Dongshih, Taichung

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Dongshih (東勢, Hakka: Tung-si) is an urban township in eastern Taichung County, Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. A majority of the residents are of Hakka ethnicity, making it an enclave in an otherwise non-Hakka county. Its Hakka dialect is very distinct compared to the dialects of other counties.

Dongshih is situated on a narrow, north-south oriented plain, flanked by the Da Jia River to the west and a mountain ridge to the east. It is this sense of being pressed up against that ridge, at the easternmost edge of the large west-central plain, that gives the town its name.

Dongshih includes some greenspace and significant farmland; largely orchards. Dongshih is known for its pears, which are large and almost spherical with a thin, light yellowish-brown rugose skin. In a good year, their flavor is excellent. Intensive topwork at the start of each season involves grafting Japanese pear bud slips to the tree stock.

• Area: 117.41 km²
• Population: 56,762 people (2003)

Buildings in Dongshih were severely demaged by Chi-Chi earthquake in 1999.

Note: There is a rural township with the identical name in Yunlin County. In fact the name is quite a common one based on geography.

Coordinates: 23°10′N 120°15′E