Shimen District

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Shimen District
石門區
District
The lighthouse at Taiwan's northernmost point
Location of Shimen in New Taipei City
Shimen District
Location of Shimen in Taiwan
Coordinates: 25°16′07″N 121°34′17″E / 25.26861°N 121.57139°E / 25.26861; 121.57139Coordinates: 25°16′07″N 121°34′17″E / 25.26861°N 121.57139°E / 25.26861; 121.57139
Country  Republic of China
Region Northern Taiwan
Special municipality New Taipei City (新北市)
Government
 • Mayor Wu Zong-ren (巫忠仁)
Area
 • Total 51.26 km2 (19.79 sq mi)
Population (December 2010)
 • Total 12,700
Time zone CST (UTC+8)
Postal code 253
Website http://www.shimen.ntpc.gov.tw
Shimen District
Chinese 石門區
Literal meaning Stone Gate
Shimen District (Chinese: 石門區; pinyin: Shímén Qū) is a sparsely populated rural district in the northern part of New Taipei City in northern Republic of China (Taiwan). It is part of the north coast scenic area and includes Taiwan's northernmost point, Cape Fugui.

History

While known to earlier explorers, including the Dutch, the area was first explicitly mentioned in Chinese annals in 1694 as Shimenshan (石門山; Stone Gate Mountain).[1] During the period of Imperial Japanese rule, Shimen was called Sekimon Village (石門庄), and was governed by the Tamsui district (淡水郡) of the Taihoku Prefecture. In 1945 when the Kuomintang took over administration of Taiwan the area became Shimen Rural Township, a part of Taipei County. With the reorganization of Taipei County in 2010, Shimen became a district of the newly created New Taipei City.

Geography

The interior of Shimen is predominantly mountainous, with small areas of flat land on the coast.[2] The district is bordered to the north by the East China Sea, to the southwest by Sanzhi District, and to the southeast by Jinshan District.

Administration

Shimen is part of New Taipei City, a special municipality under the Republic of China government. The district itself is divided into nine villages: Shanxi (山溪里), Shimen (石門里), Laomei (老梅里), Jianlu (尖鹿里), Maolin (茂林里), Caoli (草里里), Qianhua (乾華里), Fuji (富基里), and Demao (德茂里).[1]

Economy

Tourism is a major contributor to the economy of Shimen, which also produces a number of agricultural goods including mandarins peanuts, and tea.

Education

Shimen has one junior high school, Shimen Junior High, and three elementary schools; Shimen, Laomei and Qianhua.

Tourist attractions

Besides the lighthouse at Cape Fugui, Shimen has also been home to an annual kite festival since the year 2000, drawing competitors from around the world.[3]

Infrastructure

Shimen is the site location for Taiwan's first nuclear power plant, the Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant.

Transportation

The main road route through the district is the Provincial Highway No. 2. It is also served by a number of other county-level roads. There is no rail transportation in the district.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "歷史沿革 (Historical Development)" (in Chinese). Shimen District Office. 
  2. ↑ "石門簡介 (Introduction to Shimen)". Shihmen Farmers' Association. Retrieved 2011-01-04. 
  3. ↑ "Shihmen to launch kite festival". Taipei Times. 2008-09-24. 
Districts of New Taipei
City seat: Banqiao
Northern
Eastern
Western
Southern
Note: Although Hanyu Pinyin is the national standard, the municipal government endorses and uses "New Taipei" instead of "Xinbei" and "Tamsui" instead of "Danshui".
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