# Hsinchu County

Hsinchu County is a county in north-western Taiwan. The population of the county is mainly Hakka; with a Taiwanese aboriginal minority in the southeastern part of the county. Zhubei is the county seat, where the government office and county office is located. A portion of the Hsinchu Science Park is located in Hsinchu County.

## History
### Early history

Before the arrival of the Han Chinese, the Hsinchu area was home to the indigenous Taokas, Saisiyat, and Atayal. After the Spanish occupied northern Taiwan, Catholic missionaries arrived at Tek-kham in 1626. Minnanese (Hoklo) and Hakka came and began to cultivate the land from the plains near the sea towards the river valleys and hills.

### Qing dynasty

In 1684, Zhuluo County was established during Qing dynasty rule and more Han settled near Tek-kham. A Chinese city was established there in 1711 and renamed Hsinchu in 1875. It became part of Taipeh Prefecture. In the late 19th century, Hoklo people dominated the coastal plains, forcing the Saisiyat and Atayal tribes to move to areas around Jianshi and Wufeng, while the Hakka and Taokas settled together in the river valleys and hills.

### Japanese rule

Japanese occupation of Taiwan began after the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895. Hsinchu became known as Shinchiku and, by 1920, its prefecture covered the areas of modern-day Hsinchu County and City, Miaoli, and Taoyuan.

### Republic of China

Like the rest of the Taiwan, the county is part of the nominal Taiwan Province of the Republic of China (ROC), which s no longer has any administrative function practically. After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China in 1945, Hsinchu County was established on 25 December 1945. In August 1950, Miaoli and Taoyuan were taken out from the county area to form Miaoli County and Taoyuan County respectively. On 16 August 1950, Hsinchu City was incorporated to the county as county-administered city. However, the city was then upgraded again to become a provincial city on 1 July 1982 and was taken out from Hsinchu County area. The county's Xiangshan Township was incorporated into Hsinchu City on 1 July 1982. In 2021, plans are underway to have both Hsinchu county and city merged into the nation's seventh special municipality.

## Geography

Hsinchu County is located at the northwest part of Taiwan Island. The county borders Taoyuan City to the north, Miaoli County to the south, the Taiwan Strait to the west, and the Xueshan & Dabajian mountains to the east. With an area spanning up to 1,427.59 km$^2$ (551.20 sq mi), Hsinchu County is composed mainly of uplands, tablelands, mountains, the alluvial plains of the Fengshan River and Touqian River mouth area, and some ancient river land.

### Climate

The average climate in Hsinchu County is mild.

## Administration

Hsinchu County controls 1 city, 3 urban townships, 6 rural townships and 2 mountain indigenous townships. Zhubei City is the seat of Hsinchu County which houses the Hsinchu County Government and Hsinchu County Council. The incumbent Magistrate of Hsinchu County is Yang Wen-ke of the Kuomintang. The administrative division of the county are:
| Type | Name | Chinese | Hokkien | Hakka | Formosan |
| City | Zhubei City | 竹北市 | Tek-pak | Tsuk-pet | |
| Urban townships (towns) | Guanxi | 關西鎮 | Koan-se | Kûan-sî | Kansai Atayal |
| Urban townships (towns) | Xinpu | 新埔鎮 | Sin-po͘ | Sîn-phû | |
| Urban townships (towns) | Zhudong | 竹東鎮 | Tek-tang | Tsuk-tûng | |
| Rural townships | Baoshan | 寶山鄉 | Pó-san | Pó-sân | |
| Rural townships | Beipu | 北埔鄉 | Pak-po͘ | Pet-phû | |
| Rural townships | Emei | 峨眉鄉 | Gô-bî | Ngô-mì | |
| Rural townships | Hengshan | 橫山鄉 | Hoâiⁿ-san | Vàng-sân | |
| Rural townships | Hukou | 湖口鄉 | Ô͘-kháu | Fù-khiéu | |
| Rural townships | Qionglin | 芎林鄉 | Khiông-nâ | Khiûng-lìm | |
| Rural townships | Xinfeng | 新豐鄉 | Sin-hong | Sîn-fûng | |
| Mountain indigenous townships | Jianshi | 尖石鄉 | Chiam-chio̍h | Tsiâm-sa̍k | Nahuy Atayal |
| Mountain indigenous townships | Wufeng | 五峰鄉 | Ngó͘-hong | Ńg-fûng | Gohogo Atayal, Saisiyat |
Colors indicate the common language status of Hakka and Formosan languages within each division.

## Demographics

The population of the county consists of Hakka, Hoklo, aborigines and new immigrants. The Hakka people constituted around 84% of the total population in 2014, while the aborigines consisted mainly of Atayal and Saisiyat people. As of October 2023, the total population was 588,535, with 288,912 females and 299,623 males.

## Economy
### High tech industry

After the founding of Hsinchu Science Park in 1980, a high number of high-tech industries began to grow and expand outside the park, attracting workers coming to work and settle in the county.

## Education

Education in Hsinchu County is administered by the Education Department of Hsinchu County Government. The county is home to the Minghsin University of Science and Technology and Ta Hwa University of Science and Technology.

## Energy
### Power generations

Hsinchu County is home to the gas-fired Hsintao Power Plant with a capacity of 600 MW located in Guanxi Township.

### Water supply

Hsinchu County houses the Baoshan Dam and Baoshan Second Dam.

## Tourist attractions

* Beipu Citian Temple
* Mount Dabajian
* Former Residence of Zhang Xueliang
* Green World Ecological Farm
* Leofoo Village Theme Park
* Little Ding-Dong Science Theme Park
* Rueylong Museum
* Shei-Pa National Park
* Tapung Old Fort
* Zhudong Animation and Comic Creative Park
* Zhudong Timber Industry Exhibition Hall
* Beipu Old Street
* Neiwan Old Street
* Emei Huge Buddha Statue

## Sports

Hsinchu County has one professional basketball team, the Hsinchu JKO Lioneers of the P. League+.

## Transportation
### Rail

The Hsinchu Station of the Taiwan High Speed Rail is located in the county at Zhubei City. Hsinchu County is crossed by three Taiwan Railways Administration lines, which are the Liujia Line, Neiwan Line and Western Line.

## Notable people

* Chen Ying-git, singer
* Cyndi Wang, singer-actress
* Hebe Tien, singer-actress and a member of girl group S.H.E
* Joanne Tseng, actress
* Joe Chen, actress
* Landy Wen, singer
* Miu Chu, singer

## International relations
### Sister cities

* Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan
* Santa Clara, California, United States
* Westmont, Illinois, United States
* Ipswich, Queensland, Australia