Sanxia District
Sanxia District is a district in the southwestern part of New Taipei, Taiwan. It is the second largest district in New Taipei City by area after Wulai District.
Name
The old name of Sanxia, Sa-kak-eng dates back to the 1780s and refers to the meeting of the Dahan River, Sanxia River, and. In 1920, Taiwan's Japanese government administratively designated the town as, Kaizan District, Taihoku Prefecture.History
The first Han people settled in what would become Sanxia during the 1700s, and originally rented land from the Plains Indigenous before forcing their displacement. After several groups of settlers from Southern China fought amongst themselves, Anxi County natives became dominant and began cultivating Strobilanthes cusia in the area. After Monga merchant Weng Tian introduced Indigofera tinctoria to Sa-kak-eng, the production of indigo increased, with the first recorded instance of large-scale production dating to 1822. Lin Tzu-tzeng of Anxi moved to Sa-kak-eng in 1830, and established the town's first dyeing workshop.After the first coffee plants on Taiwan were imported by the British to Tainan in 1884, the first significant small-scale cultivation took place in Sa-kak-eng.
On December 25, 2010, Sanxia Township was renamed Sanxia District as New [Taipei City#History|Taipei County] became a special municipality, New Taipei City.
Geography
It has an area of 191.45 km2 and a population of 115,443.Government institutions
University- National Taipei University Sanxia Main Campus
- Mingde High school
- BeiDa High School
- Tsz-Shiou Senior High school
- Sanxia Junior High school
- Anxi Junior High school
- National Academy for Educational Research Preparatory office-Planning Objectives
Tourist attractions
- Zushi Temple - The most important religious site in Sanxia. Originally built in 1769 by Fukienese immigrants to Taiwan, it has been rebuilt three times, of which the last effort is the masterpiece of Taiwanese artist Li Mei-shu. It is considered by many to be the most intricately sculpted temple in Taiwan.
- Sanxia Old Street - A business street built during the Japanese rule, it is a very well preserved example of baroque-style architecture of the time. The street features stores selling art, ceramics, and local specialty foods.
- New [Taipei City Hakka Museum] - the largest Hakka cultural center in Taiwan exhibiting the culture, history, and influence of the Hakka people in Taiwan and abroad.
- Li Mei-shu Memorial Gallery
- Sanxia History Museum - preserves artistic and cultural artifacts from Sanxia's past.
- Manyueyuan [National Forest Recreation Area]
- National [Taipei University Arts Boulevard]
- Sanxia Agricultural Specialty Products Museum
- Tourism Factory of Cha-Shan-Fang Soap
- Pigs of God ) Contest - The largest event held at Zushi Temple around Chinese New Year where farmers compete to raise the fattest pig. The fattest pig is then sacrificed at the temple but not to the main deity, Zushi-Ye as he was formerly a Buddhist monk. Controversial to animal rights activists, Zushi Temple is one of the few places in Taiwan that still practice this tradition.
- Sanxia Indigo Blue Dye Festival - A celebration of Sanxia's past as a major dyeing center in northern Taiwan.
Transportation
- Car — Sanxia is served by Freeway No. 3.
- Bus — Sanxia is accessible by bus from Taipei, Taoyuan District, and Yingge.
- Train — Although Sanxia does not have a train station, it is accessible by bus from Yingge Train Station across the river.
- MRT — Accessible via the Tucheng Line of the Taipei Metro to Yongning. Bus 916 from exit 1 connects to Sanxia on Highway 3. In addition Bus 910 leaves from Fuzhong station in Banqiao. Both routes are multi-section tickets, paying on entry or exit.
Notable natives
- Li Mei-shu, painter, sculptor, and politician