Xizhi District


Xizhi is an inner city district in New Taipei City in northern Taiwan, and it's located between Taipei city and Keelung city.
Xizhi grew quickly during the 1980s and 1990s, and is home to many of Taiwan's major electronics companies, such as Acer, Garmin, Coiler, Lanner Electronics and DFI.

Origins of its Name

The district's old name Tsui-tng-ka refers to the fact that the tide from the Keelung River stops at Xizhi and goes back to the sea. During Japanese rule, the place name was changed to and was under Shichisei District, Taihoku Prefecture. This is the source of the current name.

History

The area was originally called Kypanas by the indigenous Ketagalan people.
In 1758, Han immigrants built a settlement near the area.
In 1920, during the Japanese rule, the place was organized as Shiodome Town, Shichisei District, Taihoku Prefecture.
After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China, Xizhi was established as an urban township of Taipei County. It was upgraded to a county-controlled city on 1 July 1999. On 25 December 2010, it became a district of New Taipei City.

Geography and Location

Xizhi is located in the Keelung River valley between Taipei and Keelung, which is an important transportation corridor. The old Jukando Highway and Jukan Railway Line passed through here during the Japanese period. Currently both north-south freeways as well as the West Coast Line railroad pass through Xizhi.
A Taipei Metro route is planned for Xizhi.
Xizhi suffered from periodic flooding due to typhoons, before a levee was completed along the Keelung River in 2002.

Economy

Many of Taiwan's electronics companies are headquartered in Xizhi, such as:
Garmin's largest operating subsidiary, Garmin Corporation, has its main office in Xizhi District.
Matsusei, a Taiwanese supermarket chain, also has its headquarters in Xizhi.
U-Town, a commerce center with multiple functions, such as entertainment, business, and dining areas, is being built by Farglory Group, and will be completed the entire construction ideally by the end of 2014. It will be located in one of the most convenient and centralized areas of the whole Xizhi District once the entire building is full built. Around U-Town, there are hypermarkets, such as Carrefour and Costco, international computer companies, such as Acer, and retailer of consumer electronics and entertainment software, such as TK3C. There will be 1482 units in total within 37 stories along with underground 7 floors. Among those units, B1 will be designed as public food court, 1F~3F will be international designers branding department store, 4F will be fitness center. The remaining floors will also include, lobby, Farglory Museum, spa, swimming pool, business meeting rooms and offices.
Before several electronic companies moved to Xizhi, the district, like the nearby Pinglin, was known for the production of Baozhong tea.

Tourist attractions

Planned