Welcome!
Welcome! Or, as they say in Mandarin,
which is pronounced “huan ying.”
Name of City: New Taipei
City
Flag of City:
Country: Can be referred
to as: Taiwan; or Republic of China (ROC); not to be confused
with the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Capital of Country: Taipei
City
National Holidays: The
official national holidays of Taiwan include Founding Day
(January 1); Lunar New Year's Day (January 1 on lunar calendar);
Peace Memorial Day (February 28); Youth Day (March 29); Children's
Day (April 4); Tomb-Sweeping Day (April 5); Dragon Boat Festival
(May 5 on lunar calendar ); Teacher's Day (Confucius's Birthday)
(September 28); Mid-Autumn Festival (August 15 on lunar calendar);
Double Tenth National Day (October 10); Taiwan's Retrocession
Day (October 25); Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Birthday (November 12);
and Constitution Day (December 25).
Flag of Country:
Currency: the currency
of Taiwan is the “New Taiwan Dollar,” otherwise known as
the “yuán”. As today (May22, 2011) 1 $ = 28.852 NT$ and 100
NT$ = 3.47$.
Latitude & Longitude: 25°
N 122° E
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Brief Introduction
of New Taipei City
Geography: New
Taipei City is a municipality located in the north of Taiwan.
The administrative district of New Taipei City covers the
northern tip of Taiwan and is the most populated municipality
in Taiwan. New Taipei City surrounds Taipei City and is adjacent
to Keelung City (northeast), Yilan County (southeast) and
Taoyuan County (southwest). Surrounding Taipei City and adjacent
to Keelung City on three sides, New Taipei City, Taipei City
and Keelung City shape the Taipei Metropolitan Area and constitute
a common living circle. The whole of New Taipei City covers
an area of 2,052 square km (which translates to approximately
6% of Taiwan proper’s total area) and its coastal line runs
a distance of 120 km. One can find a variety of topologies
in New Taipei City such as mountains, hills, plains and basins.
Population: As
of June 30, 2010, the population of residents in New Taipei
City has reached 3,880,743 and this makes New Taipei City
the largest municipality in Taiwan in terms of population.
Climate: The
climate in New Taipei City is characterized as sub-tropical
with seasonal monsoons with ample rainfall evenly distributed
throughout the year. January is typically the coldest month
of the year with an average temperature of 12.4 degrees Centigrade;
July is the hottest at 33.6 degrees Celsius in average.
Local
time: Taiwan is 12 hours ahead
of Cincinnati during the daytime saving time. Otherwise,
Taiwan is 13 hours ahead of Cincinnati.
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History: The
island of Taiwan has a long history; before the 17th century,
it was inhabited by the indigenous Malayo-Polynesian people.
In the early 17th century, the tribes were driven into the
mountains by invaders from both Europe and Asia, and immigration
from China overwhelmed its shores. Over the years, many
of the indigenous people have become assimilated into the
population.
The Portuguese were the first to come to Taiwan, but the
first base was established by the Dutch East India Company
on the Penghu Islands in 1622, and they had extended their
control to the southwestern coast of Taiwan by 1624. Two
years later, the Spanish started occupying areas in northern
Taiwan. The Dutch drove them out in 1642, and began establishing
Taiwan as an important seaport. The Dutch began importing
Chinese laborers to Taiwan, increasing the Chinese presence
on the island. The Ming Dynasty rebellions in mainland China,
meanwhile, further increased immigration.
The Dutch were pushed out by Ming loyalists who fled across
the Taiwan Strait in 1662, and a mini-empire under Jheng
Cheng-gong began. It lasted 22 years, and marked the first
time that Taiwan was ruled as an independent state. Beginning
in 1683, the Ching Dynasty (Manchu Empire) ruled China and
Taiwan for two-plus centuries. In the mid-1800s, Taiwan
opened its ports to Western traders, and Taiwan attracted
international attention, resulting in Japanese and French
incursions. In 1895, the Manchu Empire ceded Taiwan to Japan
in a treaty, and Japan retained control of the island until
the end of World War II. At that point, Republic of China
troops took over Taiwan, declaring it a province of mainland
China.
Four years later, the ROC government, which was ruled by
the Kuomintang (KMT) party, was defeated by the Communist
Party of China in the Chinese Civil War. The KMT and ROC
took refuge on Taiwan, while mainland China became the People’s
Republic of China (PRC). For the next six decades, each
government claimed sovereignty over both territories, while
coexisting as separate sovereign states. The situation has
caused many difficulties on the international stage in the
years since. In 1950, the United States dispatched a fleet
to protect Taiwan from China; in 1958, the US and Taiwan
proclaimed their solidarity. However, in 1971, the PRC was
seated in the United Nations, and the ROC was excluded.
In 1979, the United States cut off relations with Taiwan
in favor of China. Government sources from Taiwan claim
that Taiwan and China “are distinctly different sovereign
nations,” and that Taiwan is “one of the world’s freest countries.”
Although the KMT ruled Taiwan from 1949-2000, in the 2000
election, the opposition party was elected into power in
2000 and 2004. As of the 2008 election, the KMT is back
in power.
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Administration
of New Taipei City: New Taipei City (新北市) is the
largest, the most populated city among the five special
municipalities, which are directly under the jurisdiction
of the national government of Taiwan. There are 12 administrative
districts in the New Taipei City with their heads (區長)
appointed by the Mayor. The budget of New Taipei City must
be approved by the City Council which consists of 66 Council
members.
The incumbent Mayor of the New Taipei City is: Eric Li-luan
Chu (朱立倫), who earned a PH. D. degree in Accounting from
New York University (U.S.A.), and was a Professor of Taiwan
University before started his political career. Dr. Chu served
as the Deputy Premier before he ran for the Mayor position
of the New Taipei City.
Eric Li-luan Chu (朱立倫), Mayor of the New Taipei City
Business
- Local Industries: New Taipei City boasts excellent
industrial advantages and prospective strategic planning.
Statistics from 2005 indicate that the total turnover for
five major industries (IT, telecommunication, digital contents,
biotechnology and precision instruments) came to NT$ 1.0638
trillion, which constituted 26% of the total turnover (NT$
4.0619 trillion) for all sectors in New Taipei City. In
addition, New Taipei City is among the top three cities
in the global market in terms of IT product production
volume, securing more than 50% of the global market share
for products such as motherboards, notebook PCs, LCD monitors
and CRT monitors. The total value of IT industries in New
Taipei City comes amounts to NT$ 879.8 billion, which translates
to 42.84% of the national IT sectors and places New Taipei
City as the no.1 municipality in Taiwan in this area.
Solutions for Direct Foreign Investment:
http://foreigner.ntpc.gov.tw/
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Economy: The
labor participation rate in Taiwan is 58.6%, and the unemployment
rate is 4.1%.
Education:
There are several universities in New Taipei City, including
the National Taipei University, the National Taiwan University
of the Arts, Ming-chi University of Science and Technology,
and more. Many students from Taiwan study abroad.
Religion:
Taiwan has a population of approximately 23 million people,
and around 11.2 million of them identify themselves as religious
believers. Over 75% of those identify as Buddhists or Taoists.
There are approximately 600,000 Christians, most of whom
are Protestant. Traditional folk religions also play a strong
role in Taiwanese culture.
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Culture: Taiwanese
culture reflects its varied history, as it exhibits a blend
of Chinese, Japanese, and Western influences. The indigenous
cultures of Taiwan have a place in its cultural scene, as
well – the island nation has a television network that solely
promotes the indigenous cultures of Taiwan, and the Council
for Cultural Affairs plans to revitalize indigenous cultures.
Each tribe is known for a different craft or tradition –
woodcarving, pottery, dance, and music are all different.
Taiwan has more than 400 museums.
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Places
to Learn Chinese in Cincinnati: Many colleges
and universities – UC, Miami University, etc. – offer Chinese
as a language option. The Mason school district and Nativity
School also offer Chinese language classes. The Cincinnati
Contemporary Chinese School is located on 9555 Plainfield
Road in Cincinnati. The Greater Cincinnati Chinese Chamber
of Commerce occasionally offers lessons. Several companies,
like Berlitz ()
and Cincilingua also
offer instruction in Chinese.
Sister
City Activities and Events: Cincinnati has established
Sister City relationship with New Taipei City (previous
Taipei County) since 1994. Since then, there have been
numerous visits; cultural exhibitions took place in both
cities by different local groups and associations. Most
recent activity was the visit to New Taipei City by our
current Mayor Mark Mallory in November, 2010. Shown below
are some pictures from this visit.
 Cincinnati
Mayor Mallory visits New Taipei City in November, 2010
 Cincinnati
and New Taipei City discuss sister-city exchanges
 Group
photo after discussion of sister-city exchange activities
 The
mayors meet with students at 2010 International Flower Show
The mayors sing karaoke together at the farewell party
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Tour
Information and Feature Sights at New Taipei City:
 夜太美/
The Night Is So Beautiful To See.：
林文嘉/ Lin Wen-Jia
 浪漫濱海步道/
Romancing The Coast：郭立人/ Guo Li-Ren
 臺北港起飛/
Taipei Harbor Takes Off：任台生/ Ren Tai-Sheng
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Recent
Headlines:
http://www.topix.com/world/taiwan
http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/mp.asp?mp=1
http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/index_en.php
Contacts:
Cincinnati - New Taipei Sister City Committee
8502 Market Place Lane
Cincinnati Ohio 45242
email: tac.sister.city@gmail.com
Sources:
Websites consulted:
State.gov
New
Taipei City
New
Taipei City Tourism
New
Taipei City Business
Gio.gov.tw/info/festival_c/index_e.htm
Gio.gov.tw/
Wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Taiwan_dollar
Twgeog.geo.ntnu.edu.tw
Investintaiwan.nat.gov.tw/p>
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