Jiadong Township (also spelled Jiadung; ) is a rural township in

Pingtung County Pingtung () is a County (Taiwan), 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 ...

Taiwan 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 ...

History

Formerly called ''Katangkha'' ()., Jiadong Township was originally the residence of the

Makatao people The Makatao people ( Makatao: Makatau; Paiwan: Ljacalisian), also written Makatau or Makattau, are an indigenous people in Taiwan. The Makatao originally settled around lowland Kaohsiung in Southern Taiwan, later largely migrating to Pingtung a ...

of Pingpu tribe. The first colonists that began arriving into Jiadong were ethnic Hakkas from northeastern

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

, establishing the town and ultimately assimilating the local native Makatao aborigines. Jiadong was the location of the Battle of Chiatung, an engagement in the Japanese invasion of Taiwan. The battle took place on the 11 October 1895, and ended in a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

victory and a defeat for the

Republic of Formosa The Republic of Formosa was a short-lived republic that existed on the island of Taiwan in 1895 between the formal cession of Taiwan by the Qing dynasty of China to the Empire of Japan in the Treaty of Shimonoseki and its being taken over by ...

. In 1895 the township was described by James W. Davidson as a village "surrounded by a low stone wall loop-holed for rifle fire". He also describes "A body of water, which nearly surrounded the village". During the battle, Japanese forces set several of the houses on fire.Davidson, J. W., The Island of Formosa, Past and Present (London, 1903)

Geography

It has a population total of 17,838 and an area of .

Administrative divisions

The township comprises 12 villages: Changlong, Datong, Fenglong, Jiadong, Laijia, Liugen, Qiangyuan, Shiguang, Wanjian, Wenfeng, Yanwen and Yuguang.

Tourist attractions

* Old House of Siiao Family *

Yang Family Ancestral Hall The Yang Family Ancestral Hall () is an ancestral shrine in Jiadong Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan. History The shrine was built in 1923 with funds collected by members of the Yang family living in Pingtung. Architecture The building was c ...

Transportation

TRA Tra or TRA may refer to: Biology * TRA (gene), in humans encodes the protein T-cell receptor alpha locus * Tra (gene), in ''Drosophila melanogaster'' encodes the protein female-specific protein transformer * Tra gene, a transfer gene * Triple rel ...

Jiadong Station

Notable natives

Chung Mong-hong Chung Mong-hong (; born 1965), also known by his pseudonym, Nagao Nakashima (; or in zh, p=Zhōngdǎo Zhǎngxióng), is a Taiwanese film director, screenwriter and cinematographer. Career Chung received Golden Horse Award for Best Director for ...

, film director, screenwriter and cinematographer

References

External links

Jiadong Township Office
Townships in Pingtung County {{taiwan-geo-stub