Nantou City
Encyclopedia
Nantou City is located in the northwest of Nantou County
, Taiwan
, Republic of China
. It lies between the Bagua Mountains and the Maoluo River and is the seat of Nantou County. Freeway No. 3
serves Nantou City. Its name is a transliteration
of the Hoanya word Ramtau with the characters 南投 chosen to complement 北投 (Beitou
), a district in Taipei
, even though there is no relation between the aboriginal words.
began arriving in the area during the reign of Qianlong Emperor
. Members of the Zhang
clan from Zhangzhou
as well as the Jian(簡), Lin
and Xiao clans from Nanjing County
in Zhangzhou were among the early settlers. A yamen
was established in 1759 near the present Nantou Elementary School. In 1898, Nantou Commandery was organized. After the retrocession of Taiwan to the Republic of China, Nantou County
was organized out of Taichung County
in 1950, and, in October of the same year, Nantou Township was organized with the county government seated in it. On July 1, 1957, the Taiwan provincial government
moved to Zhongxing New Village, making Nantou the location of the provincial government. In 1981, Nantou became a county-controlled city
. Due to its location along the Chelungpu Fault, Nantou was strongly affected by the 1999 921 earthquake
: 92 people died and over 1000 buildings were damaged
Nantou County
Nantou County is the second largest county of Taiwan. It is also the only landlocked county in Taiwan. Its name derives from the Hoanya Taiwanese aboriginal word Ramtau. Nantou County is officially administered as a county of Taiwan....
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
. It lies between the Bagua Mountains and the Maoluo River and is the seat of Nantou County. Freeway No. 3
National Highway No. 3 (Taiwan)
National Highway No. 3 is the second North-South freeway in Taiwan. It begins in Keelung City at Jijin Interchange on the Provincial Highway No. 2 and ends in Linbian, Pingtung on the Provincial Highway No. 17....
serves Nantou City. Its name is a transliteration
Transliteration
Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...
of the Hoanya word Ramtau with the characters 南投 chosen to complement 北投 (Beitou
Beitou
Beitou District is the northernmost of the twelve districts of Taipei City, Taiwan. The historical spelling of the district is Peitou. The name originates from the Ketagalan word Kipatauw, meaning witch. Beitou is the most mountainous and highest of Taipei's districts.Beitou is famous for its hot...
), a district in Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, even though there is no relation between the aboriginal words.
History
The Han ChineseHan Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
began arriving in the area during the reign of Qianlong Emperor
Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. The fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, he reigned officially from 11 October 1735 to 8 February 1796...
. Members of the Zhang
Zhang (surname)
Zhang is among the most common Chinese surnames. In the 1990 edition of Guinness Book of Records, it was listed as the world's most common surname, with over 100 million people worldwide with this surname. It was also ranked third in the People's Republic of China by the Chinese Academy of...
clan from Zhangzhou
Zhangzhou
Zhangzhou is a prefecture-level city in southern Fujian province, People's Republic of China. Located on the banks of the Jiulong River , Zhangzhou borders the cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou to the northeast, Longyan City to the northwest and the province of Guangdong to the southwest.Zhangzhou...
as well as the Jian(簡), Lin
Lin (surname)
Lín Lin is the second most common surname in Taiwan at 9% of the population, second only to Chen. In mainland China , Lin is generally less common.-Name origin:...
and Xiao clans from Nanjing County
Nanjing County
Nanjing County is a county under the administration under of Zhangzhou prefecture-level city of Fujian province, in China....
in Zhangzhou were among the early settlers. A yamen
Yamen
A yamen is any local bureaucrat's, or mandarin's, office and residence of the Chinese Empire. The term has been widely used in China for centuries, but appeared in English during the Qing Dynasty....
was established in 1759 near the present Nantou Elementary School. In 1898, Nantou Commandery was organized. After the retrocession of Taiwan to the Republic of China, Nantou County
Nantou County
Nantou County is the second largest county of Taiwan. It is also the only landlocked county in Taiwan. Its name derives from the Hoanya Taiwanese aboriginal word Ramtau. Nantou County is officially administered as a county of Taiwan....
was organized out of Taichung County
Taichung County
Taichung County was a county in central Taiwan, the Republic of China, that surrounded but did not include Taichung City. The name Taichung means "central Taiwan"...
in 1950, and, in October of the same year, Nantou Township was organized with the county government seated in it. On July 1, 1957, the Taiwan provincial government
Taiwan Province
Taiwan Province is one of the two administrative divisions referred to as provinces and is controlled by the Republic of China . The province covers approximately 73% of the territory controlled by the Republic of China...
moved to Zhongxing New Village, making Nantou the location of the provincial government. In 1981, Nantou became a county-controlled city
County-controlled city
A county-controlled city is a third level administrative division of the Republic of China .On the same level as a ROC township, it is the lowest-level city of ROC, below provincial city and special municipality. There are 17 County-controlled cities under Taiwan Province...
. Due to its location along the Chelungpu Fault, Nantou was strongly affected by the 1999 921 earthquake
921 earthquake
The 921 earthquake , also known as Jiji earthquake , was a 7.3 Ms or 7.6 Mw earthquake which occurred at 1:47:12 am local time in Jiji , Nantou County, Taiwan. 2,415 people were killed, 11,305 injured, and NT$300 billion worth of damage was done...
: 92 people died and over 1000 buildings were damaged