Hengchun
Hengchun
Hằng xuân Kōshun | |
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Hengchun Township · hằng xuân trấn | |
Country | Taiwan |
Region | Southern Taiwan |
Government | |
• Mayor | Lu Yu-tung ( lư ngọc đống ) |
Area | |
• Total | 136.7630 km2(52.8045 sq mi) |
Population (February 2024) | |
• Total | 29,702 |
• Density | 220/km2(560/sq mi) |
Households | 10568 |
Divisions | 17 villages, 272 neighborhoods |
Postal code | 946 |
Website | www.hengchuen.gov.tw(in Chinese) |
Hengchun | |||||||||||||||||||
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Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | Hằng xuân | ||||||||||||||||||
Literal meaning | Eternal Spring | ||||||||||||||||||
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Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||||
Kanji | Hằng xuân | ||||||||||||||||||
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Alternate name: Longkiau | |||||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | Lang kiệu | ||||||||||||
Literal meaning | Transcribing an indigenous name | ||||||||||||
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Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | Lang kiệu | ||||||||||||
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Second alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | Lang 𤩝 | ||||||||||||
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Hengchun Townshipis atownshiplocated on the southern tip of theHengchun PeninsulainPingtung County,Taiwan.It is the southernmost township in Taiwan. Hengchun is also the only urban township in the southern part of Pingtung County. Hengchun has a land area of 136.76 km2(52.80 sq mi) and has a population of 29,702 as of February 2024.
The city of Hengchun is the entryway toKenting National Park,the southernmost National Park in the country. With pristine beaches and a vibrant tourist industry, the Hengchun area often attracts more travelers than local residents. The city itself was once completelysurrounded by a city wall;now about half of the wall remains intact, as well as the four city gates. On weekends, the streets of nearbyKentingare filled with cars and tour buses.
The 2008 Taiwanese filmCape No. 7,the top-grossing film in Taiwan's film history, features Hengchun.
Names
[edit]The area of the modern township was known to the Dutch as Lonkjouw,[1]alternatively spelled Liangkiau,[2]Long-kiau,[3]Longkiau,Loncjou, Lonckjau, Lonckiau, Lonkiauw, Lonckjouw, and Lonckquiouw in early records.[4]The name was borrowed from thePaiwan languageof thePaiwan peoplewho lived in the area before theHan Chinese's colonization during 18th century.
The Qing viceroyShen Baozhennoted the equitable climate during his 1875 inspection ofTaiwan Island,with the area's crops staying "green and prosperous" year-round. He began calling the area Hengchun ( "AlwaysSpring") before he left, and the name has remained ever since. UnderJapanese rule,the area was known asKōshun,from the Japanese pronunciation of the same name.[5]
History
[edit]Early history
[edit]The village of Longkiau was the southernmost town that wasoccupied by the DutchonTaiwan Island.[2]The area was mostly occupied by thePaiwanand otherTaiwanese aborigines.
Qing dynasty
[edit]After theRoverIncident,wherein shipwrecked American sailors were massacred by the locals,Charles Le Gendre,the USconsulatAmoy(Xiamen), visited the area. He found Longkiau at the far point of the curve forming Longkiau Bay.[6]Its population of about 1,500 was "mostly engaged in the culture of peanuts, rice, sweet potatoes, a little sugar cane, and also in fishing".[7]
In response to the 1871Mudan Incident,wherein shipwreckedRyukyuansailors were massacred by the locals,Japan—followingAmerica's example—undertooka punitive expeditionin 1874. The Japanese landed in Longkiau Bay and pushed north from there.[8]
Now aware of the danger of foreign interference and colonization posed by the Qing Empire's refusal to take responsibility for the actions of Taiwan's aborigines, theviceroy of LiangjiangShen Baozhentoured Taiwan in 1875 in preparation for reform of the island's administration. He ordered attacks against the still restive tribes and began a building program in the southern half of the island which included thefortified lighthouseatEluanbi.Hememorializedon behalf of building a new city in Longkiau (which he gave the more propitious Chinese name "Hengchun" ) to accommodate and protect foreign sailors. This request was granted: the portion ofFengshan Countysouth ofFangliao's river became the newHengchun County[9]and its officialsfortifiedavillagesouth of the old Longkiau as their new county seat. The old location continued to be known as Longkiau.[3]
Taiwan Prefectureoriginally covered the entire island as part ofFujian Province.When the island becameits own provincein 1887, Hengchun County formed part ofTainan Prefecture.
Japanese rule
[edit]UnderJapanese rule,the town was known as Kōshun. It received a local office (Đinh,chō) in November 1901[10]and became the seat ofits own districtinTakao Prefecturein 1920. Commercial whaling began in the area from 1913 to 1915, and was revived from 1920 to 1943.[11]
Post-war
[edit]TheRepublic of China(ROC)took overTaiwan afterWorld War II.Hengchun's whaling industry was restored in 1955 and formally banned in 1981.[11]
On December 26, 2006, a7.0–7.2 magnitude earthquakewith an epicenter off the southwest coast of Taiwan occurred (approximately 22.8 km southwest of Hengchun). It caused damage to many houses in Hengchun, including fifteen historical buildings in the historic center of the township.[12]Two casualties were reported, with many more injured. It was the strongest earthquake to hit Hengchun in one hundred years.[13]
Geography
[edit]This sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(July 2021) |
Hengchun is the southernmost administrative division of the island. It is bordered to the northwest byChecheng Townshipand to the northeast byManzhou Township.
Climate
[edit]Hengchun (2009–2013) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Climate chart (explanation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hengchun is well known for itstropical monsoon climatewith warm temperatures year round, as befitsits name.It usually has neither a cool winter nor an extremely hot summer, with average monthly mean temperatures ranging between 21 and 28 degrees Celsius. The climate is generally divided into two seasons, the cooler and drier season and the warmer and wetter season. During the cool and dry season from early December to late March of the following year, precipitation are relatively low with temperatures ranging from 18 to 26 degrees Celsius, occasional cold fronts can drop both the day and the night time temperatures by around 2–4 °C, while temperatures during a clear sunny day can reach as high as 28–30 °C. During the warm and wet season temperature range from 24 to 32 degrees Celsius with a relatively abundant rainfall especially from May–October, when Taiwan is affected by thePacific typhoon season.
Hengchun's spring-like climate is very much dictated by its location surrounded by the ocean, resulting in a noticeably smaller difference between the day and night temperatures than most other townships of Pingtung. Hengchun is usually cooler than other townships in the county during daytime and warmer than others during the night, especially during the winter months, when daily lows usually hovers around 18–20 degrees Celsius at Hengchun and around 15–18 at Pingtung city, while daily highs usually hovers around 24–26 degrees Celsius at the township and 25–28 at Pingtung City. Temperatures dips below 15 degrees Celsius on average once every 3 years, mostly on early mornings of January when Taiwan is affected by a cold front.
The climate is also supportive oftropical rainforests(tropical monsoon rainforest) which occupied the entire Hengchun peninsula, whilepalm treesand othertropical vegetationgrows on the coastlines, much like the rest of Pingtung.
The Hengchun Peninsula experiences strongkatabatic winds.[14]
Climate data for Hengchun (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1897–present ) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 32.2 (90.0) |
32.4 (90.3) |
34.2 (93.6) |
35.8 (96.4) |
37.1 (98.8) |
36.4 (97.5) |
35.6 (96.1) |
35.3 (95.5) |
36.0 (96.8) |
34.1 (93.4) |
33.8 (92.8) |
32.5 (90.5) |
37.1 (98.8) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 24.4 (75.9) |
25.5 (77.9) |
27.3 (81.1) |
29.5 (85.1) |
31.2 (88.2) |
31.8 (89.2) |
32.1 (89.8) |
31.8 (89.2) |
31.3 (88.3) |
29.7 (85.5) |
27.8 (82.0) |
25.1 (77.2) |
29.0 (84.1) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 21.1 (70.0) |
21.7 (71.1) |
23.3 (73.9) |
25.4 (77.7) |
27.3 (81.1) |
28.4 (83.1) |
28.7 (83.7) |
28.3 (82.9) |
27.8 (82.0) |
26.5 (79.7) |
24.7 (76.5) |
22.2 (72.0) |
25.5 (77.8) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 18.6 (65.5) |
19.0 (66.2) |
20.5 (68.9) |
22.6 (72.7) |
24.5 (76.1) |
25.8 (78.4) |
26.0 (78.8) |
25.6 (78.1) |
25.1 (77.2) |
24.1 (75.4) |
22.5 (72.5) |
20.0 (68.0) |
22.9 (73.1) |
Record low °C (°F) | 8.4 (47.1) |
9.8 (49.6) |
10.4 (50.7) |
14.7 (58.5) |
17.1 (62.8) |
18.6 (65.5) |
19.4 (66.9) |
19.5 (67.1) |
18.7 (65.7) |
16.0 (60.8) |
12.7 (54.9) |
9.5 (49.1) |
8.4 (47.1) |
Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 21.8 (0.86) |
23.2 (0.91) |
16.0 (0.63) |
35.2 (1.39) |
146.6 (5.77) |
350.7 (13.81) |
391.3 (15.41) |
533.4 (21.00) |
320.3 (12.61) |
125.3 (4.93) |
58.3 (2.30) |
29.0 (1.14) |
2,051.1 (80.76) |
Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 5.1 | 5.0 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 9.4 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 17.5 | 13.5 | 8.6 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 106.1 |
Averagerelative humidity(%) | 70.8 | 72 | 71.8 | 73.4 | 76.1 | 81.1 | 80.5 | 82.2 | 77.7 | 71.4 | 70.5 | 69.2 | 74.7 |
Mean monthlysunshine hours | 163.7 | 161.3 | 194.3 | 189.8 | 193.1 | 193.2 | 210.3 | 182.1 | 180.1 | 196.3 | 174.6 | 157.7 | 2,196.5 |
Source: Central Weather Bureau[15][16][17][18][19] |
Administrative divisions
[edit]The township comprises 17 villages: Chengbei, Chengnan, Chengxi, Daguang, Dehe, Eluan, Jiahu, Kending, Longshui, Nanwan, Renshou, Shanhai, Shanjiao, Shuiquan, Sigou, Tougou and Wangsha.
Education
[edit]Vocational High School
Middle School
Elementary Schools
- Hengchun Elementary School bình đông huyện hằng xuân trấn hằng xuân quốc dân tiểu học
- Hengchun Elementary School – Nanwan Branch bình đông huyện hằng xuân trấn hằng xuân quốc dân tiểu học nam loan phân giáo
- Chau Yon Elementary School bình đông huyện hằng xuân trấn kiều dũng quốc dân tiểu học
- Da Guang Elementary School bình đông huyện hằng xuân trấn đại quang quốc dân tiểu học
- Shan Hai Elementary School bình đông huyện hằng xuân trấn sơn hải quốc dân tiểu học
- Swey Chuen Elementary School bình đông huyện hằng xuân trấn thủy tuyền quốc dân tiểu học
- Lung Chuen Elementary School bình đông huyện hằng xuân trấn long tuyền quốc dân tiểu học
- Da Ping Elementary School bình đông huyện hằng xuân trấn đại bình quốc dân tiểu học
- Kenting Elementary School bình đông huyện lập khẩn đinh quốc dân tiểu họcArchived2018-08-25 at theWayback Machine
Tourist attractions
[edit]Hengchun is located withinKenting National Parkand is the gateway to the tropical beach resorts and night markets of Kenting, therefore it is one of the most well known tourist towns in Taiwan.
The "Hengchun Old Town"( hằng xuân cổ thành ) is one of the best-preserved historical towns in Taiwan with four gates intact and about half of the walls remaining. It was built during the Qing dynasty in the 1st year of theGuangxu Era(1875) and completed in 1879. It has a north, east, south, and west gate and the outer circumference of the moat measures 880zhang(about 2,700 m or 8,800 ft). In 1988, an actual measurement of the length was conducted, showing that the length in total amount to 2,550 meters (8,370 ft).
The peak season of tourism in Hengchun usually lasts from April to late October when daytime temperatures are usually hot, while the off season lasts from November to March of the following year, with the exception of the week of theChinese New Yearholiday which usually takes place during late January or February, when large amount of tourist from around the whole country, mostly from Northern Taiwan travels to Hengchun and Kenting for the peninsula's warm weather.
Festivals
[edit]Transportation
[edit]The township was served byHengchun Airport,with domestic flights fromTaipei Songshan AirportinTaipei.Scheduled flights ceased in 2014.
Notable natives
[edit]- Chang Hsiu-ching,singer
- Chu Ting-shun,folk musician
See also
[edit]References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^Andrade, Tonio(2005)."Chapter 1: Taiwan on the Eve of Colonization".How Taiwan Became Chinese: Dutch, Spanish, and Han Colonization in the Seventeenth Century.Columbia University Press. Note 40.
The main villages of Lonkjouw were in the area of present-day Hengchun.
- ^abDavidson (1903),p. 23.
- ^abCampbell (1896),map.
- ^Campbell, William(1903)."Explanatory Notes".Formosa under the Dutch: described from contemporary records, with explanatory notes and a bibliography of the island.London: Kegan Paul. p. 545.ISBN9789576380839.LCCN04007338.OCLC644323041.
- ^Naoyoshi Ogawa, ed. (1931–1932). "hêng-chhun ( hằng xuân )".Đài nhật đại từ điển[Taiwanese-Japanese Dictionary] (in Japanese and Taiwanese Hokkien). Vol. 2. Taihoku: Governor-General of Taiwan. p. 632.OCLC25747241.
- ^Davidson (1903),p. 118.
- ^Davidson (1903),p. 118-9.
- ^Davidson (1903),p. 126.
- ^Davidson (1903),p. 209.
- ^Davidson (1903),p. 597.
- ^abHan Cheung (26 February 2023)."Taiwan in Time: From whaling to whale watching".Taipei Times.Retrieved27 February2023.
- ^Hằng xuân cổ thành thành đảo 15 tọa[permanent dead link],UDN,Taiwan,2006-12-27(in Chinese)
- ^2 KILLED IN STRONGEST EARTHQUAKE IN HENGCHUN IN 100 YEARSArchived2007-09-27 at theWayback Machine,Central News Agency,Taiwan,2006-12-27
- ^Shan, Shelley (21 July 2021)."Sea alert for In-Fa could be issued today, CWB says".www.taipeitimes.com.Taipei Times.Retrieved21 July2021.
- ^"Monthly Mean".Central Weather Bureau.Retrieved29 November2022.
- ^"Khí tượng trạm các nguyệt phân tối cao khí ôn thống kế"(PDF)(in Chinese). Central Weather Bureau.Retrieved29 November2022.
- ^"Khí tượng trạm các nguyệt phân tối cao khí ôn thống kế ( tục )"(PDF)(in Chinese). Central Weather Bureau.Retrieved29 November2022.
- ^"Khí tượng trạm các nguyệt phân tối đê khí ôn thống kế"(PDF)(in Chinese). Central Weather Bureau.Retrieved29 November2022.
- ^"Khí tượng trạm các nguyệt phân tối đê khí ôn thống kế ( tục )"(PDF)(in Chinese). Central Weather Bureau.Retrieved29 November2022.
- ^"RICE ART – Taipei Times".www.taipeitimes.com.Retrieved16 April2018.
- ^"HEAR HERE".
Bibliography
[edit]- Campbell, William(1896), "The Island of Formosa: Its Past and Future",Scottish Geographical Magazine,vol. 12, pp. 385–399,doi:10.1080/00369229608732903.
- 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.OCLC1887893.OL6931635M.
External links
[edit]- Government websiteArchived2017-09-18 at theWayback Machine