Banqiao District


Banqiao District 'Banciao, Panchiao or Pan-ch'iao' is a district and the seat of New [Taipei City], Taiwan. It has the third-highest population density in Taiwan, with over. Until the creation of New Taipei City, Banqiao was an incorporated county-administered city and the former seat of Taipei County.

Name origin

The district's old name was Pang-kio, which dates back to the Qing Dynasty during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor ; thus derived Hokkien-based spellings Pankyu, Pankio, and Pankyo were common in English before 1945. A wooden bridge, locally called Pang-kiô-thâu, was built for pedestrians to cross a brook located in the west of today's Banqiao, the modern day Nanzih Creek.
In 1920, the Japanese government modified the name to. The same characters are still used today, but are read Bǎnqiáo in Mandarin. However, in Taiwanese Hokkien, the old name Pang-kiô is still the norm.

History

In the early 20th century, Pankyo was a walled city and said to be owned by a landlord who had lived there "in feudal style", surrounded by armed retainers.
From 1920 to 1945, during Japanese rule, the area was administrated as Itahashi Town, Kaizan District, Taihoku Prefecture.
Banqiao was upgraded from an urban township to a county-administered city as Pan-ch'iao or Banciao City of Taipei County on 1 July 1972. The city became Banqiao District on 25 December 2010.

Geography

Banqiao is located in western part of the Taipei Basin of northern Taiwan, in the subtropical climate zone. Banqiao is surrounded by Taipei to the east, Sanchong to the north, Xinzhuang to the northwest, Shulin to the southwest, Tucheng to the south, and Zhonghe to the southeast. Banqiao is also bordered by two rivers, Xindian River to the northeast and Dahan River to the northwest.

Economy

Agriculture sector thrived in Banqiao in the 1950s. In the 1960s, manufacturing sector started to appear in the region and in the 1970s industries and commerce have developed. In the 1980 and '90s, finance and commerce grew in the area.

Education

Banqiao is home to several universities, including the National Taiwan University of Arts. The National Banqiao High School is considered one of the top high schools in New Taipei City.

Universities and colleges

Banqiao has several sports facilities and the annual New Taipei City sports game is hosted in the district.

Transportation

Banqiao is well served by multiple public transportation services. Banqiao station is served by THSR bullet trains, conventional rail Taiwan Railway trains, and the Taipei Metro.
Since beginning of 2020, the Circular line of the Taipei Metro also runs through the district. The Taipei Metro serves the district via the following stations:
Bus lines connect Banqiao with downtown Taipei and nearby districts.
Provincial [Highway 3 (Taiwan)|Provincial Highway 3] and Provincial Highway 64 run through the district.

Infrastructure