Hsinchu City

Hsin-chu is the Wade-Giles romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of the Chinese name 新竹. The same name is rendered Xīnzhú in Hanyu Pinyin and Sinjhú in Tongyong Pinyin. This name refers to the settlement's original Hokkien name Tek-chhàm (竹塹), meaning "bamboo barrier". The name may transcribe an aboriginal name meaning "Seashore". The same name is variously recorded as Teukcham, Teuxham, Tekcham, and Teckcham; its Mandarin pronunciation appears as Chuchien. Hsinchu is popularly nicknamed "The Windy City" for its windy climate and "The Garden City of Culture and Technology" by its tourism department.

The area around Hsinchu City was inhabited by the Taokas aborigines when the Spanish immigrants occupied northern Taiwan in the 17th century. Catholic missionaries reached the settlement of Tek-kham in 1626. The Spanish were expelled by the Dutch immigrants a few decades later. A Chinese town was established at Tek-kham by Wang Shih-chieh and other Han settlers in 1711. Wang and his party of over 180 people were natives of Kinmen who first camped alongside what is now Dongqian Street in East District, Hsinchu. 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 Xinzhu (i.e., Sin-tek or Hsinchu) in 1878. When Taiwan was made a province in 1887, Hsinchu was made a part of Taipeh Prefecture. …

The city is bordered by Hsinchu County to the north and east, Miaoli County to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the west. Hsinchu's climate is humid subtropical (Koppen: Cfa). The city is located in a part of the island that has a rainy season that lasts from February to September, with the heaviest time coming late April through August during the southwest monsoon, and also experiences heavy "plum rains" in May and early June. The city succumbs to hot humid weather from June until September, while October to December are arguably the most pleasant times of year. Hsinchu is affected by easterly winds off of the East China Sea. Natural hazards such as typhoons and earthquakes are common in the region.

The Hsinchu Science Park has around 360 companies. The purpose of the park is to attract high-tech investment to Taiwan. Since its establishment in 1978, the government has invested over NT$30 billion in software and hardware ventures. In 2001, it developed 2.5 km2 (0.97 sq mi) of land in the park and 0.5 km2 (0.19 sq mi) in southern Hsinchu. The semiconductor and related electronic businesses have faced competition from South Korea and the United States. This has resulted in lower profits and an oversupply of some electronic products, such as memory and semiconductors. In 2020, Hsinchu was classified as a "Sufficiency" level global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.

Some tourist attractions in Hsinchu include: Aqueduct Museum of Hsinchu City Black Bat Squadron Memorial Hall Chenghuang Temple of Hsinchu Glass Museum of Hsinchu City Hsinchu City Art Site of Railway Warehouse Hsinchu CKS Baseball Stadium Hsinchu Museum of Military Dependents Village Hsinchu Fish Harbor Hsinchu Zoo National Hsinchu Living Arts Center 17 Kilometer Coastal Scenic Area Green Grass Lake Chenghuang Temple Night Market – Most of the old stands in Cheng-huang Temple are of 50-year-old history, known snacks here include Hsin-chu meatballs, pork balls, spring rolls, braised pork rice, cuttlefish thick soup, rice noodles, and cow tongue-shaped cakes. Neiwan Old Street – Traditional Hakka restaurants that serve ginger-lily-flavored glutinous rice dumplings, Hakka tea, and Hakka rice cakes.

Hsinchu City is mainly served by Hsinchu railway station, along with five other minor TRA stations on both the Western Trunk line and the Neiwan line. There is also an HSR station in nearby Zhubei, Hsinchu County on Taiwan High Speed Rail. Hsinchu City has recently created a series of cycling routes. Hsinchu is home to many cycling clubs. Fishing ports are located at Nanliao Street, North District, and Haishan, Xiangshan. Hsinchu Airport is located in the North District and is mainly used as a military airbase. The nearest international airport is Taoyuan International Airport, which is located 58 km away from the city.