Shilin
Encyclopedia
- For the rock formations in Yunnan, see Shilin (Stone Forest)Shilin (Stone Forest)The Stone Forest or Shilin is a notable set of karst formations located in Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China, approximately from the provincial capital Kunming. The tall rocks seem to emanate from the ground in the manner of stalagmites, with many looking...
.
Shilin District is a district of Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
. The name "Shilin" was derived from Pattsiran, the Ketagalan word for "hot spring
Hot spring
A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
s". It was then transliterated into Chinese as "八芝蘭" Bāzhīlán, and finally re-analyzed as "scholars as many as the trees in the woods" (士多如林).
History
Shilin is foremost a residential district and has several famous neighborhoods, such as Waishuangxi (外雙溪) and Tianmu. KuomintangKuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
leader Chiang Kai-Shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
lived in Shilin after moving the Chinese Nationalist government to 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...
after the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
. The district is divided up into 51 villages (里), which are further divided up into 987 villages (鄰).
The district can be said to be the origin of culture in Taipei. During the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, many private, public and community schools were opened in the area. During Japanese rule
Taiwan under Japanese rule
Between 1895 and 1945, Taiwan was a dependency of the Empire of Japan. The expansion into Taiwan was a part of Imperial Japan's general policy of southward expansion during the late 19th century....
, a national learning center was set up at Zhishanyan.
Overview
Shilin is home to a large foreign population, mainly concentrated in the Tianmu area. It has long been a top choice for expatriateExpatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
s from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to live, run businesses, and establish embassies and offices due mainly to the natural environment--sitting at the feet of Taipei's Mt. Yang Ming--and because the international schools are all located here.
Republic of China Navy
The Republic of China Navy is the maritime branch of the Armed forces of the Republic of China . The ROC Navy's primary mission is to defend ROC territories and the sea lanes that surround Taiwan against a blockade, attack, or possible invasion by forces of the People's Republic of China...
is located in Shilin.
Education
Shilin has three universities: Ming Chuan UniversityMing Chuan University
Ming Chuan University is a selective private university founded by Pao Teh-Ming and her husband Lee Ying-Chao. Named after the famous progressive Qing Dynasty governor of Taiwan Liu Mingchuan, it is known for its communication and business programs.-History:The institution was founded as a three...
, Soochow University
Soochow University (Taiwan)
Soochow University is a private university located in Taipei, Taiwan. Although the Soochow University in Taiwan maintains a church and a Methodist minister in residence, it may be considered a secular institution...
, and the Chinese Culture University
Chinese Culture University
Chinese Culture University is a private, Taiwanese university located on Yang Ming Mountain in the Shilin District of Taipei, Taiwan. CCU was established in 1962 and is one of the largest universities in Taiwan with an enrollment of about 32,000 students...
. Several international schools, including the Taipei American School, Taipei Japanese School
Taipei Japanese School
Taipei Japanese School is a Japanese language school located in Shilin District, Taipei. Its facilities run up to High School.It is located across the street from Taipei American School.-External links:*...
, and Taipei European School are located in this district. The district is also home to two vocational colleges
Vocational school
A vocational school , providing vocational education, is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job...
, four senior high schools, eight junior high schools, and twenty elementary schools.
The National Taiwan Science Education Center also is located in this district, along with the Taipei Astronomical Museum, the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines
Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines
Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines is a museum located diagonally across from the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan. It houses exhibits relating to the cultures and histories of the Taiwanese aborigines...
, and the world-renowned National Palace Museum
National Palace Museum
The National Palace Museum is an art museum in Taipei. It is the national museum of the Republic of China, and has a permanent collection of over 677,687 pieces of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks, making it one of the largest in the world. The collection encompasses over 8,000 years of...
.
Tourism
Tourist attractions include the Yangmingshan National Park, the National Palace MuseumNational Palace Museum
The National Palace Museum is an art museum in Taipei. It is the national museum of the Republic of China, and has a permanent collection of over 677,687 pieces of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks, making it one of the largest in the world. The collection encompasses over 8,000 years of...
, Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
's Shilin Official Residence
Shilin Official Residence
The Shilin Official Residence is the former residence of late Republic of China President Chiang Kai-Shek located on Zhongshan North Road in the Shilin District of Taipei, Taiwan.-History:...
(士林官邸), and the Shilin Night Market
Shilin Night Market
The Shilin Night Market is a night market in the Shilin District of Taipei, Taiwan, and is often considered to be the largest and most famous night market in the city.-Overview:...
. The Tatun Volcano Group
Tatun Volcano Group
thumb|265px|[[Cising Mountain|Chihsingshan]] , the highest peak of these volcanoes, has a height of 1120 m.Tatun Volcanoes , a volcanic group of volcanoes located at northern Taiwan, is located 15 km north of Taipei, and lies to the west of Keelung. It just adjoins the northern coast of the...
is located northeast of the district.
The district is home to many national historical sites, including historical temples, markets, and buildings. It is also the location of the Tianmu Baseball Stadium
Tianmu Baseball Stadium
Taipei Municipal Tianmu Baseball Stadium is a baseball stadium located in Tianmu Sport Park in Shilin District, Taipei. It was built in 1999, and mostly hosts baseball games...
and Shilin Fitness Center and Chinese Culture and Movie Center
Chinese Culture and Movie Center
The Chinese Culture and Movie Center is a former movie studio and tourist attraction located in the Shilin District of Taipei, Taiwan. It is owned by the Republic of China Central Motion Pictures Company. In its early period, it functioned as a film and TV drama filming location and studio...
. The Shuangxi Park and Chinese Garden
Shuangxi Park and Chinese Garden
The Shuangxi Park and Chinese Garden is located in the Shilin District of Taipei, Taiwan on Zhishan Road. The total area of the park is 2 hectares. Built in 1974 the southern Chinese courtyard style architecture. It features pavilions, courtyards, arch bridges, Zig-zag bridge, and corridors...
is also located in Shilin.
Shopping
The two main commercial areas in the district are the Tien-mu Commercial Circle and the Shilin Night MarketShilin Night Market
The Shilin Night Market is a night market in the Shilin District of Taipei, Taiwan, and is often considered to be the largest and most famous night market in the city.-Overview:...
. The Tien-mu Commercial Circle was home to many high-ranking officials after the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
and developed into a high-class residential district.
Shilin Night Market
Shilin Night Market
The Shilin Night Market is a night market in the Shilin District of Taipei, Taiwan, and is often considered to be the largest and most famous night market in the city.-Overview:...
is perhaps the largest and most well-known night market
Night market
Night markets or night bazaars are street markets which operate at night and are generally dedicated to more leisurely strolling, shopping, and eating than more businesslike day markets.-Geographical spread:...
in Taiwan (accessible from the Taipei Metro Jiantan Station
Jiantan Station
The Taipei Metro Jiantan Station is a station on Tamsui Line , located in the Jiantan area of Shilin District, Taipei, Taiwan...
.
Transportation
In addition to many bus linesTaipei bus
The Taipei Joint Bus System is a bus system that serves the greater metropolitan area of Taipei, Taiwan. It is administered by the Taipei Joint Bus Service Management Center, the Taipei City Traffic Bureau, and the New Taipei City Traffic Bureau , and is operated by 15 private agencies...
, the district is served by the Taipei Metro Tamsui Line. It is served by Provincial Highway No. 2
Provincial Highway No. 2 (Taiwan)
Provincial Highway No. 2 is an east-west, 166.6 km-long provincial Taiwanese highway that starts from the border of Taipei and Tamsui and ends in Suao, Yilan. Although designed as an east-west route, the highway actually goes in north-south direction in Yilan County and parts of New Taipei City...
and many other main roads through the city.
Sister cities
- Los Altos, California
Los Altos, CaliforniaLos Altos is a city at the southern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The city is in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 28,976 according to the 2010 census....
, USA - Walnut, CaliforniaWalnut, CaliforniaWalnut is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 29,172 at the 2010 census and its current mayor is Tom King, a former Detective from the Los Angeles Police Department....
, USA