *

Hsinchu City Hsinchu (, ), officially Hsinchu City, is a Provincial city (Taiwan), city located in northwestern Taiwan. It is the most populous city in Taiwan that is not a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality, with estimated 450,655 inha ...

, Taiwan (2002)

Transportation

Rail

Chiayi City is served by Chiayi Station and Jiabei Station of the

Taiwan Railways Administration Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) was a governmental agency in Taiwan which operated Taiwan Railway from 1948 to 2023. It managed, maintained, and operated conventional passenger and freight Rail transport, railway services on of track. Pa ...

. Chiayi Station is the starting point for the Alishan Forest Railway. The city is also accessible from THSR Chiayi Station in

Bus

Chiayi Bus Rapid Transit connects Chiayi City to Chiayi HSR station in the neighboring Taibao City. Chiayi City Bus serves the urban areas of Chiayi City.

Air

Chiayi City is served by

in the neighboring Shuishang Township.

In popular culture

Chiayi City and its street foods, including the famous Chiayi turkey rice, were featured on the Netflix TV series, ''

Street Food Street food is food sold by a Hawker (trade), hawker or vendor on a street or at another public place, such as a market, fair, or park. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...

'', in season 1.

Notes

References

External links

*
Chiayi City/County tourism official website

Chiayi City Police Bureau official website
* * *

br>official website
{{Authority control 1982 establishments in Taiwan Provincial cities of Taiwan