Jiji or Chichi is an urban township

Township (Taiwan)

The townships are the administrative subdivisions of Republic of China counties, along with County-controlled city. Most of the present townships originates from Towns and Villages in the Japanese era. After the World War II, the ROC government reformed them as urban townships and rural townships...

 located in the west central portion of Nantou County

Nantou County

Nantou County is the second largest county of Taiwan. It is also the only landlocked county in Taiwan. Its name derives from the Hoanya Taiwanese aboriginal word Ramtau. Nantou County is officially administered as a county of Taiwan....

 in Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

. In past years, the Jiji township encompassed a much larger area and included the present-day Shuili rural township, but today's Jiji is well known as now being, by area, the smallest of Taiwan's townships.
The epicenter of the major 1999 earthquake in Taiwan was located in and named after the township. Jiji today is a popular destintation for domestic tourists and daytrippers. The township's famous early-20th century Japanese-era railway station, the government-run Endemic Species Research Institute, the annual lantern exhibition held during Chinese New Year, as well as other features, attract many weekend visitors. The most popular activity among visitors to Jiji, however, is cycling. Visitors may rent bicycles, tandem bicycles, three-wheeled tricycles or electric-powered bicycles to tour the area's many backroads. A wide selection of local agricultural products can be seen for sale around the township.

History

Han Chinese

Han Chinese

Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...

 from Zhangzhou

Zhangzhou

Zhangzhou is a prefecture-level city in southern Fujian province, People's Republic of China. Located on the banks of the Jiulong River , Zhangzhou borders the cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou to the northeast, Longyan City to the northwest and the province of Guangdong to the southwest.Zhangzhou...

 began arriving in the area in 1771. The name originates from "Chiv-Chiv", a phrase in the Formosan languages

Formosan languages

The Formosan languages are the languages of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Taiwanese aborigines currently comprise about 2% of the island's population. However, far fewer can still speak their ancestral language, after centuries of language shift...

. During the Japanese era (1895-1945), Jiji was a collection and shipping point for camphor produced in the surrounding areas.

Demographics

Population: 12,384

Villages: 11

Geography

Jiji is bordered by Zhongliao to the north, Mingjian

Mingjian, Nantou

Mingjian is a rural township located in the west central part of Nantou County in Taiwan. Its name originates from a Japanese transliteration of the Taiwanese word, Lama , meaning a very wet place.- History :...

 to the west, Zhushan

Zhushan

Zhushan may refer to:*Zhushan County, in Shiyan, Hubei, China*Zhushan District, in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, China*Zhushan, Nantou, urban township in Nantou County, Taiwan...

 and Lugu to the south, and Shuili to the east. The Zhuoshui River flows westward along the south border of the township. Jiji Township has a total area of 49.72 square kilometres. The lowest point in the township lies at 230m above sea level and its highest point is Big Jiji Mountain at 1392m above sea level. The township is very mountainous and is surrounded by mountains on all sides.

External links

• Government website (in Traditional Chinese)