Shimen District

Shimen
石門區
District
Shimen District

The Fugueijiao Lighthouse at Taiwan's northernmost point

Location of Shimen in New Taipei City
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 Taiwan
Region Northern Taiwan
Special municipality New Taipei City
Area
 • Total 51.26 km2 (19.79 sq mi)
Population (January 2016)
 • Total 12,645
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 Taiwan. It is part of the north coast scenic area and includes Taiwan's northernmost point, Cape Fugui (Fuki Point).

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 under Tamsui District of 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

Historical buildings

The Fugueijiao Lighthouse is located at Cape Fugui.

Nature

Shimen is home to Baisha Bay.

Festivals

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

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

References

  1. 1 2 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. ↑ Shan, Shelley (2008-09-24). "Shihmen to launch kite festival". Taipei Times.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/13/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.