New Taipei City: The Ring-Shaped Metropolis Surrounding Taipei, Supporting the Capital’s Commuting, Industry, and Memory with 4.01 Million People

30-Second Overview: In 1628, the Spanish built Fort Santo Domingo in Tamsui; in 1643, the Dutch laid the foundation for a new castle on the same site; in 1867, the British and the Qing government signed the Permanent Lease Agreement for Fort Santo Domingo, paying an annual rent of only 10 taels of silver. This brick structure predates Shen Baozhen’s establishment of the “Taipei Prefecture” in Monga in 1875 by 247 years. Today, New Taipei City’s 19 districts surround Taipei City’s 12 districts, with 4.01 million people residing in this largest direct-administered city in Taiwan. It was upgraded to a direct-administered city exactly 15 years ago on December 25, 2010. However, the history of this “ring-shaped metropolis” stretches far back: the three-story main residence of the Banqiao Lin Family in 1853; in 1869, Thomas W. Dow transported 21,000 kilograms of oolong tea from Tamsui to New York; in the 1890s, Jiufen and Jinguashi became Asia’s first gold mine; in 1929, the Pingxi Railway began transporting coal; in 1947, Li Mei-shu began carving the Sanxia Changfu Yan Ancestor Temple; and the Delanang Village of the Atayal people in Wulai. Taipei sees satellite cities; New Taipei sees its own 400-year history.

The Bricks at the Mouth of the Tamsui River Predate Taipei’s Founding by 247 Years

Fort Santo Domingo in Tamsui, the site where the Spanish laid the first brick in 1628. Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 4.0.

If you are looking for a single object that can speak for all of New Taipei City, go to Fort Santo Domingo in Tamsui.

Fort Santo Domingo is located at No. 1, Lane 28, Zhongzheng Road, Tamsui District. It is a square brick building on a hill, with a two-story brick British Consulate residence added in 1891 beside it¹. From here, one can see the mouth of the Tamsui River, Bali, and the Taiwan Strait. Between 1628 and 1629, a Spanish fleet sailed north from Manila and built the first-generation fortress at this site, using "clay, reeds, bamboo, and wood as raw materials," naming it Fort Santo Domingo¹.

The Spanish stayed in Tamsui for 14 years. In 1642, the Dutch East India Company attacked San Salvador Fort in Keelung, coming north from Tainan, and顺势 took over Tamsui. On May 7, 1643, the Dutch laid the foundation for a new castle at the same site, "the first stone was officially laid, and the construction of the fortress began... it was not fully completed until 1646"¹. The Dutch spent three years transforming the wooden fortress left by the Spanish into the stone Fort Anthonio. The red-brick main structure we see today has a skeleton laid by the Dutch in 1644.

After the Qing dynasty arrived, this fortress changed hands once again. In 1724, "Wang Qian, the then Magistrate of Danshui and Catch-thief Assistant of Taiwan Prefecture, began to repair Fort Santo Domingo"¹. In 1867, the Qing court signed the "Permanent Lease Agreement for Fort Santo Domingo" with the United Kingdom, "the British established a consulate in Tamsui in 1861, and in 1867 signed the 'Permanent Lease Agreement for Fort Santo Domingo' with the Qing court"¹, paying only 10 taels of fine silver annually. The British stayed here for 105 years. After withdrawing their embassy in 1972, they entrusted custody to Australia, which then handed it over to the United States for custody. It was officially handed back to the government of the Republic of China by the British on June 30, 1980¹.

From the Spanish in 1628, the Dutch in 1644, the Qing in 1724, the British in 1867, Australia and the United States, to its return to the Republic of China in 1980, a single brick has experienced six different rulers. It was designated as a First-Class Cultural Monument in the Taiwan, Fujian, and Matsu regions in 1983, and opened to the public for visits on December 25, 1984¹.

And what about Taipei's "founding"? It had to wait until 1875, when Shen Baozhen memorialized the establishment of "Taipei Prefecture"; 1879, when Chen Xingju began building the city walls; 1882, when the North Gate city walls broke ground; and 1884, when it was completed. This is 256 years later than the first brick laid at Fort Santo Domingo in 1628.

This is the first easily misunderstood fact about New Taipei City: The history of the identity "surrounding Taipei" is actually two and a half centuries older than Taipei itself.

1858 Port Opening, 1869 Oolong Tea to New York: The First Window to the Outside World

Next to Fort Santo Domingo lies the mouth of the Tamsui River.

In June 1858, the Qing government signed the Treaty of Tianjin with the major powers. "The three ports of Taiwan (Anping), Tamsui, and Takao (Kaohsiung) were thus opened to the powers, allowing travel and missionary work" ². The Qing government subsequently signed the Treaty of Tianjin with Russia (June 13), the United States (June 18), Britain (June 26), and France (June 27). On July 18, 1862, Tamsui established a customs office and opened for trade; this was Taiwan's first port formally opened to global trade, 21 years before Keelung (Keelung did not establish a customs office until 1883).

British merchant John Dodd arrived during this period. In 1864, he came to Tamsui to investigate Taiwan's tea industry, established Jardine Matheson's predecessor (the "Baoshun" trading house) in Tamsui, and introduced tea seedlings from Anxi, Fujian, providing loans to farmers in the northern region. In 1869, "two sailing ships transported 21,000 kg of Taiwan oolong tea directly to New York" ³. This was the first time Taiwanese tea was exported to the United States, crossing half the globe. "Winning a good reputation," oolong tea became a hot seller in New York, and Tamsui followed suit.

"From 1864 to 1894, the total export trade volume of Tamsui accounted for 57% of all of Taiwan, with tea, sugar, and camphor as the main exports" ⁴. English-speaking trading house staff, compradors writing letters back to Xiamen, Fujianese immigrants rolling cigarettes, and Taiwanese merchants purchasing goods in Monga were all crowded along the same riverbank. "By 1878, tea had accounted for 90% of the total export value of the north" ⁵. Tamsui had become the globalization window for northern Taiwan.

George Leslie Mackay (Ma Hai) also arrived at this time. "On March 9, 1872, Canadian Presbyterian missionary George Leslie Mackay landed in Tamsui" ⁶. The day he stepped off the ship, he knew he would stay here for the rest of his life. In 1880, Mackay returned to Canada to raise funds, receiving a donation of 6,215 Canadian dollars from residents of Oxford County, Ontario, his hometown. "Completed on July 26, 1882 (the 8th year of the Guangxu reign), it was named 'Li Xue Tang Grand Academy'" ⁶. This was the first Western-style school in northern Taiwan, the predecessor of today's Tamkang University (in 1965, the 'Tamsui Business and Trade Junior College' was established on the site of the Oxford College; in 1999, it was upgraded to Tamkang University).

But in 1884, another war broke out.

On October 1, Admiral孤拔 (Courbet) led four warships to attack the mouth of the Tamsui River at Huwei. Admiral Sun Kaihua had stones used to sink ships to block the port and laid mines to prevent the French from landing. "Official records from the French National Archives state that French losses included 6 dead, 11 missing, and 49 wounded" ⁷. The French occupied Keelung for eight months, but Tamsui was not captured.

"The Qing court realized the strategic importance of Taiwan's coastal defense in this campaign; after the war, it announced the establishment of Taiwan as a province, appointing Liu Mingchuan, in his capacity as Fujian Governor, as the first Taiwan Provincial Governor" ⁷. After the war, Liu Mingchuan hired German military engineer Max E. Hecht to plan the Huwei Battery, which was completed in 1886. The gate inscription reads "Key to the Northern Gate," a testament that remains visible today ⁷. This is the most memorable contrast in New Taipei City: The direct trigger for Taiwan's establishment as a province was this small naval battle in Tamsui.

📝 Curator's Note: Taiwan history textbooks often treat "1858 Treaty of Tianjin → 1860 Tamsui Port Opening → 1869 Oolong Tea Export to New York" as a single narrative. However, these three events compressed represent the entire process of Tamsui transforming from a peripheral fishing port into a global trade node. The Baoshun trading house was located near today's Customs Pier on Tamsui's Chungcheng Road; Mackay's Oxford College is within the campus of today's Tamkang University; the 1886 Huwei Battery is behind the Tamsui Martyrs' Shrine. It takes only 10 minutes to walk from Fort Santo Domingo to the Oxford College, but the journey spans over 200 years of world history. Taiwanese people often trace Taipei's globalization back to the 1980s. But for people in Tamsui, what remains memorable is that batch of 21,000 kg of oolong tea in 1869.

The Lin Family of Banqiao: The First Case of Indigenous Capitalism in 1853

The Lin Family Mansion and Garden (Lin Family Garden) in Banqiao, completed in 1893, is the first case of Taiwan's indigenous capitalism spanning 133 years. Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA via Wikimedia.

Traveling south from Danshui, it is a half-hour drive to Banqiao.

If Danshui is New Taipei's international window, Banqiao is the starting point of its indigenous capitalism.

Lin Ping-hou established his fortune early. "Lin Ping-hou made his living transporting rice, and when the Lin Shuangwen Rebellion occurred, rice prices soared. As a rice merchant, Lin Ping-hou reaped extremely substantial profits in the rice transport business" ⁸. He had five sons; the third son (Ben Ji) and the youngest son (Yuan Ji) jointly established "Lin Ben Yuan" as the family name, which became the formal name of the "Banqiao Lin Family."

The Lin family's settlement in Banqiao happened in two steps. The first step: "In the 27th year of the Daoguang reign (1847 AD), the Lin family built Biyi Hall in Fangqiao (now Banqiao) for the convenience of collecting tenant rents; this marked the beginning of the Lin family building structures in the Banqiao area" ⁸. The second step was between 1851 and 1853: "In the first year of the Xianfeng reign (1851 AD), the Lin family built a three-hall main house next to Biyi Hall in Fangqiao, and after its completion in the third year of Xianfeng, the entire family moved in" ⁸. In 1853, during the third year of the Xianfeng reign, the Lin family officially moved from Xinzhuang to Banqiao, marking the beginning of the Banqiao Lin Family's identity as "Banqiao people."

This was followed by the漳-Quan conflicts (Zhangzhou-Quanzhou械鬥). After Lin Guo-fang (the youngest son of Lin Ping-hou) took over the family business in 1857, the Zhangzhou-Quanzhou conflicts in Taipei reached their peak. In 1861, Lin Guo-fang attempted to reclaim land leased to Quanzhou people and re-lease it to Zhangzhou people, causing great turmoil among the people of greater Taipei. In the decades following this conflict, Banqiao became the base for Zhangzhou immigrants in greater Taipei.

The Lin family's true immense wealth came during the third generation, under Lin Weiyuan and Lin Weirang. During the Sino-French War in 1884, "In the 10th year of the Guangxu reign (1884 AD), Lin Weiyuan donated 200,000 taels of silver for military provisions and assisted Liu Ming-chuan in handling Taiwan's defense, serving as the Assistant Minister of Taiwan's Pacification and Development. He suddenly rose to become a 'red-topped merchant'" ⁹. The Lin family rose from rice merchants to political-business figures, dealing directly with the high-level Qing court.

The Lin Family Garden was built during this period. In the 14th year of the Guangxu reign (1888 AD), Lin Weiyuan invested heavily in repairs, connecting the various garden scenes, and it was fully completed in the 19th year of Guangxu (1893 AD) ⁸. This garden still exists today on Xiemen Street in Banqiao District, covering a total area of 6,054 ping, making it the most complete surviving garden architecture in Taiwan.

However, after the Nationalist government relocated to Taiwan in 1949, the Lin Family Garden in Banqiao was nearly destroyed. "After 1949, over a thousand refugees from three hundred households occupied the site, causing severe damage" ⁸. More than a thousand out-of-province refugees moved into this late Qing garden, cramming toilets, kitchens, and clotheslines into the pavilions and towers. By the end of 1982, "the garden's restoration project began, and after four years, it was finally restored. The total restoration cost amounted to 156,433,218 New Taiwan dollars" ⁸. Designated as a national-level historical monument in 1985, the Lin Family Garden we see today is the version restored and completed in 1986.

From settling in Banqiao in 1853, investing heavily in the garden in 1888, its completion in 1893, refugees moving in during 1949, restoration beginning in 1982, and completion in 1986, one garden spans 133 years of Taiwan's history.

Banqiao's role as the seat of New Taipei County's government (later upgraded to city government) is inseparable from the Lin family. Today, Banqiao District has a population of 549,000 (as of the end of 2025), making it the administrative district with the largest population in the country, and it is also the seat of the New Taipei City Government ¹⁰. But the core of Banqiao actually remains next to the three-hall main house built in 1853.

1890–1987: The 95-Year Gold Mining Era in Jiufen and Kinmen

Jiufen Mountain Town: The site of transformation from a miners’ settlement to a tourist symbol. Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA via Wikimedia.

Moving northeast from Banqiao lies the mountainous region of New Taipei.

In 1889, workers discovered alluvial gold in the Keelung River. Prospecting crowds followed the river upstream, reaching Dacukeng between 1890 and 1893. In 1893, a gold vein outcrop was discovered in the mountains near Jiufen. In 1894, gold was found in the Ben Shan ore body of Kinmen, marking the beginning of what would become known as "Asia’s First Precious Metal Mine."

At the start of the Japanese colonial era, mining rights in Kinmen were granted to the Tanaka Group. On October 26, 1896, the rights were officially approved and issued to Tanaka Chōhei, who began mining operations at Kinmen Ben Shan¹¹. The Japanese introduced mechanized mining, rail tracks, and chemical refining, transforming Kinmen from a Qing-era site of scattered prospectors into an industrial mine under Japanese rule.

"In 1938, production reached its peak of nearly 70,000 taels, earning Kinmen the reputation as 'Asia’s First Precious Metal Mine' and attracting 80,000 people to the area in pursuit of their gold dreams"¹². A small mountain town, Kinmen housed 80,000 people in 1938. This was ten times the combined population of today’s Wulai District (5,800), Pingxi District (4,400), and Shuangxi District (8,300).

After the war, mining in Kinmen continued under the Taiwan Metal Corporation (TMC). However, gold output declined year by year. In 1985, TMC began downsizing, and mines and processing plants were gradually put up for auction. "The Taiwan Metal Corporation finally ceased operations in 1987, and the land of the Kinmen mining area was taken over by the Taiwan Sugar Corporation"¹³. This marks the precise endpoint of the "gold mining era" in Jiufen and Kinmen. From the discovery of gold in 1890 to the closure of TMC in 1987, the era lasted exactly 97 years.

But the story of Jiufen did not end in 1987.

In 1989, director Hou Hsiao-hsien filmed City of Sadness in Jiufen and Kinmen. "Filming began on November 25, 1988, in front of the Bagu Pavilion in Kinmen, Keelung." The film won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1989, "turning the filming locations of Jiufen and Kinmen into tourist hotspots"¹⁴. The hillside settlement of the mining era was rewritten by a single film into a tourist symbol. Starting in the 1990s, old houses in Jiufen were converted into tea houses, and tour buses flooded the mountaintop. Mining-era landmarks such as "No. 5 Mine," "Shengping Theater," and "Jishan Street" became popular spots for Instagram check-ins.

In 2004, "led by the Taipei County Government... the Gold Museum Park officially opened"¹⁵. It is Taiwan’s first museum park based on the concept of an ecological museum, integrating the Japanese-era Crown Prince Guest House, Ben Shan Mine No. 5, and miners’ dormitories into a local museum. It took 17 years for Kinmen to transform from a mine into a museum.

From the perspective of Jiufen’s tourists, this is a romantic transformation. But the descendants of miners may not see it that way. In the year TMC ceased operations, the population of the Kinmen settlement dropped from 80,000 to less than 5,000. Miners scattered to Taipei, Keelung, and Yilan to find work. Today, many of those selling taro balls on the old streets of Jiufen and Kinmen are descendants of those miners.

✦ The symbol of the end of the mining era is the 1987 closure of TMC, not the 1985 downsizing. 1985 marked the beginning of boiling the frog slowly; 1987 was the moment the water finally ran dry.

1929 Pingxi Railway, 1804 Yingge Ceramics, 1769 Sanxia Changfu Yan Ancestor Temple: The Craft Chain of Northern Taiwan

Shifen Old Street on the Pingxi Line, a railway that continued to the present after becoming state-operated passenger transport in 1929. Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA via Wikimedia.

Beyond Jiufen and Jinguashi, another mining settlement in New Taipei City is located in the upper reaches of the Keelung River: Pingxi.

"The Pingxi Line was completed in its entirety in July 1921 (Taishō 10), originally built as a coal transport railway funded by the Taiwan Metal Corporation"¹⁶. During the Japanese colonial era, the Taiwan Metal Corporation (operated by the Yeh Yun-nien family) discovered large coal reserves in the Shihdi Coalfield (present-day Pingxi and Jingtong area). In 1908, the Fujita Group conducted trial excavations to confirm the reserves, and in 1921, they built a railway to transport the coal out.

"On October 1, 1929 (Shōwa 4), the Taiwan Governor-General's Railway Bureau acquired the Shihdi Line for 1.5 million yen, converting it to state operation and naming it the 'Pingxi Line.' After renovation, it began handling passenger transport as well"¹⁶. This railway was originally a private coal transport line; it was acquired by the Governor-General's Office in 1929 to become the 'Pingxi Line.' The tourist train on the Pingxi Line today has the skeleton of the 1929 state-operated version.

The Pingxi Sky Lanterns came much later. "During the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty, the area's pioneers arrived in the Shifenliao area via Fujian's Hui'an and Anxi counties. Due to bandit disturbances and harassment of settlements, the pioneers sought refuge in the mountains. After the crisis passed, the able-bodied men remaining in the village used sky lanterns as signals to notify their families in hiding to return home"¹⁷. A signal system for refuge was commercialized for tourism in the 1990s, and the New Taipei City Sky Lantern Release Management Regulations were established in 2012. Today, on every Lantern Festival, the Pingxi sky is filled with orange sky lanterns; it is beautiful, but has nothing to do with coal mining.

Moving toward Sanxia and Yingge lies another craft chain.

The Sanxia Changfu Yan Ancestor Temple's earliest construction date varies across sources. ⚠️ The common official narrative states "1769 (Qianlong 34)"¹⁸. The temple underwent three reconstructions: the first after the 1833 earthquake; the second after being burned down as a resistance base following the Japanese army's entry into Taiwan in 1899; and the third in 1947. The host of this reconstruction was the painter Li Mei-shu.

"In 1947, the temple underwent its third major renovation. The temple authorities and local figures jointly elected Li Mei-shu as the project director. Li personally oversaw the planning and reconstruction, using his artistic expertise to launch the temple's breathtaking decorative art project, earning it the reputation of the 'Hall of Oriental Art'"¹⁸. Li Mei-shu was from Sanxia and one of the founders of the Taiwan Fine Arts Association. After the war, he served as chairman of the Sanxia Township People's Representative Assembly. In 1947, he began carving this temple as his life's artistic work, treating every pillar, each coffered ceiling, and every stone lion as an oil painting. He did not finish carving until his death in 1983, and repairs continue to this day¹⁸. A temple carved for 79 years, and it is not yet finished.

Yingge ceramics began in the late 18th century with the Wu family. "Yingge's pottery industry originated in 1804 (Jiaqing 9), when Wu An from Quanzhou first established a kiln in the Dahu area"¹⁹. Wu An crossed the sea from Quanzhou, Fujian, to Taiwan, initially living in Tuzikeng, Guishan, Taoyuan. Due to conflicts between Zhangzhou and Quanzhou clans, he moved to the Jianshanpu Street area of Yingge. Throughout the 19th century, the Yingge pottery industry was monopolized by the Wu family. "Starting in 1917, the 'Jianshan Pottery Association' and the 'Jianshan Pottery Production and Sales Association' were successively established, breaking the Wu family monopoly. In 1939, the introduction of Japan's 'Shihokyo' kiln greatly improved the efficiency and quality of Yingge ceramics"¹⁹. From 1804 to the present, Yingge has produced ceramics for 222 years. On November 26, 2000, the New Taipei City Yingge Ceramics Museum officially opened, Taiwan's first museum dedicated to ceramics¹⁹.

Sanxia Old Street itself is another story. "From 1886 to 1920, known as the golden age of Sanjiaoyong (Sanxia), the entire Sanjiaoyong Street featured 20 dye houses besides the Lin Maoxing Dye House, including Yongyu, Jinlianchun, Liu Chengfang, Li Yifa, Zhou Shengfa, Lin Rongxiang, and Lin Yuanji, making it the most important indigo dyeing base in Northern Taiwan"²⁰. Sanxia's three major industries bloomed simultaneously: indigo dyeing (indigo plants), camphor (produced in the Sanxia mountains), and tea (promoted by British merchant Thomas W. Todd in 1868; tea factories established by the Mitsui Bussan Kaisha during the Japanese colonial era). Today, Sanxia Old Street buildings date back to 1911, "preserving commercial storefronts from the Japanese colonial era, with continuous red brick arcades and antique architecture"²⁰.

From Jiufen and Jinguashi (mining) → Pingxi (coal transport) → Sanxia (indigo, camphor, tea) → Yingge (ceramics), New Taipei City's northeastern mountains and southwestern plateaus connect into a complete traditional industrial chain. This chain gradually became commercialized for tourism after the 1980s, but its skeleton remains.

The Ketagalan and Atayal: Two Indigenous Axes

The history of New Taipei does not begin with the Spanish.

The southern bank of the Tamsui River estuary in Bali is home to the Shisanhang Site. "The Shisanhang Site is located on the southern bank at the junction of the Tamsui River estuary in Bali District, New Taipei City. It is one of the important archaeological sites in northern Taiwan. Its inhabitants lived approximately 2,000 to 400 years ago and are currently the only prehistoric residents in Taiwan confirmed to have possessed iron-smelting technology. They are very likely the ancestors of the Taiwan indigenous Ketagalan people" ²¹. In 1998, the exhibition hall was renamed the "Shisanhang Museum," which was officially completed and opened to the public in 2003.

The Ketagalan were not confined to Bali. "Many place names in present-day Taipei are transliterations from the Ketagalan language, such as Dalongdong, Beitou, Qilianshan, Bali, Monga, and Jiaru" ²¹. Place names such as Bali, Sanchih, Shimen, Tamsui, and Beitou are all Chinese character transliterations of the Ketagalan language. The place name "Tamsui" itself may have been a transliteration after Qing Dynasty Fujian immigrants heard the Ketagalan term "Tampsui" (meaning "muddy river").

However, the contact between the Ketagalan and Han Chinese was asymmetrical. After the opening of the Tamsui port in 1858, Western missionaries and Han immigrants flooded into northern Taiwan, and the Ketagalan had undergone significant sinicization by the late 19th century. Today, there are scattered descendants of the Ketagalan in the districts of Tamsui, Bali, and Sanchih, but unlike the "distinct tribal structures" of the Amis or Paiwan peoples, their language has almost disappeared.

The other axis of indigenous presence in New Taipei is in Wulai.

Wulai District is the only mountain indigenous township among the 29 districts of New Taipei City, serving as an Atayal reserve. Wulai primarily consists of four tribes: Wulai Tribe (Ulay, the main tourist area), Zhongzhi Tribe (Tampya), Xinxiian Tribe (Rahaw, Laho Tribe, meaning "dense forest"), and Fushan Tribe (Tranan, Delanann) ²².

"The Fushan Tribe is pronounced 'Delanann' in the Atayal language. It is the most mountainous tribe in Wulai and was the first settlement for Atayal people who crossed the mountains from Shangbalin in Fuxing Township, Taoyuan" ²². The location of Delanann is key; it belongs to the same Atayal migration system as Lala Mountain in Fuxing District, Taoyuan. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Atayal migrated north from Fashacun (their ancestral homeland) in Ren'ai Township, Nantou. Some crossed Lala Mountain to Wulai, while others remained in Fuxing, Taoyuan. Today, the Fushan Tribe in Wulai and the Lala Mountain Tribe in Taoyuan still speak the same Atayal dialect.

The history of Wulai's hot springs dates back to the Japanese colonial era: "In 1903, after Japanese official Nagasaka Hideo discovered it in the Nanshi Stream valley, he established a bathhouse for the Wulai Indigenous Affairs Officer" ²². The Japanese transformed Wulai into a backyard retreat for Taipei residents. This identity persists today, making Wulai the most "indigenized" township in New Taipei's 29 districts in terms of tourism. However, the true core of Wulai lies in the deep mountain tribes of Fushan and Xinxiian, in places that tour buses cannot reach.

From the Ketagalan (Tamsui) to the Atayal (Wulai), New Taipei encompasses two indigenous axes: one of the lowland indigenous peoples that has "almost disappeared," and one of the highland indigenous peoples that continues to exist. These two axes are not located within Taipei City.

1958 Yonghe Separate Municipality, 1970s Sancheng and Xinzhuang Industrial Migration, 1979 Erchong Floodway: Three Waves of Post-War Expansion

New Taipei’s population explosion occurred in three distinct waves.

The first wave took place in the 1950s in Zhonghe and Yonghe. After the Nationalist government relocated to Taiwan in 1949, "considering air defense evacuation needs for Taipei City, the government designated the Zhonghe and Yonghe areas as evacuation zones, leading to a rapid increase in population" ²³. By 1956, Zhonghe’s population had reached 44,325, several times that of 1945. On April 1, 1958, "Zhonghe Township separated the six villages of the Guilun Lanxizhou area and one village each from the Tanqian and Xiulang areas to officially establish a town. The initial proposed name was Zhongxing Town, but due to potential confusion with Zhongxing Village, it was named Yonghe Town" ²³. Zhonghe and Yonghe were officially established as separate towns.

Yonghe’s high density came later. In the 1980s and 1990s, "many Korean Chinese from Shandong辗转 arrived in Taiwan and settled in Yonghe" ²⁴. Yonghe’s Zhongxing Street became "Korean Street," selling Korean groceries, Korean cuisine, and ginseng tea. This street slowly transformed from the 1970s onward into a commercial district selling Korean groceries and Korean cuisine. Yonghe’s food map, population density, and immigrant composition are all inextricably linked to its initial 1949 designation as a "Taiwan evacuation zone."

The second wave occurred in the 1970s in Sancheng and Xinzhuang.

"The 1960s and 1970s (the 1960s and 1970s) were the years of the Ten Major Construction Projects and economic takeoff. Sancheng also fully mobilized, with small factories nestled in neighborhood alleys, appearing every few steps. They mostly produced semi-finished industrial parts such as screws, molds, spot welding, electroplating, lathes, and plastic injection molding. Large-scale production supported half of the province’s mechanical industrial parts" ²⁵. Sancheng’s factories followed Taiwan’s "home is factory" model, with people making screws, lathes, and electroplating in every alley.

"Sancheng is located at the start and end of the highway, with convenient north-south transportation. Separated by a river from prosperous Taipei City, these two superior conditions made Sancheng the city with the most immigrants in the province" ²⁵. In the 1970s, rural populations from central and southern Taiwan migrated north in large numbers, and Sancheng was their first stopping point: bordered by the Tamsui River on one side and Taipei on the other, with cheap rent and abundant jobs. For many second-generation immigrants from Yunlin, Chiayi, Changhua, and Pingtung, Sancheng was the first stop in their lives.

Xinzhuang’s industrial development also began in the 1970s: "The establishment of the Touqian Industrial Zone and the Xisheng Industrial Zone marked the important turning point for Xinzhuang’s transition from an agricultural market town to an industrial city... The industries were dominated by chemicals, textiles, machinery, and metals. These industries attracted a large number of industrial workers, and as outsiders moved in, the population surged" ²⁵. Xinzhuang connected with Sancheng, extending an industrial settlement belt from the west bank of the Tamsui River toward the Linkou Plateau.

However, too many factories meant too much discharge, too much drainage, and too much flood risk. In 1979, the Executive Yuan approved the first phase of the flood control plan, which began implementation in 1982 and was completed in 1984. This is the "Erchong Floodway" ²⁶. "It primarily targets flood control for Sancheng, Xinzhuang, Wugu, and Luzhou, while also accommodating the relocation of legal factories near the floodway" ²⁶. An artificial river channel diverted excess floodwater from Sancheng and Xinzhuang toward the sea, while simultaneously concentrating relocated illegal factories. Today, the green spaces and bike paths on both sides of the floodway were originally the floodplains of a Tamsui River tributary.

The third wave occurred in the 2000s in Linkou and the Xinzhuang Secondary Business District.

Starting in 2003, New Taipei launched the Linkou Resettlement Area and the development of the Xinzhuang Secondary Business District, absorbing the middle class moving out of Taipei who could not afford Taipei’s housing prices. Linkou transformed from military camps and farmland on a plateau into a new city of 100,000 people within a decade. Linkou National Sport University, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Mitsui Outlet Park, and the Linkou High-Speed Rail Station were all built after the year 2000. The Xinzhuang Secondary Business District benefited from the dual transportation advantages of the Xinzhuang Line (opened in 2010) and the Airport MRT (opened in 2017).

From 1950s Yonghe, to 1970s Sancheng and Xinzhuang, to 2000s Linkou Secondary Business District, New Taipei’s population expansion has seen a new wave every 20 years. Each wave absorbed Taipei’s spillover, the influx of northern migrants, and immigrants from central and southern Taiwan.

The Day the County Became a Direct-Administered City: A "Largest in Taiwan" Wait of 31 Years

After absorbing three waves of expansion, the population of Taipei County reached 3.86 million in 2009.

"Since 1979, when its population had already reached the threshold for a direct-administered city, Taipei County had repeatedly sought to upgrade its status, but these efforts were consistently rejected" ²⁷. However, in 1979, Taipei County had only 2.5 million people, which was already the highest population among local governments in Taiwan, surpassing Taipei City (2.3 million) and Kaohsiung City (1.3 million). Yet the central government consistently refused to allow Taipei County to upgrade. Upgrading meant a redistribution of budgets, personnel authority, and decision-making power, which neither Taipei City nor the central government wanted to relinquish.

After 31 years of advocacy, the Legislative Yuan passed the amendment to the Local System Act in May 2007, allowing Taipei County, with a population exceeding two million, to apply the regulations of a direct-administered city. The Ministry of the Interior approved the review on June 23, 2009. "On December 25, 2010, Taipei County was upgraded to the direct-administered city of 'New Taipei City,' with the Taipei County Government renamed the 'New Taipei City Government,' and the English name 'New Taipei City,' becoming the direct-administered city with the largest population in the Republic of China" ²⁸. On the same day, it was upgraded simultaneously with Taichung City, Tainan City, and Kaohsiung City (the "Five Cities" reform).

The name "New Taipei City" itself has a story. The original proposal from the Taipei County Government included names such as "New Taipei City," "North Taiwan City," "Taipei City-County," and "East Taipei City," among others. Ultimately, "New Taipei" (New Taipei) was selected, a direct English translation. This differs from the three other cities upgraded at the same time—"Taichung," "Tainan," and "Kaohsiung"—which retained their historical names. New Taipei City is the only direct-administered city among the five whose name is "newly born," and it is the only example of a "county upgrading to a direct-administered city" (rather than a merger of city and county) ²⁸.

Banqiao was changed from "Banqiao City" to "Banqiao District" and remained the seat of the city government, becoming the "most populous district in the country." The population of Banqiao District is approximately 549,000 (as of the end of 2025), exceeding that of Chiayi City (267,000) and Keelung City (359,000), two complete provincial-level cities ¹⁰. A single district larger than a city illustrates the scale of New Taipei.

Fifteen years have passed. Today, New Taipei City has 29 districts and a total population of 4,041,149 (as of April 2026), remaining the largest direct-administered city in Taiwan ¹⁰. However, the number "29 districts" itself reflects New Taipei's internal fragmentation. The five major districts—Banqiao (549,000), Xinzhuang (400,000+), Zhonghe (400,000+), Sanchong (300,000+), and Xindian (300,000+)—contrast sharply with the five mountainous districts: Wulai (5,800), Pingxi (4,400), Shuangxi (8,300), Gongliao (11,000), and Pinglin (6,300). The difference is a factor of 100.

The true face of New Taipei is this: a direct-administered city containing three types of cities of different ages, including the "metropolitan areas" of Banqiao, Sanchong, Xinzhuang, and Yonghe; the "new towns" of Linkou and Danshui (sub-center); and the "mountainous/coastal remote areas" of Ruifang, Pingxi, Wulai, and Gongliao. The disparities within the 29 districts are greater than the gap between New Taipei and Taipei.

The Metropolitan Ring Surrounding Taipei: 390,000 People Sustain the Capital Through Commuting

New Taipei City administrative map showing the ring-shaped structure of Taiwan's largest direct-administered city. Map: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

View of New Taipei City from Taipei 101.

To the east: Nangang extends to Xizhi, connecting northward to Keelung. To the north: outside Tianmu lies Beitou, and further out is Danshui. To the west: Banqiao and Xinzhuang are on the opposite bank of the Tamsui River. To the south: Yonghe and Zhonghe are tightly adjacent to Gongguan, with Xindian further south.

New Taipei City’s 29 districts form a ring surrounding Taipei City’s 12 districts. A direct-administered city completely encircling another direct-administered city is a rare administrative geography worldwide.

The core function of this ring-shaped metropolis is commuting.

In April 2026, New Taipei City’s total population was 4,041,149¹⁰. Among them, an estimated 390,000 people commute across county lines to work in Taipei City²⁹. Between 7 and 9 a.m., the MRT, buses, and cars heading toward Taipei City from Banqiao, Sancheng, Xinzhuang, Yonghe, Zhonghe, Xindian, and Xizhi congest the bridges across the Tamsui River to the point of immobility. Between 5 and 7 p.m., the flow reverses, causing another wave of congestion.

New Taipei City’s MRT network grew gradually. The Danshui Line opened in 1996 (from Taipei Main Station to Danshui), followed by the Zhonghe Line in 1997 (from Nanshijiao to Taipei) and the Xindian Line in 1998 (from Xindian to Taipei); these were extensions of the "Taipei Metropolitan Area Mass Rapid Transit System" planned since the 1980s. The Airport MRT opened in 2017, the Tamsui New Town Green Mountain Line in 2018, and the Circular Line officially began operations on January 31, 2020 (15.4 km long, 14 stations, with the first phase covering Xinzhuang, Banqiao, Zhonghe, and Xindian) ³⁰. Today, only 16 of New Taipei City’s 29 districts have MRT service; the remaining 13 districts (including Wulai, Pingxi, Gongliao, Shuangxi, Pinglin, Shihding, Shenkeng, Sanzhi, Shimen, Jinshan, Wanli, Ruifang, and Pingxi) have no MRT lines at all.

This is the physical reality of "390,000 commuters." New Taipei City’s role in "sustaining the capital through commuting" is not merely rhetorical; it is the daily reality of people queuing to board trains at Banqiao Station, Touqianzhuang in Xinzhuang, and under Taipei Bridge in Sancheng every morning.

📝 Curator’s Note: The dominant online narrative is "New Taipei City is Taipei’s bedroom community," but this narrative has two blind spots. The first blind spot is viewing New Taipei City as a single city, ignoring the coexistence of three different eras within its 29 districts. The Atayal villages of Wulai and the Lin Family Garden in Banqiao are in the same direct-administered city. The second blind spot is that the commuting relationship is actually bidirectional. While 390,000 people from New Taipei City commute to work in Taipei City, simultaneously, Taipei City’s water supply, garbage disposal, cemeteries, MRT maintenance depots, airport shuttles, and agricultural product supplies rely heavily on New Taipei City’s mountainous and riverine areas. The source of the Tamsui River water comes from the Nanxi River in Wulai; Taipei City’s landfill is in Xizhi, its cemeteries are in Jinshan, and its public graves are in Banqiao. The relationship between New Taipei City and Taipei City is one of mutual need, not one-sided dependency. When the Lin Family moved from Xinzhuang to Banqiao in 1853, the "Taipei Prefecture" had not yet been established. From a historical perspective, who came first is clear.

2000 Keelung International Ocean Music Festival: Another Axis on the Rock Beach

If you want to see New Taipei’s contemporary culture, don’t go to Banqiao or Danshui. Go to Fulong.

Fulong Beach is located in the northeasternmost corner of Keelung District, New Taipei City, hugging the Pacific Ocean. "The first International Ocean Music Festival was held on July 15, 2000, at Fulong Beach in Keelung Township, Taipei County. It lasted only one day, with approximately 8,000 attendees" ³¹. This was the starting point of what later became the "Keelung International Ocean Music Festival," one of the most important annual events in Taiwan’s independent music scene.

⚠️ The correct starting year for this music festival is 2000 (Taiwan.md’s previous Stage 0 record was 1999, which has been calibrated here).

"The Ocean Music Festival was originally initiated through a collaboration between the Taipei County Government and the independent underground music production company, Jiaotou Music. The key figures behind the event were Jiaotou Music’s boss, Chang Szu-shih, and Liao Chih-chien, then Director of the Taipei County Government’s News Office" ³¹. "Hohaiyan (Roar Ocean) is an interjection related to ocean waves in the language of the Amis, one of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples" ³¹. The festival’s name itself represents an indigenous axis.

From 2000 to the present, the Ocean Music Festival has run for 26 editions (with a hiatus in 2020–2021 due to the pandemic). Sodagreen, Fire EX., The Chairman, Mayday, Loop, Echoes, Girls and Robots, Tizzy Bac, Constant Motion, Sunset Rollercoaster, and Hello Nico—almost all of the 25 most important bands in Taiwan’s independent music scene over the past 25 years have performed on Fulong Beach.

The significance of this musical axis lies in the fact that New Taipei provided a public cultural space for the Taipei metropolitan area that was not located in Taipei City. Fulong is a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Taipei Main Station and a two-hour ride on a local train. Every summer, at the end of July and the beginning of August, tens of thousands of young people from Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, and Hsinchu take the train to Fulong Station and walk from the station to the beach. This "short-term migration" is unique to New Taipei: Taipei City has no sea, Taoyuan’s beaches are too far from the urban center, but Fulong is just within 60 kilometers.

New Taipei City also attempted to extend this musical axis into the metropolitan area. In 2022, the New Taipei City Performing Arts Center opened in the Xinzhuang Secondary CBD, but a performing arts center is fundamentally different from a beach. Fulong’s uniqueness stems from the combination of elements: the nearby No. 4 Nuclear Power Plant (construction halted in 1979), Baishatan Beach, the Pacific Ocean, and summer typhoon tails. All these elements together create the feeling of a "rock beach just far enough from the capital."

From 1628 to 2026: 400 Years Within This City Surrounding Taipei

Return to that first brick.

From laying its first stone in 1628 to 2026, Fort Santo Domingo has stood for 398 years. Throughout this period, it has witnessed the Spanish, the Dutch, the Qing dynasty, the British, Australian administration, US administration, and the Republic of China. This timeline is nearly five times longer than Taiwan’s identity as the "Republic of China" itself (counting from 1945).

The administrative name "New Taipei City" is only 15 years old this year.

Yet this metropolitan ring surrounding Taipei did not come into existence in 2010. From the 1628 Spanish Fort Santo Domingo, the 1738 first construction of Sanxia Changfu Yan Ancestor Temple (or the 1769 second reconstruction theory), the 1804 Yingge Wu’an kiln opening, the 1853 Banqiao Lin Family Mansion’s three-story main house, the 1858 opening of the Port of Taipei (Danshui), the 1869 Oolong tea reaching New York, the 1872 arrival of Mackay in Danshui, the 1890 discovery of gold mines in Jiufen and Jinguashi, the 1893 completion of the Lin Family Mansion and Garden, the 1929 opening of the Pingxi Railway, the 1947 start of Li Mei-shu’s carving of the Ancestor Temple, the 1958 division of Zhonghe and Yonghe into separate towns, the 1970s industrial immigration to Sancheng and Xinzhuang, the 2000 closure of the Taiwan Metal Corporation, the 2000 Keelung International Ocean Music Festival, and the 2010/12/25 upgrade of the county to a special municipality, New Taipei’s history is a dense 400-year timeline.

29 districts, a city with three different ages, 4.01 million people, and 390,000 daily commuters traveling to Taipei for work. Yet the city itself is two and a half centuries older than the capital. The most commonly misunderstood fact about New Taipei City is that it has never been a "satellite city."

From the perspective of Taipei, New Taipei is a satellite. From the perspective of Fort Santo Domingo in Danshui, Taipei is the neighbor that appeared later.

Next time you visit New Taipei, don’t just walk the corridors of the Lin Family Mansion and Garden (though that 1893 garden is still worth an afternoon). Don’t just eat fish crackers on Danshui Old Street (though Danshui truly has a commercial skeleton dating back to the Treaty of Tianjin in 1858). Try walking from Fulong Station to the seaside, listening to the Ocean Music Festival that has continued since 2000 (if you go in late July). Try taking the Pingxi Line to Jingtong Station, viewing the tourist railway transformed from the Shidi coalfield discovered in 1908 (with coal transport track remnants along the line). Try taking a bus from Wulai to the Fushan Tribe, viewing the mountain trails of the Atayal people in Delanang.

After walking through it, you will remember one thing: New Taipei City is not a sleeping city surrounding Taipei. New Taipei City is a historical clock encompassing Taipei—the numbers on the dial just happen not to be Taipei’s.

Further Reading

• Keelung City — 22 County and City Series pilot: Keelung Port and Danshui Port jointly formed the two major windows of northern Taiwan after opening in 1858; Keelung Port surpassed Danshui Port in the 1910s, though Fort Santo Domingo (built in 1628) laid its first brick two years after Fort San Salvador (1626).
• Taoyuan City — 22 County and City Series: The metropolitan sibling west of New Taipei, it became a direct-administered city in 2014, four years after New Taipei, with Taoyuan International Airport opening in 1979 to take over the outbound passenger hub accumulated by Danshui and Keelung over 100 years.
• Yilan County — 22 County and City Series: The neighboring county southeast of New Taipei; before the Xueshan Tunnel opened in 2006, Yilan and New Taipei’s Sanxi, Gongliao, and Fulong formed a single northern coastal belt.
• Hsinchu County — 22 County and City Series: In 1875, Shen Baozhen established Danshui County encompassing the area of today’s New Taipei City; from 1876 onward, Hsinchu County and Danshui County coexisted, forming the Qing administrative structure in northern Taiwan.
• Tamkang High School — The continuation of Mackay’s Oxford College, renamed Tamkang High School in 1914, it is the earliest Western-style high school in northern Taiwan.
• Sino-French War in Taiwan — The 1884 Battle of Huwei directly led to the establishment of Taiwan Province, with Liu Mingchuan becoming the first governor of Taiwan, and Lin Weiyuan donating 200,000 taels to become a red-topped merchant.
• 228 Incident — Conflicts occurred in the Sanxing area, Banqiao, and Sancheng during the 1947 228 Incident, leaving deep post-war trauma across New Taipei’s districts.
• History of Taiwan’s Maritime Trade — The complete northern export history from Danshui’s port opening in 1858, to Thomas Wickham’s Oolong Tea reaching New York in 1869, and Danshui accounting for 57% of Taiwan’s total trade from 1864 to 1894.
• History of Taiwan’s Railways — The railway context from the 1921 Taiyang Mining Company coal transport line to the 1929 acquisition by the Governor-General’s Office, which renamed it the Pingxi Line.
• Traditional Crafts and Intangible Cultural Heritage in Taiwan — The craft chain from Yingge ceramics in 1804, to Sanxia Changfu Yan indigo dyeing from 1886 to 1920, to Li Meishu’s carvings at the Sanxia Changfu Yan Ancestor Temple in 1947.
• Religion and Temple Culture in Taiwan — Further reading on the faith culture related to Sanxia Changfu Yan and the Lin Family Mansion and Garden.
• Cultural Map of Taiwan’s 16 Indigenous Peoples — Two indigenous axes: the Atayal Delan Nan Village in Wulai and the Ketagalan sites at Shihingshang.

Image Credits

This article uses 5 Wikimedia Commons CC-licensed images (hot-linked from the Wikimedia upload server):

• Hero (frontmatter) + Scene §Danshui Estuary: 2017 Fort San Domingo — Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 4.0. A 400-year layered structure: 1628 Spanish Santo Domingo City, 1644 Dutch Fort Anthonio, 1867 British lease, returned to the Republic of China in 1980.
• Scene §Banqiao Lin Family: Lin Family Mansion and Garden — Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA. The first case of local Taiwanese capitalism: completed in 1853, the Lin Family Garden fully finished in 1893, restored and completed in 1986.
• Scene §1890 Jiufen and Jinguashi: Jiufen Old Street 2017 — Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA. A mining settlement’s tourism transformation site: gold discovered in 1890, Taiwan Metal Corporation closed in 1987, featured in the 1989 film City of Sadness.
• Scene §1929 Pingxi Railway: Shifen Old Street — Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA. The Pingxi Line, originally a coal transport line for Taiyang Mining in 1921, was acquired by the Governor-General’s Office in 1929 to become a state-owned passenger service; today it is a tourist railway.
• Scene §Surrounding Taipei: New Taipei City Administrative Division Map — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Taiwan’s largest direct-administered city, structured as a ring surrounding Taipei City’s 12 districts with its 29 districts.

License terms: CC BY-SA 3.0 / CC BY-SA 4.0.

⚠️ Some image links point to Wikimedia Commons category pages or placeholder/filename guesses; these will be replaced with specific high-resolution files in a subsequent polish session.

References

1. Fort Santo Domingo - Wikipedia — Wikipedia entry on Fort Santo Domingo. Original text: 'From 1628 to 1629, the Spanish began building a fort here using clay, reeds, bamboo, and wood as materials, naming it Fort Santo Domingo' + 'On May 7, 1643, the first stone was officially laid, and construction began... until it was fully completed in 1646' + 'In 1724, Wang Qian, the then Magistrate of Danshui for Catching Bandits, began renovating Fort Santo Domingo' + 'The British established a consulate in Danshui in 1861 and signed the 'Permanent Lease Agreement of Fort Santo Domingo' with the Qing government in 1867' + 'On June 30, 1980, Fort Santo Domingo was officially handed over from the British to the Republic of China government' + A complete six-generation history of rule, including being entrusted to Australia in 1972, then the US, designated a First-Class Historic Site in 1983, and opened to the public on December 25, 1984.↩²³⁴⁵⁶⁷
2. Taiwan Port Opening Anniversary in 1858 - JuZhen Taiwan — JuZhen Taiwan article commemorating the Taiwan port opening on June 26, 1858. Original text: 'In June 1858, the Qing Empire signed the Treaty of Tianjin with major powers, opening three Taiwan ports (Taiwan/Anping, Danshui, Takao/Kaohsiung) to these powers for travel and missionary work' + A complete timeline of the four treaty signings: Russia on 6/13, USA on 6/18, UK on 6/26, and France on 6/27.↩
3. Danshui Tea Trade and Jardine Matheson - Multi-source Integration — Danshui Wiki Hall (Tamkang University College of Humanities) entry on Danshui Old Street. Records John Dodd establishing Jardine Matheson in Danshui in 1864, introducing Anxi tea seedlings from Fujian with loans to northern farmers, and a complete record of transporting 21,000 kg of Taiwan Oolong tea by two sailing ships directly to New York in 1869.↩
4. Danshui Old Street - Danshui Wiki Hall — Danshui Wiki Hall entry on Danshui Old Street. Original text: 'From 1864 to 1894, the total export value of Danshui accounted for 57% of Taiwan's total exports, with tea, sugar, and camphor as the main exports' + 'By Meiji 43 (1910), the status of Danshui Port had gradually been replaced by Keelung Port', documenting the rise and fall of the port.↩
5. The First Flourishing of the Commodity Economy - CommonWealth Magazine — CommonWealth Magazine article reviewing Taiwan's economic history. Original text: 'By 1878, tea accounted for 90% of the total export value of the northern region', providing statistical data on the Qing dynasty's northern tea export monopoly.↩
6. Oxford College - Wikipedia — Wikipedia entry on Oxford College (Li Xue Tang Da Shu Yuan). Original text: 'On March 9, 1872, Canadian Presbyterian missionary George Mackay landed in Danshui' + 'Completed on July 26, 1882 (Guangxu Year 8), named 'Li Xue Tang Da Shu Yuan'' + A complete history: in 1880, Mackay returned to Canada to raise 6,215 CAD from residents of Oxfordshire, Ontario; named Oxford College to thank the Oxfordshire donation; in 1965, established Danshui Institute of Technology on the original site; upgraded to Truth University in 1999.↩²
7. Battle of Huwei - New Taipei City Danshui Cultural Heritage Museum — Official historical record of the Battle of Huwei by the New Taipei City Danshui Cultural Heritage Museum. Original text: 'Official archives of the French National Archives record French military losses: 6 dead, 11 missing, 49 wounded' + A complete battle record: Admiral Courbet led four warships to attack the Danshui estuary on October 1, 1884; Admiral Sun Kaihua blocked the port by sinking ships with stones and laying mines; after the war, the Qing court announced Taiwan's province status and ordered Liu Mingchuan to serve as the first Taiwan Governor; in 1886, the Huwei Fort was planned and completed by German military engineer Max E. Hecht, inscribed with 'Key to the Northern Gate'.↩²³
8. Lin Family Mansion and Garden - Lin Family Garden Official Website — Official website of the Banqiao Lin Family Mansion and Garden. Original text: 'Lin Pinghou made his fortune in rice transport; during the Lin Shuangwen Rebellion, rice prices soared, and as a rice merchant, Lin Pinghou earned extremely high profits in the rice transport business' + 'In the 27th year of Daoguang (1847), the Lin family built Bi Yi Guan in Fangqiao (now Banqiao) for the convenience of collecting rent, marking the beginning of the Lin family's construction in the Banqiao area' + 'In the 1st year of Xianfeng (1851), the Lin family built a three-hall main house next to Bi Yi Guan in Fangqiao, and moved in after its completion in the 3rd year of Xianfeng' + 'In late 1982, the restoration project of the garden began, taking 4 years to complete. The restoration cost totaled NT$156,433,218' + A complete three-generation history of origin: 1857-1861 Lin Guofang's Zhang-Quan clan conflicts, Lin Weiyuan's massive investment in repairs in 1888, full completion in 1893, damage from over 1,000 refugees in 300 households after 1949, designated a National Historic Site in 1985, total area 6,054 ping, the most complete garden architecture remaining in Taiwan.↩²³⁴⁵⁶
9. Lin Weiyuan and the Red-Topped Merchant - National Policy Foundation — National Policy Foundation article on local capitalism in Taiwan. Original text: 'In the 10th year of Guangxu (1884), Lin Weiyuan donated 200,000 taels of silver for military supplies and assisted Liu Mingchuan in Taiwan's defense and served as the Assistant Governor for Taiwan's Pacification, instantly becoming a 'Red-Topped Merchant'', marking a key moment in the localization and officialization of late Qing capital.↩
10. New Taipei City Population Statistics - New Taipei City Civil Affairs Bureau — Population statistics from the New Taipei City Civil Affairs Bureau. As of April 2026, the population is 4,041,149 (still the largest direct-controlled city in Taiwan, surpassing 4 million in May 2019); 29 administrative districts (transformed in 2010 from Taipei County's 10 county-level cities and 21 townships); Banqiao District has a population of about 549,000 (end of 2025, the largest district in the country); Xinzhuang, Zhonghe, Sanchong, and Xindian each have 300,000-400,000 people as the top five districts; Wulai, Pingxi, Shuangxi, and Gongliao mountain areas have 4,400-11,000 people, showing an internal 100-fold disparity structure.↩²³⁴
11. Jiufen - Wikipedia — Wikipedia entry on Jiufen. In 1889, workers found placer gold in the Keelung River; from 1890 to 1893, gold seekers moved upstream; in 1893, a gold vein outcrop was discovered in the Jiufen mountain area; in 1894, gold was discovered in the Jiufen Honzan ore body; on October 26, 1896, mining rights were approved and granted to Tanaka Chobei's Tanaka Group. A complete discovery history covering mechanized mining and chemical refining during the Japanese colonial period, earning the reputation of 'Asia's First Precious Metal Mine'.↩
12. Jiufen Mining History - The News Lens — In-depth report on Jiufen's mining history by The News Lens. Original text: 'In 1938, production even reached a peak of nearly 70,000 taels, earning Jiufen the reputation of 'Asia's First Precious Metal Mine' at the time, and once gathering 80,000 people here to chase the gold dream', recording the peak period of Japanese colonial Jiufen with an 80,000-strong population.↩
13. Taiwan Metal Corporation Closure - Wikipedia Jiufen Entry — Mining conclusion section of the Wikipedia entry on Jiufen. Original text: 'Taiwan Metal Corporation finally declared closure in 1987, and the land of the Jiufen mining area was taken over by the Taiwan Sugar Corporation'. A two-stage timeline of the mining industry's end: 1985 downsizing + 1987 complete closure, correcting the common misconception that it simply 'closed in 1985'.↩
14. City of Sadness and Jiufen's Tourism Transformation - Urban Studies — Urban Studies (CommonWealth Magazine) article on Hou Hsiao-hsien's film and Jiufen's tourism transformation. Original text: 'On November 25, 1988, filming began in front of the Baguating Pavilion in Keelung's Jiufen' + 'Turning the filming location, Jiufen, into a tourist hotspot'. A cultural transformation record: 1989 Venice Film Festival Golden Lion Award, the rise of Jiufen teahouses from the 1990s, and the transformation of a mining settlement into a tourist symbol.↩
15. Gold Museum Park - Wikipedia — Wikipedia entry on Gold Museum Park (now New Taipei City Gold Museum). Original text: 'In 2004, under the leadership of the Taipei County Government... Gold Museum Park officially opened'. Taiwan's first museum park based on the concept of an ecological museum, integrating the Japanese colonial era's Prince Guest House, Honzan No. 5 Mine, and miner dormitories; a 17-year transformation record from Taiwan Metal Corporation's 1987 closure to the 2004 opening.↩
16. Pingxi Line - Wikipedia — Wikipedia entry for the Pingxi Line. Original text: 'The Pingxi Line was completed in July 1921 (Taisho 10), originally built as a coal transport railway funded by the Taiyang Mining Co., Ltd.' + 'On October 1, 1929 (Showa 4), the Taiwan Governor-General's Railway Bureau acquired the Shidi Line for 1.5 million yuan, making it state-owned and renaming it the "Pingxi Line." After reconstruction, it began serving passenger traffic.' Complete railway history from the 1908 Fujita Group's trial mining of the Shidi coalfield, the private coal railway of Taiyang Mining (Yan Yunnian family), to the 1929 acquisition by the Governor-General's Office to become state-owned and serve passengers.↩²
17. Pingxi Sky Lanterns - Ministry of the Interior Taiwan Religious Culture Map — Ministry of the Interior Taiwan Religious Culture Map entry for Pingxi Sky Lanterns. Original text: 'During the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty, ancestors from this area arrived in the Shifenliao region from places like Hui'an and Anxi in Fujian. Due to bandit disturbances, they took refuge in the mountains. After the crisis passed, the men left in the village used sky lanterns as signals to notify the refugees to return home.' + Records of the folk ritual's modernization, including the restoration of sky lantern releases in the 1990s and the establishment of the "New Taipei City Sky Lantern Release Management Regulations" in 2012.↩
18. Sanxia Changfu Yan Ancestor Temple - Multi-source Integration + Ministry of Culture Cultural Heritage Bureau — Ministry of Culture Cultural Heritage Bureau data on Sanxia Changfu Yan Ancestor Temple. Official common narrative: Founded in the 34th year of Qianlong (1769); first rebuilt in the Daoguang era (1833) after a major earthquake; second rebuilt in 1899 after being burned down as a resistance site in the early Japanese colonial period; third rebuilt in 1947, presided over by painter Li Meishu (then chairman of the Sanxia Township Representative Assembly); the temple art project remained unfinished until Li Meishu's death in 1983 and continues to be renovated today. ⚠️ Stage 0 records "1738", other documents suggest "1796"; this article adopts the common official version used by the Ministry of Culture Cultural Heritage Bureau: "1769 (Qianlong 34th year)".↩²³
19. Yingge Ceramics Industry Origins and Ceramic Museum - Yingge Town Gazetteer + Yingge Ceramic Museum — Official data from the Yingge Town Gazetteer and New Taipei City Yingge Ceramic Museum. Original text: 'Yingge's ceramics industry originated in the 9th year of Jiaqing (1804), when Wu An from Quanzhou first started kilns in the Dahu area. Wu An crossed the sea to Taiwan, initially settling in the Rabbit Hole (now Rabbit Hole, Guishan Township, Taoyuan) in Yingge's Dahu. Soon after, due to Zhang-Quan clan conflicts, he moved to the area around Jian Shanpu Street in Yingge.' + 'From 1917, the "Jianshan Pottery Association" and "Jianshan Pottery Production and Sales Association" were successively established, breaking the Wu family monopoly. In 1939, the Japanese "Shihou Kiln" was introduced, greatly improving the efficiency and quality of Yingge ceramics.' Complete 222-year history of the ceramics industry, ending with the opening of the New Taipei City Yingge Ceramic Museum on November 26, 2000, Taiwan's first museum themed around ceramics.↩²³
20. Sanxia Old Street - Haishan Studies Cultural Relics Exhibition Hall — National Taipei University Haishan Studies Cultural Relics Exhibition Hall entry for Sanxia Old Street. Original text: 'From 1886 to 1920, known as the golden age of Sanjiaoyong (Triangle湧), the entire Sanjiaoyong Street had not only the Lin Maoxing Dye House but also 20 other dye houses such as Yongyu, Jin Lianchun, Liu Chengfang, Li Yifa, Zhou Shengfa, Lin Rongxiang, and Lin Yuanji, making it the most important indigo dye base in Northern Taiwan.' Records of Sanxia's three major industries (indigo dyeing with Indigofera plants, camphor in Sanxia mountains, tea under the Japanese-era Mitsui & Co.), and the red brick arcade commercial street houses dating back to 1911.↩²
21. Shihingshang Museum - Ministry of Transportation and Communications Tourism Bureau — Ministry of Transportation and Communications Tourism Bureau official data on Shihingshang Museum. Original text: 'The Shihingshang Site is located on the south bank at the confluence of the Tamsui River estuary in Bali District, New Taipei City. It is one of the important archaeological sites in northern Taiwan. Its inhabitants lived approximately 2,000 to 400 years ago and are currently the prehistoric residents in Taiwan confirmed to have smelting technology, likely ancestors of the indigenous Ketagalan people.' + Ketagalan place name heritage: "Many current Taipei place names are transliterations of Ketagalan, such as Dalongdong, Beitou, Qilian, Bali, Monga, Jialiu, etc." Complete archaeological site record from the 1998 renaming of the exhibition hall to Shihingshang Museum to its official opening in 2003.↩²
22. Wulai Four Villages + Atayal Migration History - eco tour taiwan + Wulai Atayal Ethnic Museum — Official data from the Wulai Atayal Ethnic Museum. Original text: 'Fushan Village is called "Delan" in Atayal pronunciation. It is the most mountainous village in Wulai and the first landing place for Atayal people coming to Wulai from Shangbaling in Fuxing Township, Taoyuan, crossing mountains.' + 'In 1903, Nansheng Valley's Tan Keng Dan Ye Yingqing discovered it and established the Wulai Indigenous Affairs Officer Residence Bathhouse.' Complete record of the village structure of Wulai's four villages (Wulai Ulay, Zhongzhi Tampya, Xinxian Rahaw "dense forest", Fushan Tranan "Delan") and the Atayal migration from the Pinsbukan birthplace in Ren'ai Township, Nantou, northward.↩²³
23. Yonghe District - Wikipedia — Wikipedia entry for Yonghe District. Original text: 'In 1956, the population of Zhonghe Township rose to 44,325, prompting discussions to split the township and establish a town.' + 'On April 1, 1958, Zhonghe Township separated all six villages of the Guilunlan Xizhou area and one village each from the Tanqian and Xiulang areas to officially establish a town. The initial town name was proposed as Zhongxing Town, but due to potential confusion with Zhongxing New Village, it was named Yonghe Town.' Complete history of the division: 1949 National Government's post-1949 relocation and Taipei urban air defense evacuation planning, 1958 official division of Zhonghe and Yonghe into towns, and October 1960 formalization of the boundary.↩²
24. Yonghe Korean Street - Story Studio — Story Studio in-depth report on Yonghe Korean Street. Original text: 'Many Korean Chinese from Shandong辗转 (moved) to Taiwan, settling in Yonghe. The 1980s and 1990s were the peak period of Korean-Chinese migration to Taiwan.' History of the commercial district's formation on Zhongxing Street, which slowly evolved from the 1970s to sell Korean groceries, Korean cuisine, and ginseng tea.↩
25. Sancheng Black Settlement + Xinzhuang Industrial Development - Smile Taiwan + Sancheng District Office + Xinzhuang District Office — Smile Taiwan in-depth report "Sancheng Black Settlement" + official data from Sancheng and Xinzhuang District Offices. Sancheng original text: 'The 1960s and 1970s (1960s, 1970s) were the era of economic takeoff with the Ten Major Construction Projects. Sancheng became fully active, with small factories located in neighborhood alleys, three steps one shop, five steps one store, mostly engaged in semi-finished industrial parts like screws, molds, spot welding, electroplating, lathes, and plastic injection. Large-scale production supported half of the province's mechanical industrial parts.' + 'Sancheng is at the start and end of the highway, with convenient north-south traffic. Separated by a river from prosperous Taipei City, these two superior conditions made Sancheng the city with the most immigrants in the province.' Xinzhuang original text: 'The establishment of Touqian Industrial Park and Xisheng Industrial Park was an important turning point for Xinzhuang's transition from an agricultural town to an industrial city... Industries were dominated by chemicals, textiles, machinery, and metals. These industries attracted a large number of industrial populations, and outsiders moved in successively, causing a rapid population increase.'.↩²³
26. Erchong Floodway - Wikipedia + Ministry of Economic Affairs Water Resources Agency — Wikipedia entry for Erchong Floodway + Ministry of Economic Affairs Water Resources Agency official data. 1979 approved by the Executive Yuan as the Phase 1 flood control plan; 1982 implementation began; 1984 completion; mainly for flood control in areas like Sancheng, Xinzhuang, Wugu, and Luzhou; simultaneously accommodates relocation of legal factories near the floodway. Complete engineering record.↩²
27. Historical Background of Taipei County's Upgrade to a Direct-Administered City - Liberty Times Integration — Multi-source integration of the historical background of Taipei County's upgrade to a direct-administered city. Since 1979, the population had reached the threshold for a direct-administered city, and multiple attempts to upgrade were rejected; May 2007 Legislative Yuan passed the third reading of the "Local System Act" amendment allowing Taipei County with a population over two million to apply direct-administered city regulations; June 23, 2009 Ministry of the Interior approved the review. Complete timeline of the upgrade efforts.↩
28. 2010 Republic of China County and City Upgrades to Direct-Administered Cities - Wikipedia — Wikipedia entry for the 2010 Five-City Upgrades. Original text: 'On December 25, 2010, Taipei County was upgraded to the direct-administered city "New Taipei City," the Taipei County Government was renamed "New Taipei City Government," and the English name is "New Taipei City," becoming the most populous direct-administered city within the Republic of China.' Complete upgrade record: simultaneous upgrade with Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung (Five-City Upgrade); New Taipei is the only direct-administered city among the five with a "reborn" name; and the only county upgraded to a direct-administered city (not a merger of city and county).↩²
29. New Taipei Cross-County Commuting Statistics - Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics + Multi-source Integration — Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics population and housing census cross-county commuting statistics. About 390,000 people in New Taipei City commute to Taipei City for work (accounting for about 20% of New Taipei's employed population); it is the largest cross-county commuting pair in the country. Among New Taipei's 29 districts, 16 have MRT lines; 13 districts (Wulai, Pingxi, Gongliao, Danxi, Pinglin, Shihkeng, Sanzhi, Shihmen, Jinshan, Wanli, Ruifang, Pingxi [duplicate in list?], Shiding) have no MRT lines. Record of the ring-shaped metropolitan transportation structure.↩
30. New Taipei MRT Route Development History - New Taipei City Government Transportation Bureau — New Taipei City Government Transportation Bureau MRT route development history. 1996 Tamsui Line opened (Taipei Station to Tamsui); 1997 Zhonghe Line (Nansijiao to Taipei); 1998 Xindian Line (Xindian to Taipei); 2017 Airport MRT opened (A1 to A21); December 23, 2018 Danshui Light Rail Green Mountain Line opened; January 31, 2020 Circular Line officially operated (15.4 km long, 14 stations, Phase 1 covers Xinzhuang, Banqiao, Zhonghe, Xindian); November 15, 2020 Danshui Light Rail Blue Sea Line Phase 1 opened. Complete public transportation development timeline.↩
31. Keelung International Ocean Music Festival - Wikipedia — Wikipedia article on the Keelung International Ocean Music Festival. Original text: 'The first International Ocean Music Festival was held on July 15, 2000, at Fulong Beach in Keelung Township, Taipei County, lasting only 1 day with approximately 8,000 participants.' + 'The Ocean Music Festival was originally initiated by the Taipei County Government in cooperation with the independent underground music production company, Head Records. The key figures behind the event were Head Records' owner, Chang Szu-san, and Liao Chih-chien, then director of the Taipei County Government's News Office.' + 'Hohaiyan (Roar Ocean) is an interjection related to ocean waves in the language of the Amis, one of Taiwan's indigenous peoples.' Stage 0's erroneous record of '1999 First Edition' is corrected here to 'July 15, 2000'.↩²³