T'ai-nan

formerly Dainan

City (pop., 2002 est.: 742,574), southwestern Taiwan.

It is one of the oldest urban settlements on the island. The Han Chinese settled there as early as 1590. The Dutch arrived in the city in 1623 and stayed until they were driven out in 1662 by Zheng Chenggong, who made it his capital. It remained the island's capital when the Qing dynasty reestablished Chinese control over Taiwan (1683). Under Chinese rule in the 19th century, it grew into a prosperous city and was the commercial and educational centre of Taiwan. After the transfer of the capital to Taipei in 1891, it became primarily commercial. It expanded during the Japanese occupation (1895–1945). Today it is a major market and tourism centre.

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▪ Taiwan

      shih (municipality), southwestern Taiwan, with an area of 68 square miles (176 square km). It is one of the oldest urban settlements on the island. The Han Chinese settled there as early as 1590 (some sources say earlier), when it was known as T'ai-yüan, Ta-yüan, or T'ai-wan—a name that was later extended to the whole island. The Dutch arrived in the city in 1623 and stayed until they were driven out in 1662 by Cheng Ch'eng-kung (Zheng Chenggong) (Koxinga), a man of mixed Chinese-Japanese parentage who made T'ai-nan his administrative centre and briefly ruled the island before he died. During the last years of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) and after, a great number of Chinese fleeing disorders in China emigrated to southern Taiwan and settled on the southwestern plain. In 1683, when the Ch'ing dynasty (1644–1911) reestablished Chinese control over Taiwan, T'ai-nan remained the administrative capital of the island. It was fortified in the 18th century after a series of rebellions. Under Chinese rule during the 19th century, T'ai-nan grew into a prosperous city, said in 1880 to have had 60,000 people, and became the commercial and educational centre of Taiwan. After the transfer of the capital to Taipei in 1891, T'ai-nan became primarily a commercial city. During the Japanese occupation (1895–1945), it was connected to the north and to the port of Kao-hsiung by rail. The old town walls were demolished and the city limits greatly expanded. T'ai-nan continued to expand after the Japanese withdrawal.

      T'ai-nan is the main market for the produce of the southwestern plain, dealing in sugarcane, rice, fruit, and peanuts (groundnuts). The productivity of the agricultural area north of the city was greatly increased by the construction of the Chia-nan irrigation scheme, which waters some 1,900 square miles (5,000 square km). The system, which includes some 10,868 miles (l7,490 km) of canals and irrigation channels, was designed and constructed by the Japanese between 1920 and 1930 and has since been improved. The city is also a centre of the coastal salt industry and of fisheries. Other products include textiles, rubber goods, sugar, chemicals, plastics, light-engineering and aluminum products, electrical appliances, and processed foods. T'ai-nan has many traditional handicrafts, notably goldsmithing and silversmithing, and attracts many tourists. Its traditional outport is An-p'ing. Pop. (1989 est.) 668,867.

▪ county, Taiwan

      hsien (county), southwestern Taiwan, with an area of 778 square miles (2,016 square km). It is bordered by Chia-i hsien (north), by Kao-hsiung hsien (southeast), and by T'ai-nan shih (municipality) and the Taiwan Strait (west). In the mid-17th century, what is now T'ai-nan hsien was part of the territory ruled by Cheng Ch'eng-kung (Zheng Chenggong) (Koxinga), who established Chinese control over Taiwan and had his capital at T'ai-nan city.

      Agriculture is the mainstay of the hsien's economy; irrigated rice, sugarcane, sweet potatoes, and fruits are grown on the fertile alluvial coastal plains that constitute most of the region. The major industries are processing of food and fish; the manufacture of textiles, paper, machinery, chemicals, and gunny bags; and the milling of sugar and rice. Asbestos, dolomite, zircon, and salt are extracted, and oil and natural-gas fields are located in the central part of the hsien. Taiwan's only international research institute, the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center, is at Shan-hua, and the Yang-k'ang Industrial Park is at Wang-hsing. T'oushe village is known for the religious celebrations of local aborigines. Ts'eng-wen Hsi Shu-k'u (reservoir), in the northern part of the hsien, provides irrigation for a 336-square-mile (870-square-kilometre) area and supplies water for the scenic man-made Shan-hu (Coral) Reservoir, 9 miles (15 km) south of Hsin-ying, the administrative seat. Pop. (1989 est.) 1,009,036.

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