Daxi District

This page is about Dasi District of Taoyuan City. For the borough of the same name in Yilan County, see Dasi Station
Daxi
大溪區
District
Daxi District

Dasi Township in Taoyuan County
Coordinates: 24°52′50.2″N 121°17′13.5″E / 24.880611°N 121.287083°ECoordinates: 24°52′50.2″N 121°17′13.5″E / 24.880611°N 121.287083°E
Country Republic of China
County Taoyuan City
Government
 • Mayor Huang Rui-Song
Area
 • Total 40.6 sq mi (105.1 km2)
Population (December 2014)
 • Total 91,887
Website www.faxi.tycg.gov.tw (Chinese)
Dasi in 1930
Dasi Township office
Dasi Valley

Daxi District (Chinese: 大溪區; pinyin: Dàxī Qū), formerly known as Daxi Township (Chinese: 大溪鎮; pinyin: Dàxī Zhèn; also seen as "Tahsi"), is a district in eastern Taoyuan City, Taiwan. In March 2012, it was named one of the Top 10 Small Tourist Towns by the Tourism Bureau of Taiwan.[1]

History

The Dasi area was occupied for several thousand years by the Atayal people. The Atayal called the local river (modern-day Dahan Creek) Takoham in their native Austronesian language. This gave rise to similar names such as Toa-kho-ham[2] (Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tōa-kho-hām) in Hokkien and Taikokan[3] in Japanese from transliteration into variants of 大嵙崁.

Eighteenth-century Han settlement in the Taipei Basin led many Atayal families to relocate upriver, though some Atayal stayed and mingled with the newcomers. The settlement later became an important trading post in the 19th century.

In 1803, open fighting broke out between two rival factions of Han settlers in Taipei, and many refugees fled south for safety. Among the refugees was the Lin Ben Yuan Family, one of the wealthiest clans in Taiwan at the time. The clan settled in Takoham, invested its fortunes in the settlement and brought prosperity to the whole region. Due to its strategic location and the investments made by the Lin clan, Takoham became the center of trading and transportation between Taipei and the south. Goods would arrive here to be transported to Taipei via Dahan river, and many traders opened their shops in the area; some of the shops still exist today in the old town section.

When the North-South Railway that bypasses the Takoham settlement was completed in 1909, the importance of river trade declined. Takoham lost its significance in North-South transportation, and is no longer a significant trading port. On the other hand, it became famous for the production of wooden furniture. In 1920, the Japanese government renamed this area Daikei (大溪, meaning "big creek"). After World War II, the ROC government has promoted the Mandarin romanizations Ta-hsi, and more recently Dasi, as its official name.

Dasi is known for its dried tofu (大溪豆干), a popular ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine.[4] Dasi is also home to the mausoleums of two Kuomintang leaders: the late president Chiang Kai-shek in nearby Cihu and his son Chiang Ching-kuo in Touliao.

Administrative divisions

Xinghe Village, Furen Village, Tianxin Village, Yixin Village, Yide Village, Yuemei Village, Yongfu Village, Kangan Village, Yihe Village, Meihua Village, Fuan Village, Fuxing Village, Xinfeng Village, Zhongxin Village, Ruixing Village, Renshan Village, Qiaoai Village, Renyi Village, Renhe Village, Renai Village, Renwu Village, Renwen Village, Nanxing Village, Yuanlin Village, Guangming Village, Ruiyuan Village, Sanyuan Village.[5]

Economy

Dasi has the headquarters of Kimlan.[6]

Tourist attractions

Transportation

Dasi is served by National Highway No. 3 and Provincial Highway No. 66.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dasi, Taoyuan.

References

  1. ↑ Wong, Maggie Hiufu (2012-03-30). "Taiwan names its 10 top small tourist towns". CNN Go. Retrieved 2012-03-31.
  2. ↑ Campbell (1896), map.
  3. ↑ Davidson (1903), map.
  4. ↑ Food Culture: Dasi, Taoyuan, Kaleidoscope — Cultural China.
  5. ↑ http://vote2014.nat.gov.tw/en/TV/nm300000600000000.html
  6. ↑ "d_2.gif." Kimlan Foods. Retrieved on November 9, 2012. "No. 236, Jieshoo Road, Dasi, Taoyuan, Taiwan"

Bibliography

External links