Taitung City

Taitung City (Mandarin pinyin: Táidōng Shì; Hokkien POJ: Tâi-tang-chhī) is a county-administered city and the county seat of Taitung County, Taiwan. It lies on the southeast coast of Taiwan facing the Pacific Ocean. Taitung City is the most populous subdivision of Taitung County and it is one of the major cities on the east coast of the island.

"Taitung, Taiwan" redirects here. For the county, see Taitung County. For other uses, see Taitung (disambiguation).
Taitung

臺東市

Taitō
County-administered city
Taitung City
View of Taitung City
Etymology: Taitō (Japanese: 臺東, Taiwan east)
Nickname(s): 
東市 (Eastern City)
Taitung
Location in the Republic of China
Coordinates: 22°45′30″N 121°08′40″E
CountryRepublic of China (Taiwan)
ProvinceTaiwan Province
CountyTaitung
Government
 • MayorChang Kuo-chou (張國洲)[1]
Area
 • Total109.7691 km2 (42.3821 sq mi)
Population
 (December 2014)
 • Total106,929
 • Density970/km2 (2,500/sq mi)
Websitewww.taitungcity.gov.tw
Taitung City
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese臺東市 or 台東市
Simplified Chinese台东市
Literal meaningEastern Taiwan
Japanese name
Kanji台東市
Kanaたいとうし
Kyūjitai臺東市
Taitung City in Taitung County

Due to the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan, ground transportation to Taitung City is very limited. The city is served by Taitung Airport. Taitung is a gateway to Green Island and Orchid Island, both of which are popular tourist destinations.

History
Taitung City under Japanese rule

Before the 16th century the Taitung plain was settled by agriculturalist Puyuma and Amis aboriginal tribes. Under Dutch rule and during Qing rule, a large part of eastern Taiwan, including today's Taitung, was called "Pi-lam" (Chinese: 卑南; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Pi-lâm). Many artifacts of the prehistory sites of the city are located at Beinan Cultural Park, which was discovered in 1980 during the construction of Taitung Station.

In the late 19th century, when Liu Mingchuan was the Qing Governor of Taiwan, Han Chinese settlers moved into the Taitung region. Pi-lam Subprefecture (卑南廳) was established in 1875, and was upgraded and renamed to Taitung Prefecture in 1888, after the island was made Fujian-Taiwan Province.[2]

Japanese rule
Map of Taitung (labeled as TAITŌ) and surrounding area (1944)

During Japanese rule, the central settlement was called Nankyō Village (南鄉新街). Taitō Chō (臺東廳) was one of twenty local administrative offices established in 1901. English-language works from the era refer to the place as Pinan (from Japanese) and Pilam (from Hokkien).[3] Taitō Town was established in 1920 under Taitō Prefecture, and included modern Taitung City and eastern Beinan Township. There were no Americans living here during the Japanese rule.

Post-war
Map of the region including Taitung (labeled as T'ai-tung (Taitō) 臺東) (1951)

After handover of Taiwan from Japan to the ROC in 1945, it became Taitung Township and in 1976 it was promoted to Taitung City.

City government

Taitung City government is headquartered at Taitung City Hall which takes the responsibility for the city general administration and all of its other affairs, from folk, education, cultural popularization, negotiation, emergency help, disaster prevention, environmental taxation, cleaning control, finance, public property control, tellership, taxing help, farming and fishing control, wholesale products, marketing and business administration, urban planning, public establishment, tourism, community development, army service administration, welfare, national health insurance program and indigenous administration affairs.

Departments
  • Civil Affair Section
  • Financial Section
  • Construction Section
  • Labor Affair Section
  • Social and Army Service Section
  • Aboriginal Administration Section
  • Administration Section
  • Personnel Office
  • Budget, Accounting and Statistics Office
  • Ethics Section[4]

Climate

Taitung has a tropical monsoon climate, with a wet season from May to October, a dry season from November to April, and consistently very warm to hot temperatures with high humidity. Unlike most tropical climates, however, the dry season is foggy rather than sunny, so that moisture availability during this period is greater than the low rainfall and warm temperatures would suggest. The highest record of temperature of Taiwan was recorded in Taitung on May 9, 2004, with temperatures peaking above 40 degrees Celsius for the first time in Taiwan's recorded history.

Administrative divisions

Wenhua, Minzu, Zijiang, Minsheng, Baosang, Minquan, Siwei, Zhonghua, Renai, Jiangguo, Datong, Chenggong, Jianguo, Zhongzheng, Zhongshan, Xingguo, Tiehua, Tunghai, Fuguo, Fuxing, Xinxing, Xinsheng, Zhongxin, Malan, Guangming, Fengnian, Fengle, Yongle, Kangle, Fengrong, Fenggu, Fengli, Fengyuan, Fugang, Fufeng, Nanrong, Yanwan, Beinan, Nanwang, Fengtian, Xinyuan, Jianhe, Jianxing, Jianye, Zhiben and Jiannong Village.

Government institutions

Education
National Taitung University

Tourist attractions
Kararuan Coast

Transportation
TRA Taitung Station
Taitung Airport
Taitung Bus Station

Notable natives

References
  1. "Police suspend use of loudspeakers in Taitung hostage situation".
  2. Davidson, James W. (1903). The Island of Formosa, Past and Present : history, people, resources, and commercial prospects : tea, camphor, sugar, gold, coal, sulphur, economical plants, and other productions. London and New York: Macmillan & co. p. 244. OL 6931635M.
  3. Davidson (1903), Index p.29: "Pinan (Pilam)"
  4. http://www.taitungcity.gov.tw/englishweb/index.htm
  5. "Central Weather Bureau".
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