Chiayi
Chiayi (Taigi
POJ: Ka-gī;
Chinese: 嘉義), officially
known as Chiayi City,
is a
city located in the plains of
southwestern
Taiwan. Formerly called
Kagee during the late
Qing dynasty and Kagi
during the
Japanese era (Chinese
and
Japanese: 嘉義), its historical
name is Tirosen.
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Chiayi
嘉義市
Ka-gi; Chiai
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City
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| Chiayi City | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nickname(s):
Peach City (桃城)
or Jia City (嘉市)
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| Country |
 Republic
of China (Taiwan) |
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| Region | Southern Taiwan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seat | East District | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Districts |
2 districts
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Government |
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| • Type | Chiayi City Government | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| • Mayor | Huang Min-hui (KMT) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Area
[1]
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| • Provincial city | 60.03 km2 (23.18 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Area rank | 21 out of 22 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Elevation |
69 m (226 ft) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Population
(2016)
[2]
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| • Provincial city | 270,254 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| • Rank | 18 of 22 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| • Density | 4,500/km2 (12,000/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Time zone | UTC+8 (National Standard Time) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Postal code |
600
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| Area code(s) | 05 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ISO 3166 code | TW-CYI | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Flower |
Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia blakeana) |
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| Tree | Hong Kong orchid tree | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www.chiayi.gov.tw [19] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chiayi City | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg)
"Chiayi" in
Traditional (top) and
Simplified (bottom)
Chinese characters
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 嘉義市 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 嘉义市 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kanji | 嘉義市 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kana | かぎし | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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History
Early history
First inhabited by the
Hoanya
aborigines, the region was
named Tirosen
(variants Tirocen,
Tiracen). With the arrival of
Han Chinese immigrants in
southwestern Taiwan, the name
evolved to become Tsulosan
(Chinese:
諸羅山;
pinyin: Zhūluóshān;
Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chu-lô-san)
in
Hokkien. 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, Chinese Peter,
who came from
Zhangzhou,
Fujian Province, first led
his people to cultivate this land
after they landed at Ponkan
(modern-day
Beigang).
Dutch Formosa
Records from the
Dutch era show Tirosen as the
usual form of the name; it also
occurred as Tirassen,
Tirozen, Tilocen,
Tilossen, Tilocen, and
Thilocen.
[3] 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),
Koxinga defeated the Dutch
based in Taiwan and founded the
Kingdom of Tungning. He
established one province,
Cheng-Tien-Fu, and two counties,
Tien-Hsing and Wan-Nien, demarcated
by the Hsin-Kang River (Chinese:
新港溪, 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. 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
Kingdom of Tungning, 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" (襟山) for East,
"Tai Hai" (帶海) for West, "Chung
Yang" (崇陽) for South, and "Kung
Chen" (拱辰) 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 (嘉義;
literally: 'commended
righteousness') to praise the
citizens' loyalty.
In the mid-1800's, a custom of
annual riotous mass
stoning developed in the
city.
[4]
In 1887, a separate
Taiwan Province was declared
and the island was administratively
divided into four prefectures; the
city of Kagee belonged to
Tainan Prefecture.
Japanese rule
In 1895, Taiwan was ceded to
Japan in the
Treaty of Shimonoseki. 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.
[5]
A devastating earthquake struck the
city in March 1906.
[6]
In looking over some of my more recent Notes, it seems impossible to make the foregoing references to Ka-gi without adding a few words about that dreadful earthquake which devastated the region in March 1906. I was there soon after, and had a profound feeling of sadness on seeing whole streets covered with fallen beams and other debris ; on seeing, too, so many traces of the awful suffering on every side. Within Ka-gi city, and a limited area around, 1,216 persons were suddenly thrust out into the eternal world. Not fewer than 2,306 persons were seriously injured, and 13,259 houses were laid low. The great mysterious Power then tore the earth into deep, open chasms in several places. Many of the narrow escapes and calamities were very affecting ; particularly that of our blind evangelist Toa-un, who ran out of doors with his wife as the shaking began. The demented mother, however, could not bear the thought of her two helpless young children being left behind, and she darted in to rescue them, when my poor blind pupil became childless and a widower in an instant of time. No sooner had the Governor-General at Tai-pak received telegraphic information of the magnitude of the calamity, than instructions were issued for a large company of surgeons, nurses, and assistants to proceed at once to Ka-gi. Wide hospital-sheds were erected without delay, and the work of relief was carried on with a rare amount of self-denial and promptitude. Even already, the city has lost much of its most desolate appearance, and the projected improvements give promise that it will have a more attractive look than ever. - William Campbell, 1915
In 1907, the construction of
Alishan Forest Railway to
Mount Ali was begun. In 1920,
the city became an autonomous group
as Kagi Town (嘉義街),
Kagi District, within
Tainan Prefecture, which
included modern-day
Tainan City,
Chiayi County and
Yunlin County. In 1930, the
town was upgraded to an autonomous
city under the same prefecture.
Post-war
In 1945, when Japan relinquished
control of Taiwan on 25 October
1945, Chiayi City
was established as a
provincial city of
Taiwan Province. 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
county-controlled city and
merged with
Chiayi County to be the
county seat. 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.
[7]
Geography
Chiayi City is located on the north
side of
Chianan Plain, south west of
Taiwan Island. On the east side is
the
Mount Ali, on the west side
is the
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
15.8 km (9.8 mi) and from north to
south is 10.5 km (6.5 mi) with a
total area of 60.0256 km2
(23.1760 sq mi). Chiayi City is
completely surrounded by
Chiayi County. Most of Chiayi
City land are broad flat fertility
plains. The terrain slowly rises
from west to east.
Climate
Chiayi City has a warm
humid subtropical climate (Köppen
Cwa). 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.
| Climate data for Chiayi (normals 1981–2010, extremes 1968–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) |
31.7 (89.1) |
33.0 (91.4) |
34.1 (93.4) |
33.9 (93.0) |
37.2 (99.0) |
37.0 (98.6) |
37.0 (98.6) |
36.6 (97.9) |
36.7 (98.1) |
36.5 (97.7) |
32.9 (91.2) |
32.5 (90.5) |
37.2 (99.0) |
| Average high °C (°F) |
22.1 (71.8) |
22.4 (72.3) |
24.8 (76.6) |
27.8 (82.0) |
30.5 (86.9) |
32.3 (90.1) |
33.1 (91.6) |
32.6 (90.7) |
31.6 (88.9) |
29.8 (85.6) |
27.1 (80.8) |
23.9 (75.0) |
28.2 (82.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) |
16.5 (61.7) |
17.3 (63.1) |
19.7 (67.5) |
23.0 (73.4) |
25.8 (78.4) |
27.8 (82.0) |
28.6 (83.5) |
28.2 (82.8) |
27.0 (80.6) |
24.5 (76.1) |
21.3 (70.3) |
17.7 (63.9) |
23.1 (73.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) |
12.5 (54.5) |
13.8 (56.8) |
15.9 (60.6) |
19.2 (66.6) |
22.1 (71.8) |
24.3 (75.7) |
25.2 (77.4) |
24.9 (76.8) |
23.7 (74.7) |
20.9 (69.6) |
17.3 (63.1) |
13.2 (55.8) |
19.4 (66.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) |
1.8 (35.2) |
2.6 (36.7) |
2.7 (36.9) |
8.2 (46.8) |
13.9 (57.0) |
17.5 (63.5) |
21.7 (71.1) |
19.7 (67.5) |
17.6 (63.7) |
12.7 (54.9) |
6.7 (44.1) |
0.4 (32.7) |
0.4 (32.7) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) |
23.6 (0.93) |
57.4 (2.26) |
63.4 (2.50) |
103.0 (4.06) |
176.2 (6.94) |
314.0 (12.36) |
369.9 (14.56) |
380.2 (14.97) |
222.6 (8.76) |
27.5 (1.08) |
15.2 (0.60) |
21.3 (0.84) |
1,774.3 (69.85) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 4.9 | 6.5 | 7.7 | 9.2 | 10.1 | 13.7 | 14.4 | 17.0 | 10.4 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 102.7 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 79.0 | 81.5 | 81.5 | 82.2 | 82.0 | 79.6 | 78.7 | 81.5 | 82.6 | 81.4 | 79.6 | 77.5 | 80.6 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 165.1 | 134.2 | 151.3 | 150.4 | 172.6 | 181.0 | 214.2 | 192.5 | 181.2 | 189.7 | 163.6 | 170.9 | 2,066.7 |
| Source: [8] | |||||||||||||
Government
Chiayi City is a
provincial city of
Taiwan Province of the
Republic of China. The city
is governed by the
Chiayi City Government, while
the residence is represented in the
Chiayi City Council. The
current
Mayor of Chiayi City is
Huang Min-hui of the
Kuomintang.
Administrative divisions
Chiayi City is divided into two
districts.
East District is the city
seat which houses the
Chiayi City Government.
| Map | Name | Chinese | Taiwanese | Hakka | Population (2016) | Area (km²) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
East | 東區 | Tang | Tûng | 122,877 | 29.1195 | |
| West | 西區 | Se | Sî | 147,396 | 30.9061 | ||
Politics
Chiayi City voted one
Democratic Progressive Party
legislator to be in the
Legislative Yuan during the
2016 Taiwanese general election.
[9]
Demographics
Chiayi city is a 100% purely ethnic
Hokkien inhabited city.
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1985 | 253,573 | — |
| 1990 | 257,597 | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 261,391 | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 266,183 | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 272,364 | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 272,390 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 270,366 | −0.7% |
| Source:"Populations by city and country in Taiwan" [20] . Ministry of the Interior Population Census. | ||
Education
- National Chiayi University
- Tatung Institute of Commerce and Technology
- 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.
[10]
Tourist attractions
- Art Site of Chiayi Railway Warehouse
- Chia-Le-Fu Night Market
- Chiayi Botanical Garden
- Chiayi City Municipal Baseball Stadium
- Chiayi Cultural and Creative Industries Park
- Chiayi Jen Wu Temple
- Chiayi Municipal Museum
- Chiayi Park Chiayi Confucian Temple Kagi Shrine Sun-Shooting Tower
- Chiayi Prison Museum
- Hinoki Village
- Lantan Lake
- Museum of Ancient Taiwan Tiles
- St. John's Cathedral
- Taiwan Hinoki Museum
- Water Source Water Meter Room
- Wenhua Road Night Market
- Historic Archives Building of Chiayi City (史蹟資料館)
- 228 Memorial Park
- National 228 Memorial Park
- Chung Cheng Park [11]
- Alishan Forest Railway & Railway 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.
[12]
Notable residents/natives (當地著名人物)
- Tan Ting-pho (陳澄波, 1895-1947), Taiwan famous painter.
- Sow-Hsin Chen (陳守信, 1935), American physicist, Professor.
- Vincent Siew (蕭萬長, 1939), Taiwanese politician, Vice President of the Republic of China (2008 – 2012), Vice-Chairman of the Kuomintang.
- Deng Feng-Zhou (鄧豐洲, 1949), Taiwanese poet, Local history writer, Nedan academics.
- Huang Min-hui (黃敏惠, 1959), former mayor of Chiayi City, vice chairperson of Kuomintang, a member of the Legislative Yuan (1999 and 2005).
- Lo Chen-Jung (羅振榮, 1961), Taiwanese left-handed baseball pitcher.
- Wu Bai (伍百 吳俊霖, 1968), Taiwanese rock singer.
International relations
Twin towns — sister cities
Chiayi is
twinned with:
- East Orange, New Jersey, United States (1972)
- Jackson, Mississippi, United States (1972)
- Juneau, Alaska, United States (1977)
- Murray, Utah, United States (1977)
- Bulacan Province, Philippines (1980)
- Martinsburg, West Virginia, United States (1988)
- Syracuse, New York, United States (1995)
- Hsinchu City, Taiwan (2002)
Transportation
Rail
Chiayi City is accessible from
Chiayi Station and
Jiabei Station of the
Taiwan Railways Administration
or a slightly further
THSR
Chiayi Station in
Chiayi County. It also houses
the first station for the
Alishan Forest Railway.
Bus
The
Chiayi Bus Rapid Transit
serves Chiayi City with the
neighboring
Chiayi County, and
Chiayi City Bus serves the
urban areas of Chiayi City.
Air
Chiayi City is served by
Chiayi Airport located in the
neighboring
Chiayi County.
See also
- List of mayors of Chiayi
References
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Retrieved 1 July
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Oct 1, 2019 1:39 PM
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William (1903).
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"Sketches from
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It was on a later
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www.chiayi.gov.tw嘉義市105年6月份人口統計資料
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