Banciao City

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Banciao City
Traditional Chinese: 板橋市
Banciao City
板橋市
Official seal of Banciao City板橋市
Seal
Country Flag of the Republic of China Republic of China
Province Taiwan Province
County Taipei County
Established 1846
Government
 - Mayor Hui Chen Chiang (江惠貞)
Area
 - Total 23.42 km² (9 sq mi)
Population (2006)
 - Total 543,342
 - Density 23,199.9/km² (60,087.5/sq mi)
Time zone CST (UTC+8)
Website: [1]
Map of Banciao
Map of Banciao

Banciao City is the county seat of Taipei County, Taiwan (Republic of China). It is the most populous county-controlled city in Taiwan.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Banciao is located in western part of the Taipei Basin of northern Taiwan, in the subtropical climate zone.

Banciao is surrounded by several cities and towns: Taipei to the east, Sanchong to the north, Sinjhuang to the northwest, Shulin to the southwest, Tucheng to the south, and Jhonghe to the southeast. Banciao is also bordered by two rivers, Sindan River to the northeast and Dahan River to the northwest.

[edit] Name origin

The city's old name was 枋橋 (py: Fāng-qiáo), pronounced Pang-kiô in Taiwanese, and means "bridge made of wooden planks". The name's origin goes 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 Banciao. Eventually, this place acquired the name Pang-kiô (枋橋). In 1920, the Japanese government changed the name to 板橋 (py: Bǎnqiáo, tw: Pán-kiô), which has remained unchanged to this day. In Taiwanese, the name continues to be pronounced Pang-kiô.

[edit] Education

Banciao is home to several universities, such as the National Taiwan University of Arts, the most famous university for the arts in Taiwan. As for secondary education, the National Panchiao Senior High School is considered one of the top high schools in the Taipei area[citation needed].

[edit] Colleges

  • National Taiwan University of Arts (國立台灣藝術大學)
  • Oriental Institute of Technology (亞東技術學院)
  • Chihlee Institute of Technology (致理技術學院)

[edit] High schools

  • National Panchiao Senior High School (國立板橋高中)
  • Kwan Jen High School (光仁中學)
  • Hai Shan High School (海山中學)
  • National Overseas Chinese Senior High School(國立華僑高級中學)

[edit] Tourism

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.

[edit] Sports facilities

Due to its position as the county seat of Taipei County, Banciao has several sports facilities, and the annual Taipei County sports game is hosted in the city. However, Banciao lacks major baseball facilities, forcing its baseball fans to go to Taipei or Sinjhuang to watch baseball games.

[edit] Transportation

Taipei MRT line through Banciao
Taipei MRT line through Banciao

Banciao is well served by multiple public transportation services. A couple dozen bus lines[citation needed] connect Banciao with nearby cities, especially Taipei. There are five Taipei Rapid Transit System stations in Banciao, four along the Banqiao Line and one on the Tucheng Line. Banciao Station serves as Taiwan Railway Administration and Taiwan High Speed Rail trains, as well as the Taipei RTS. All railroads have been underground since 1997.

[edit] Sister cities

[edit] Notable residents

  • Scott Chang - CEO of Lastertech

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 25°00′40″N, 121°26′45″E