History of Hsinchu
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The first settlers in the city of Hsinchu were the aboriginal plains tribe known as Taokas.[1] Prior to the arrival of the Han Chinese, the area around Hsinchu was held by the Taokas, the Saisiyat, and the Atayal. Originally, they settled by the coast of the Siangshan Wetlands and then gradually expanded northeast, cultivating the area.
Ming Empire
The Spanish occupied northern Taiwan in the 17th century. Catholic missionaries reached the settlement of Tek-kham in 1626. The Hokkien name, literally meaning "Bamboo Barrier", may transcribe an aboriginal[which?] word for "seashore".[citation needed] In 1642, the Dutch drove out the Spanish from Taiwan. Dutch Formosa ended with the Siege of Fort Zeelandia in 1662. The Kingdom of Tungning then ruled part of southwestern Taiwan in the name of the Ming until 1683.
Qing Empire
In 1684, Zhuluo County was established during Qing Dynasty rule, initially encompassing the underdeveloped northern two-thirds of Taiwan. Wang Shih-chieh, from Kinmen, was the first Han settler to reside in Tek-kham and cultivate farmland. Over 180 others followed, establishing a settlement alongside what later became Dongqian Street in East District, Hsinchu, in 1711.[2][3]
By 1723, the Qing Empire split Zhuluo into three sections. One of them was Tamsui Subprefecture, corresponding to modern-day Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City and County, and Miaoli.
Tek-kham was surrounded by bamboo groves used as defense walls and gates.[citation needed] In 1825, these natural defenses were removed and replaced with brick and stone walls, except the East Gate.
In 1877, Tamsui Subprefecture was abolished. As part of the reorganization of Taiwan by Shen Baozhen, the viceroy of Liangjiang, Zhuqian Subprefecture (i.e., Tek-kham) was raised to the level of a county and renamed Hsinchu (i.e., Sin-tek or Xinzhu) in 1878.[4] By 1887, Taipeh Prefecture consisted of the counties of Tamsui, Gilan, and Hsinchu.
In the late 19th century, the Hoklo dominated the coastal plain area, forcing the Saisiyat and Atayal tribes to move to Jianshi and Wufeng, while the Hakka and Taokas settled together in the river valleys and hills area.
By the end of 1893, the railway from Keelung crossed the Taipei Bridge and regular service was opened over the entire 60 mi (97 km) line.[5]