Banqiao District () Banciao, Panchiao or Pan-ch'iao is a

district 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 county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

and the seat of

New Taipei City 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 ...

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 ...

. It has the third-highest

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

in Taiwan, with over . Until the creation of New Taipei City, Banqiao was an incorporated

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 ...

and the former seat of

Taipei County 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 ...

Name origin

The district's old name was ''Pang-kio'' (), which dates back to 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 ...

during the reign of 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 ...

(1735–1796 AD); thus derived Hokkien-based spellings ''Pankyu'', ''Pankio'', and ''Pankyo'' were common in English before 1945. A wooden bridge, locally called ''Pang-kiô-thâu'' (), was built for pedestrians to cross a brook located in the west of today's Banqiao, the modern day Nanzih Creek (). In 1920, the

Japanese government The Government of Japan is the central government of Japan. It consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and functions under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan. Japan is a unitary state, containing forty- ...

modified the name to . The same characters are still used today, but are read ''Bǎnqiáo'' in

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

. However, in

Taiwanese Hokkien Taiwanese Hokkien ( , ), or simply Taiwanese, also known as Taigi ( zh, c=臺語, tl=Tâi-gí), Taiwanese Southern Min ( zh, c=臺灣閩南語, tl=Tâi-uân Bân-lâm-gí), Hoklo and Holo, is a variety of the Hokkien language spoken natively ...

, the old name ''Pang-kiô'' is still the norm.

History

In the early 20th century, Pankyo (Pankyu) was a walled city and said to be owned by a landlord who had lived there "in feudal style", surrounded by armed retainers. From 1920 to 1945, during Japanese rule, the area was administrated as , Kaizan District,

Taihoku Prefecture Taihoku Prefecture (臺北州; ''Taihoku-shū'') was an administrative division of Taiwan created in 1920, during Japanese rule. The prefecture consisted of modern-day Keelung, New Taipei City, Taipei and Yilan County. Its government office, ...

. Banqiao was upgraded from an urban township to a

as Pan-ch'iao or Banciao City of

on 1 July 1972. The city became Banqiao District on 25 December 2010.

Geography

Banqiao is located in western part of the

Taipei Basin The Taipei Basin () is a geographic region in northern Taiwan. It is the largest basin in Taiwan. The basin is bounded by the Yangmingshan to the north, the Linkou Plateau to the west, and the Ridge of Xueshan Range to the southeast. The shape ...

of northern Taiwan, in the

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

climate zone. Banqiao is surrounded by

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

to the east, Sanchong to the north, Xinzhuang to the northwest,

Shulin Shulin may refer to: * Shulin, Albania * Shulin District Shulin District () is an inner city district in southwestern New Taipei City, Taiwan. History On August 1, 1946, seventeen urban villages () were divided from Yingge Township and ...

to the southwest,

Tucheng Tucheng District () is a district in the southwestern part of New Taipei City, Taiwan. History On 26 June 1993, Tucheng was upgraded from rural township to a county-administered city within Taipei County. On 25 December 2010, Taipei County w ...

to the south, and Zhonghe to the southeast. Banqiao is also bordered by two rivers,

Xindian River The Xindian River (or Xindian Creek) () is a river in northern Taiwan. It flows through New Taipei and the capital Taipei for . Overview The Xindian River is one of the three major Tributary, tributaries into the Tamsui River. Its main tributa ...

to the northeast and

Dahan River The Dahan River (, also spelled Tahan) is a river in northern Taiwan. It originates in Hsinchu County and then flows through Taoyuan City and New Taipei City for 135 km, before it joins Xindian River in Taipei to form the Tamshui River ...

to the northwest.

Economy

Agriculture sector thrived in Banqiao in the 1950s. In the 1960s, manufacturing sector started to appear in the region and in the 1970s industries and commerce have developed. In the 1980 and '90s, finance and commerce grew in the area.

Education

Banqiao is home to several universities, including the

National Taiwan University of Arts National Taiwan University of Arts (NTUA; zh, c=國立臺灣藝術大學) is a university in Banqiao District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. It is the oldest art university in Taiwan. History National Taiwan University of Arts (NTUA) was establ ...

. The National Banqiao High School is considered one of the top high schools in New Taipei City.

Universities and colleges

Chihlee University of Technology Chihlee University of Technology (CLUT; ), is a private university in Banqiao District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. Chihlee serves over 10,000 full-time students. The word ''zhìlǐ'' describes a personal quality that may be rendered ''dedication'' ...

* Oriental Institute of Technology

High schools

* Banqiao Senior High School * New Taipei Municipal Haishan High School () * National Overseas Chinese High School () * Kuang Jen Catholic High School ()

Tourist attractions

Lin Family Mansion and Garden 2006-6-28 11-16-18 0048

Banqiao 435 Art Zone The Banqiao 435 Art Zone () is an art center in Banqiao District, New Taipei, Taiwan. History The area used to be old housing areas for veterans training. In 2012, the Cultural Affairs Department of New Taipei City Government assumed responsibi ...

* Banqiao Agricultural Park * Banqiao Stadium * Cihui Temple * Jieyun Temple *

Lin Family Mansion and Garden The Lin Ben Yuan Family Mansion and Garden () in Banqiao District, New Taipei City, Taiwan was a residence built by the Lin Ben Yuan Family. It is Taiwan's most complete surviving example of traditional Chinese garden architecture. The Lin Family ...

* Nanya Night Market * New Taipei City Main Public Library * Paleo Wonders Mineral Fossil Museum *

Xinhai Constructed Wetland The Xinhai Constructed Wetland () is a constructed wetland in Banqiao District, New Taipei, Taiwan. History Through the late 20th century, the banks of Dahan Creek turned into garbage dumps due to the growing population and factories within the ...

* Stone Sculpture Park

Sports facilities

Banqiao has several sports facilities (including Banqiao Stadium,) and the annual New Taipei City sports game is hosted in the district.

Transportation

Banqiao is well served by multiple public transportation services.

Banqiao station Banqiao () is a railway and metro station in New Taipei, Taiwan served by Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR), TRA, Taipei Metro and New Taipei Metro. With the exception of the Circular Line, all other tracks and platforms in the station are loca ...

is served by THSR bullet trains, conventional rail

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 ...

trains, and the

Taipei Metro Taipei Metro (also known as Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and branded as Metro Taipei) is a rapid transit system operated by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation serving the capital Taipei and New Taipei City in Taiwan. It was the first rapi ...

. Since beginning of 2020, the Circular line of the Taipei Metro also runs through the district. The Taipei Metro serves the district via the following stations: *

Far Eastern Hospital metro station Far or FAR may refer to: Government * Federal Acquisition Regulation, US * Federal Aviation Regulations, US * Florida Administrative Register, US Military and paramilitary * Rebel Armed Forces (Spanish: '), a defunct guerilla organization i ...

Fuzhong metro station Fuzhong () is a metro station in New Taipei, Taiwan served by the Taipei Metro. Station overview This five-level, underground station has two stacked side platforms and three exits. Its location is where the old TRA Banqiao Station used to resid ...

* Xinpu metro station *

Jiangzicui metro station Jiangzicui (, formerly transliterated as Chiangtzu Tsui Station until 2003) is a metro station in New Taipei, Taiwan served by Taipei Metro. Station overview This two-level, underground station has an island platform and six exits. It is locate ...

* Banxin metro station * Xinpu Minsheng metro station *

Bus lines connect Banqiao with downtown

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

and nearby districts. Provincial Highway 3 and Provincial Highway 64 run through the district.

Infrastructure

Far Eastern Memorial Hospital The Far Eastern Memorial Hospital (FEMH; ) is a large for-profit teaching hospital in Banqiao District, New Taipei, Taiwan. History The hospital was established on 1 April 1981. In 1985, the hospital became a secondary teaching hospital after i ...

Sister cities

Addison, Texas Addison is an incorporated town in Dallas County, Texas, United States. The 2020 census population was 16,661. Addison is immediately north of Dallas. Addison and Flower Mound were the only two Texas municipalities labeled "towns" with a popul ...

, United States *

Cerritos, California Cerritos (; Spanish for "Little hills") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was municipal corporation, incorporated on ...

, United States

Notable residents

* Scott Chang - CEO of Lastertech * Hsiao Chung-cheng, M.D. - Superintendent of * The

Lin Ben Yuan Family The Lin Ben Yuan Family (; Japanese language, rōmaji: ''Rin Hon Gen''), also known as the Banqiao Lin Family (), are a Taiwanese family of businesspeople, politicians, and scholars. They rose from Banqiao District, Banqiao, Taipei during the era ...

Notable natives

Hsiao Huang-chi Hsiao Huang-chi (; born 22 September 1976), also known as Ricky Hsiao, is a Taiwanese singer, songwriter and former judoka ( 2nd dan black belt). He represented Taiwan in FESPIC Games in Beijing in 1994, where he won the bronze title and placed ...

, singer, songwriter and judoka *

Ili Ili, ILI, Illi may refer to: Abbreviations * Indian Law Institute * Influenza-like illness * Intelligent Land Investments * Intensive lifestyle intervention, a type of lifestyle medicine * International Law Institute, a non-profit organization ...

, artist *

Lin Fong-cheng Lin Fong-cheng (; born 20 March 1940) is a Taiwanese politician. He was the vice chairman of the Kuomintang from April 2007 to April 2014. Kuomintang Secretary-General 2005 mainland China visit In April 2005, Lin joined Lien Chan and other P ...

, Minister of Transportation and Communication (1998-2000) * Lin Hsiung-cheng, banker and philanthropist *

Liu Ping-wei Liu Ping-wei (; 30 November 1952 – 21 April 2020) was a Taiwanese politician. He was first elected to the Taiwan Provincial Assembly in 1981 and served continuously until 1998. Liu assumed the speakership of the provincial assembly between 1994 ...

, member of

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 ...

(1999–2002) * Yang Ya-che, film and television director

References

{{Authority control 2010 establishments in Taiwan Populated places established in 1846