Beitou District

The area's hot springs had long been enjoyed by the aboriginal people of Taiwan. Shortly before the Japanese period a German sulfur merchant established the first hot spring club in Beitou.^[3]

During early Japanese rule, Hokutō (Pak-tâu) was a village at the entrance of the well-known North Formosa sulfur district.^[4] Three Japanese extracting plants in this district produced about 200 short tons (180,000 kg) of sulfur monthly. The Japanese had already recognized the value of the village as a sanitary resort and constructed a Japanese inn with hot mineral baths provided by the sulfur springs. The hot springs have been developed to include aroma therapy, massage, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, and excellent cuisine which complement the entire spa experience. The mineral waters stream from the numerous geothermal vents that occur naturally in the region and are famous for their health benefits.

In 1896, Japanese anthropologist Inō Kanori surveyed the three Ketagalan settlements in the area, finding that the indigenous group had adopted the language and culture of the majority Han Chinese, although Ketagalan women still wore their hair in a traditional style.^[5] in his 1896 visit, Inō observed that most residents of the northernmost Ketagalan settlement had converted to Christianity.^[6] By the 1910s, the northernmost settlement had been disestablished to make extraction of white clay easier.^[7] The central Ketagalan settlement was cleared for a horse racing track in the late 1930s.^[8]

Between 1920 and 1941, Hokutō Village (北投庄) was governed under Shichisei District, Taihoku Prefecture. It was upgraded to a Hokutō Town in 1941.

After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China in 1945, it was renamed as Peitou urban township (北投鎮), belonging to Taipei County. Beginning in 1949, Peitou and Shilin were administered by the newly formed Yangmingshan Administrative Bureau. Both of them were merged into Taipei City on 1 July 1968 as districts. In 1974, Yangmingshan Administrative Bureau underwent restructuring and Beitou District was placed under direct jurisdiction of Taipei City.^[9]

Besides from tourism Taiwanese electronics companies such as Asus^[10] as well as their former subsidiaries Pegatron and ASRock have their headquarters in Beitou. Additionally, the Taiwanese headquarters of Nvidia are planned to be constructed in Beitou ^[11]

• National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine

Universities and colleges:

• Dharma Drum Mountain Community University - Beitou Campus
• Fu Hsing Kang College
• National Defense University
• National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Science
• National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
• Taipei City University of Science and Technology
• Taipei National University of the Arts

Junior and Senior High Schools:

• Taipei Municipal Zhong-zheng Senior High School
• Taipei Municipal Fuxing Senior High School
• Taipei Xin-Min Junior High School
• Taipei Beitou Junior High School
• Taipei Mingde Junior High School

• Beitou Refuse Incineration Plant
• Beitou-Shilin Technology Park

Beitou has one of the largest concentrations of hot springs and spas in the world. Once a small park where locals used to relax in the hot springs, the Beitou Valley has evolved today to include over thirty resorts; a 20-minute subway ride north of Taipei takes you to Beitou. The resorts and spas are regarded by many locals and international tourists as among the most relaxing and rejuvenating places in the country. The spas consist of different degree pools (from cool to very hot) and minerals. However, residents of this district note that sulfuric fumes from the hot springs do ruin their electric appliances in the long term.

The district is served by Beitou Station, Xinbeitou Station, Zhongyi Station, Qiyan Station, Fuxinggang Station, Guandu Station, Qilian Station, Mingde Station and Shipai Station of the Taipei Metro.

• Ashin – singer, songwriter and author
• Gingle Wang – actress and writer
• Tai Chih-yuan – comedian, actor and show host
• Chen Ming-chang – folk/pop singer-songwriter

• Shipai, Taipei