| Banqiao District 板橋區 |
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| — District — | |
| New Taipei City Hall | |
| Location of Banqiao in western New Taipei | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Republic of China (Taiwan) |
| Special municipality | New Taipei City |
| Established | 1846 |
| Government | |
| • District Chief | Lin Chun-hsiou (林純秀) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 23.1368 km2 (8.9 sq mi) |
| Population (July 2011) | |
| • Total | 554,568 |
| • Density | 23,969.1/km2 (62,079.7/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC+8) |
| ZIP code | 220 |
| Area code(s) | 02 |
| Website | www.banqiao.ntpc.gov.tw |
| Banqiao District | |||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 板橋區 | ||||||||||||
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Banqiao District is the city seat of New Taipei in northern Taiwan (Republic of China). It has the third highest population density in Taiwan. It was formerly the 22nd densest city in the world,[1] with over 24,000 people per square km. Until the December 25, 2010 creation of New Taipei, Banqiao was itself a city (Bǎnqiáo Shì; Pang-kiô Chhī; Postal map spelling: Panchiao) and the former seat of Taipei County.
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Banqiao is located in western part of the Taipei Basin of northern Taiwan, in the subtropical climate zone.
Banqiao is surrounded by Taipei to the east, Sanchong to the north, Xinzhuang to the northwest, Shulin to the southwest, Tucheng to the south, and Zhonghe to the southeast. Banqiao is also bordered by two rivers, Xindian River (新店溪) to the northeast and Dahan River (大漢溪) to the northwest.
The city's old name was "Pang-kio" (Chinese: 枋橋; pinyin: Fāng-qiáo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Pang-kiô; literally "timbered bridge"), which dates back to the Qing Dynasty during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735 - 1796 AD). A wooden bridge was built for pedestrians to cross a brook located in the west of today's Banqiao. In 1920, the Japanese government modified the name (Chinese: 板橋; pinyin: Bǎnqiáo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Pán-kiô; literally "planked bridge"),[2] which is read "Itahashi" in Japanese. The same name is still used today, but is called "Banqiao" in Mandarin Chinese. However, in Taiwanese Hokkien, the old name "Pang-kiô" is still the norm.
Banqiao is home to several universities, including the National Taiwan University of Arts. The National Banqiao High School is considered one of the top high schools in the Taipei County.
The Lin Family Mansion and Garden (林本源園邸) is one of the best examples of Qing era Chinese architecture in Taiwan. It was originally built in the late 1800s.[3]
Due to its position as the government seat of New Taipei, Banqiao has several sports facilities (including Banqiao Stadium), and the annual New Taipei City sports game is hosted in the city. However, Banqiao lacks major baseball facilities, forcing its baseball fans to go to Taipei City or Xinzhuang District to watch baseball games.
Banqiao is well served by multiple public transportation services. Bus lines connect Banqiao with downtown Taipei and nearby cities. Five metro stations are located in Banqiao: four along the Banqiao Line and one on the Tucheng Line. High-speed rail bullet trains and conventional rail TRA trains are served by Banqiao Station. All rails through Banqiao have been located underground since 1997. The future Metro Circular Line will also run through the district.
By road, the district is served by Provincial Highway No. 3 and Provincial Highway No. 64.
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