Shenkeng District

Shenkeng
深坑區
District
Shenkeng District
Nickname(s): The Tofu Capital

Shenkeng District in New Taipei City
Coordinates: 25°0′12″N 121°37′2″E / 25.00333°N 121.61722°E / 25.00333; 121.61722Coordinates: 25°0′12″N 121°37′2″E / 25.00333°N 121.61722°E / 25.00333; 121.61722
Country Taiwan
Special municipality New Taipei City
Villages (里)
 • Mayor (Kuomintang)
Area
 • Total 20.58 km2 (7.95 sq mi)
Highest elevation 562 m (1,844 ft)
Lowest elevation 32 m (105 ft)
Population (January 2016)
 • Total 23,614
 • Density 1,100/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
 • Households 9,463
Time zone CST (UTC+8)
Postal code 222
Area code(s) 02
Website www.shenkeng.ntpc.gov.tw
Shenkeng
Traditional Chinese 深坑區
Literal meaning deep pit; deep mine
Shenkang District office

Shenkeng District (Chinese: 深坑區; pinyin: Shēnkēng Qū; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chhim-kheⁿ khu) is a rural district in central New Taipei City in northern Taiwan. Formerly an agricultural and mining town, it is now famous for its numerous tofu restaurants and vendors.

History

The area is first recorded as the preserve of a tribe of Pingpu aborigines during the Qing dynasty period in Taiwan. When Han Chinese farmers eventually moved in to develop the area, they bought the low-lying land from the aborigines and began cultivation in the main valley.[1] The modern name of the township, Shenkeng, literally means deep pit or deep mine, and indeed the area used to have several active coal mines.[2]

Geography

Shenkeng is a rural district which borders Taipei City's Wenshan District to the west, Nangang District to the north, and the Shiding District of New Taipei City to the east.

Transportation

Transportation in Shenkeng is limited to roads only; there is as yet no railway or mass transit service, although proposals have been made to extend the Wenshan Line of the Taipei Metro into Shenkeng.[3] Three bus companies offer passenger services within Shenkeng and between Shenkeng and surrounding settlements.

Politics

Politics in Shenkeng have largely been uneventful; the town is considered a safe seat for the Kuomintang. An exception was in 1996, when several members of the council were arrested on suspicion of connection with organised crime.[4]

Education

Shenkeng is home to Tungnan University, a private technical university.[5] There is also a Junior High School and an Elementary School in the town.

Tourist attractions

The economy of Shenkeng is centred on tourism, and that tourism is based largely on tofu. The district is sufficiently well known in culinary circles that it has been a subject of media interest in Japan and Hong Kong.[6] The tofu from Shenkeng has an unusual ratio of soybean to gypsum, giving it a yellowish colour and distinctive flavour.[6] The town has become so readily identified with tofu[7] that it has earned the epithet "The Tofu Capital".[8]

There are also extensive hiking trails, some of which were in use during the Japanese era by anti-Japanese guerilla fighters.[9]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shenkeng District, New Taipei.

Notes

  1. ↑ Shenkeng Township Government
  2. ↑ He 95.
  3. ↑ Chiu
  4. ↑ Feuchtwang 160.
  5. ↑ Tungnan Institute of Technology
  6. 1 2 Chung
  7. ↑ Du Bois
  8. ↑ Janda
  9. ↑ Woodworth

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 6/12/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.