Shanhua, Tainan
Encyclopedia
Shanhua is a district of Tainan City, a special municipality of the Republic of China
located in southwestern Taiwan
. Until December 25, 2010, it was an urban township in the dissolved Tainan County
, which is now merged with the original Tainan City to form a single special municipality.
tribe of Siraya, who called it Bakaloan . It was one of the four major towns established by the tribe.
In 1625, the Dutch East India Company
was drove back by the aborigines while trying to collect bamboo
. The Dutch, however, were able to conquer the town using military forces in 1635, and started setting up schools and churches in the area, calling the place Tevoran. They encouraged Han
settlers to cultivate the place. After the Siege of Fort Zeelandia
, Koxinga
drove the Europeans out of Taiwan. Under the administration of Koxinga, Bakaloan was governed as Shanhua Village of Tianhsing County of the Kingdom of Tungning
. According to the Shanhua Urban Plan Total Review Report, the old name for the region is Wanli before it was changed back again to Shanhua Village under Japanese rule
in 1920.
. The township also had a council consisting of councillors
elected from the township.
Since the current administrative arrangement came into effect on the above date, a director appointed by the mayor of Tainan City is in charge of the administration of the newly created district.
, sugarcane
, strawberry
, and watermelon
.
In 1973, the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC) was co-established by eleven nations including the United States
, Japan
, and the Republic of China
(Taiwan). It has the goal to improve agricultural techniques. The headquarters
of the organization is located in the southern part of Shanhua, and is the first and only headquarters of an international organization located in Taiwan
.
The National Science Council
of the Executive Yuan
founded the Tainan Science Park
based in Sinshih
. Part of the park lies within Shanhua, and brings job opportunities to local residents.
. According to oral tradition
, the Dutch
set up a Dutch language school here when they ruled Taiwan.
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...
located in southwestern 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...
. Until December 25, 2010, it was an urban township in the dissolved Tainan County
Tainan County
Tainan County was located in southern Taiwan. The name "Tainan" means "Southern Taiwan". Formerly a county of the Republic of China , Tainan County was merged with Tainan City at the end of 2010 to form a single special municipality....
, which is now merged with the original Tainan City to form a single special municipality.
History
Shanhua was inhabited by the Taiwanese aboriginalTaiwanese aborigines
Taiwanese aborigines is the term commonly applied in reference to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Although Taiwanese indigenous groups hold a variety of creation myths, recent research suggests their ancestors may have been living on the islands for approximately 8,000 years before major Han...
tribe of Siraya, who called it Bakaloan . It was one of the four major towns established by the tribe.
In 1625, the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
was drove back by the aborigines while trying to collect bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
. The Dutch, however, were able to conquer the town using military forces in 1635, and started setting up schools and churches in the area, calling the place Tevoran. They encouraged Han
Han 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...
settlers to cultivate the place. After the Siege of Fort Zeelandia
Siege of Fort Zeelandia
The Siege of Fort Zeelandia , which took place in 1661 and 1662, ended the Dutch East India Company's rule over Taiwan and began the Kingdom of Tungning's rule over the island...
, Koxinga
Koxinga
Koxinga is the customary Western spelling of the popular appellation of Zheng Chenggong , a military leader who was born in 1624 in Hirado, Japan to Zheng Zhilong, a Chinese merchant/pirate, and his Japanese wife and died in 1662 on the island of Formosa .A Ming loyalist and the arch commander of...
drove the Europeans out of Taiwan. Under the administration of Koxinga, Bakaloan was governed as Shanhua Village of Tianhsing County of the Kingdom of Tungning
Kingdom of Tungning
The Kingdom of Tungning was a government that ruled Taiwan between 1661 and 1683. A pro-Ming Dynasty state, it was founded by Koxinga after the Ming government in mainland China was replaced by the Manchu-ruled Qing Dynasty...
. According to the Shanhua Urban Plan Total Review Report, the old name for the region is Wanli before it was changed back again to Shanhua Village under Japanese rule
Taiwan under Japanese rule
Between 1895 and 1945, Taiwan was a dependency of the Empire of Japan. The expansion into Taiwan was a part of Imperial Japan's general policy of southward expansion during the late 19th century....
in 1920.
Government
Until December 25, 2010, the chief executive of Shanhua Township was the popularly elected magistrateMagistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
. The township also had a council consisting of councillors
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
elected from the township.
Since the current administrative arrangement came into effect on the above date, a director appointed by the mayor of Tainan City is in charge of the administration of the newly created district.
Economy
Shanhua has an agricultural economy. Major products of the township include riceRice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
, strawberry
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
, and watermelon
Watermelon
Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center...
.
In 1973, the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC) was co-established by eleven nations including the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and the 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...
(Taiwan). It has the goal to improve agricultural techniques. The headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
of the organization is located in the southern part of Shanhua, and is the first and only headquarters of an international organization located in 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...
.
The National Science Council
National Science Council
The National Science Council is the main governmental promotion and funding body for science research in Taiwan, Republic of China. It is a governmental body under the Executive Yuan.-External links:* *...
of the Executive Yuan
Executive Yuan
The Executive Yuan is the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China , commonly known as "Taiwan".-Organization and structure:...
founded the Tainan Science Park
Tainan Science Park
Tainan Science Park of Taiwan is located in Xinshi, Shanhua and Anding Districts of Tainan City with a total area of , and is a part of the Southern Taiwan Science Park .-History:...
based in Sinshih
Sinshih, Tainan
Xinshi District is a rural district in central Tainan City, Taiwan. Its historical name was Sinckan and shares the same namesake as the Sinckan language and Sinckan Manuscripts....
. Part of the park lies within Shanhua, and brings job opportunities to local residents.
Cing-an Temple
The Cing-an Temple is a temple, which is almost 300 years old, dedicated to goddess MatsuMatsu (goddess)
Mazu , also spelt Matsu, is the indigenous goddess of the sea who is said to protect fishermen and sailors, and is invoked as the patron deity of all Southern Chinese and East Asian persons...
. According to oral tradition
Oral tradition
Oral tradition and oral lore is cultural material and traditions transmitted orally from one generation to another. The messages or testimony are verbally transmitted in speech or song and may take the form, for example, of folktales, sayings, ballads, songs, or chants...
, the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
set up a Dutch language school here when they ruled Taiwan.
Transportation
- Taiwan Railway AdministrationTaiwan Railway AdministrationThe Taiwan Railway Administration is an agency of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications of the Republic of China responsible for managing, maintaining, and running passenger and freight service on 1097 km of conventional railroad lines in Taiwan...
- Shanhua Station
- Formosa Freeway
- Shanhua Interchange
- Provincial Highway No.1Highway System in TaiwanHighways in the Republic of China are classified into four types:# National highways: 1 - 10 # Provincial highways: 1 - 39, 61 - 88 # County routes: 101 - 205# Township routes-The numbering system:...