Chianan Plain
Encyclopedia
The Chianan Plain or Jianan Plain is an alluvial plain
located at the central-southern region of western Taiwan
. It is the largest plain of the island, and lies in Tainan City and Chiayi County
/Chiayi City, from which the name of the plain derived. It also includes some portions of Yunlin County
, Changhua County
, and Kaohsiung City. There are several rivers flowing through it, such as the Tsengwen River
.
Historically, the plain was mostly inhabited by Taiwanese Aborigines
, a small fraction of the population today. Since the era of the Qing Dynasty
, the Chianan Plain became a main destination of Han
immigrants. This area also supplies many food crops to the whole island of Taiwan since the Japanese-ruled era.
The Chianan Plain faces the Taiwan Strait
on the west, Taichung Basin
on the north, Pingtung Plain
on the southeast, and lies to the west of foothills that extend from the Alishan Mountains. The area determined by dividing the groundwater zones of Taiwan is about 2500 km² (965 sq mi). Between broadest points, the plain is about 35 km² (14 sq mi) wide and 145 km² (56 sq mi) long.
Average rainfall in this area is about 1600 mm, lowest in the whole island of Taiwan, and the rainy season is in summer, thus the plain lacks rain in winter. Rivers which pass through this region are the Peikang River
, Putzu River, Pachang River, Chishui River, Tsengwen River, Yenshui River
and Erhjen River
. These rivers flow over the plain roughly from the eastern mountainous area to the western seacoast, and discharge into the Taiwan Strait.
cultures such as the Tahu Culture
, which existed between 3500 to 2000 years ago. The Iron Age
Niaosung Culture
appeared from 2000 to 500 years ago.
The Hoanya people are known in written history to have lived in the northern part of Chianan Plain, and the Siraya people lived in the south. Han Chinese
began to immigrate to the Chianan Plain since the European-ruled era of Taiwan. After the Koxinga
defeated the Dutch to claim Taiwan in 1662, Han people ruled this region, and became the majority later. Most of them came from Zhangzhou
and Quanzhou
of Fujian
, and Chaozhou
of Guangdong
, in the era of the Qing Dynasty.
Japanese started to rule Taiwan in 1895. In this era, the colonial government launched infrastructure and businesses on the Chianan Plain, such as the Western Line railway, the irrigation system of the Chianan Canal
, and sugar production companies which were later combined into the Taiwan Sugar Corporation
. After the Japanese Empire collapsed, the Republic of China
held Taiwan. National Highway No. 1
and National Highway No. 3
, which pass through this region, were built in the late 20th century.
in Taiwan, but sugar production is being gradually reduced. The area can reap three rice harvests annually since the Chianan Canal was established, and also produces peanut
s, corn
, sweet potato
es and some floricultural plants and vegetables. The plain was once a place of salt
production, but most of the salt evaporation pond
s have been abandoned in recent years. Additionally, many fish farms are located along the seacoast.
There are several industrial parks located in Chianan Plain, such as Changbin Industrial Park
and Linhai Industrial Park
. Heavy industries situated in this area include oil refining, steel making and shipbuilding. It also has two relatively newer high-tech industrial parks named Tainan Science Park
and Kaohsiung Science Park
.
Alluvial plain
An alluvial plain is a relatively flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms...
located at the central-southern region of western 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...
. It is the largest plain of the island, and lies in Tainan City and Chiayi County
Chiayi County
Chiayi County is a county in southwestern Taiwan surrounding but not including Chiayi City. Its historical name in Taiwanese Hokkien derives from Tsirosen in the Formosan languages...
/Chiayi City, from which the name of the plain derived. It also includes some portions of Yunlin County
Yunlin County
Yunlin County is a county in the western part of Taiwan, the Republic of China. Yunlin is located to the right of the Taiwan Strait, the east of Nantou County and sharing a border with Changhua County divided by the Zhuoshui River. Yunlin is one of the counties of Taiwan that is part of the Chianan...
, Changhua County
Changhua County
Changhua County is the smallest county in Taiwan located on the westside of Taiwan. It is officially governed as a county of the Republic of China .-Urban townships:# Beidou Township # Erlin Township...
, and Kaohsiung City. There are several rivers flowing through it, such as the Tsengwen River
Tsengwen River
The Zengwun River is a river in Taiwan. It flows through Tainan City and Chiayi County for 130km.Located upstream of Zengwun River is the largest reservoir in Taiwan, Zengwun Reservoir, formed by Zengwun Dam. The endangered black-faced spoonbills come every winter as migrants and inhabit downstream...
.
Historically, the plain was mostly inhabited by Taiwanese Aborigines
Taiwanese aborigines
Taiwanese aborigines is the term commonly applied in reference to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Although Taiwanese indigenous groups hold a variety of creation myths, recent research suggests their ancestors may have been living on the islands for approximately 8,000 years before major Han...
, a small fraction of the population today. Since the era of 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....
, the Chianan Plain became a main destination of Han
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...
immigrants. This area also supplies many food crops to the whole island of Taiwan since the Japanese-ruled era.
Geography
Taiwan Strait
The Taiwan Strait or Formosa Strait, formerly known as the Black Ditch, is a 180-km-wide strait separating Mainland China and Taiwan. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to East China Sea to the northeast...
on the west, Taichung Basin
Taichung Basin
Taichung Basin is located in the central region of western Taiwan. It occupies some parts of Taichung City and Nantou County. It faces the Choshui River on the south; the hill lands of Nantou on the east; Tatu Plateau on the northwest; and Pakua Plateau on the southwest...
on the north, Pingtung Plain
Pingtung Plain
Pingtung Plain is a plain area including parts of Pingtung County and Kaohsiung City. It includes the alluvial fan of Kaoping River, which forms the largest drainage area of rivers in Taiwan, and also passed by other shorter rivers such as Tungkang River, Linpian River and Shihwen River...
on the southeast, and lies to the west of foothills that extend from the Alishan Mountains. The area determined by dividing the groundwater zones of Taiwan is about 2500 km² (965 sq mi). Between broadest points, the plain is about 35 km² (14 sq mi) wide and 145 km² (56 sq mi) long.
Average rainfall in this area is about 1600 mm, lowest in the whole island of Taiwan, and the rainy season is in summer, thus the plain lacks rain in winter. Rivers which pass through this region are the Peikang River
Peikang River
The Beigang River is a river in Taiwan. It flows through Yunlin County and Chiayi County for 82km....
, Putzu River, Pachang River, Chishui River, Tsengwen River, Yenshui River
Yenshui River
The Yanshuei River is a river in southern Taiwan. It flows through Tainan City for about 41.3 km....
and Erhjen River
Erhjen River
The Erren River is a river in Taiwan. It flows through Tainan City and Kaohsiung City for 65km....
. These rivers flow over the plain roughly from the eastern mountainous area to the western seacoast, and discharge into the Taiwan Strait.
History
About 6000 years ago, the lands near the seacoast of the Chianan Plain were flooded by seawater, and emerged gradually since 5000 years ago. Several archaeological sites are located here, including some late neolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
cultures such as the Tahu Culture
Tahu Culture
The Tahu Culture was an archaeological culture in southern Taiwan. It distributed around the Tainan-Kaohsiung region. The culture was one of the late Neolithic cultures of Taiwan island. A set of several archaeological sites formed the culture, such as the Tahu Site , Fengpitou Site and Wushantou...
, which existed between 3500 to 2000 years ago. The Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
Niaosung Culture
Niaosung Culture
The Niaosung Culture was an archaeological culture in southern Taiwan. It distributed around the region of Tainan and Kaohsiung. The culture existed in the Iron Age of Taiwan island...
appeared from 2000 to 500 years ago.
The Hoanya people are known in written history to have lived in the northern part of Chianan Plain, and the Siraya people lived in the south. 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...
began to immigrate to the Chianan Plain since the European-ruled era of Taiwan. After the Koxinga
Koxinga
Koxinga is the customary Western spelling of the popular appellation of Zheng Chenggong , a military leader who was born in 1624 in Hirado, Japan to Zheng Zhilong, a Chinese merchant/pirate, and his Japanese wife and died in 1662 on the island of Formosa .A Ming loyalist and the arch commander of...
defeated the Dutch to claim Taiwan in 1662, Han people ruled this region, and became the majority later. Most of them came 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...
and Quanzhou
Quanzhou
Quanzhou is a prefecture-level city in Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It borders all other prefecture-level cities in Fujian but two and faces the Taiwan Strait...
of Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
, and Chaozhou
Chaozhou
Chaozhou is a city in eastern Guangdong province of the People's Republic of China. It borders Shantou to the south, Jieyang to the southwest, Meizhou to the northwest, the province of Fujian to the east, and the South China Sea to the southeast...
of Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
, in the era of the Qing Dynasty.
Japanese started to rule Taiwan in 1895. In this era, the colonial government launched infrastructure and businesses on the Chianan Plain, such as the Western Line railway, the irrigation system of the Chianan Canal
Chianan Canal
Chianan Canal is an irrigation system built for promoting the agricultural productions of Chianan Plain of Taiwan. The name "chia-nan" was derived from two place names among its surrounding area called Chiayi and Tainan...
, and sugar production companies which were later combined into the Taiwan Sugar Corporation
Taiwan Sugar Corporation
Taiwan Sugar Corporation or Taisugar is a state-run enterprise in Tainan City, Taiwan.The corporation was created in 1946, following Kuomintang's entrance to Taiwan, by merging all sugar companies in Taiwan...
. After the Japanese Empire collapsed, the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
held Taiwan. National Highway No. 1
National Highway No. 1 (Taiwan)
National Highway No. 1 is the first freeway in Taiwan. It begins in Keelung City at the intersection of Ziao 2nd Road and Jhong 4th Road and ends in Kaohsiung City at the intersection of Jhongshan 4th Road and Yugang Road, giving it a total length of 372.8 km...
and National Highway No. 3
National Highway No. 3 (Taiwan)
National Highway No. 3 is the second North-South freeway in Taiwan. It begins in Keelung City at Jijin Interchange on the Provincial Highway No. 2 and ends in Linbian, Pingtung on the Provincial Highway No. 17....
, which pass through this region, were built in the late 20th century.
Economy
The Chianan Plain is a place of cultivation of wet rices and other minor food grains. It is the main planting area of sugarcaneSugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
in Taiwan, but sugar production is being gradually reduced. The area can reap three rice harvests annually since the Chianan Canal was established, and also produces peanut
Peanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
s, corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, sweet potato
Sweet potato
The sweet potato is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of...
es and some floricultural plants and vegetables. The plain was once a place of salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
production, but most of the salt evaporation pond
Salt evaporation pond
Salt evaporation ponds, also called salterns or salt pans, are shallow artificial ponds designed to produce salts from sea water or other brines. The seawater or brine is fed into large ponds and water is drawn out through natural evaporation which allows the salt to be subsequently harvested...
s have been abandoned in recent years. Additionally, many fish farms are located along the seacoast.
There are several industrial parks located in Chianan Plain, such as Changbin Industrial Park
Changbin Industrial Park
Changhua Coastal Industrial Park is located in the seacoast of Changhua County of Taiwan. It is a relatively newer industrial cluster in Taiwan, it has many different industries such as food production, spinning, chemical industries and metal processors.-External links:*...
and Linhai Industrial Park
Linhai Industrial Park
Linhai Industrial Park is located in Siaogang District and Cianjhen District of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It near the Kaohsiung International Airport, No. 5 Container Center of Port of Kaohsiung, and the terminal of National Highway No. 1. The Dalin Power Plant, a fossil fuel power plant, is located near...
. Heavy industries situated in this area include oil refining, steel making and shipbuilding. It also has two relatively newer high-tech industrial parks named Tainan Science Park
Tainan Science Park
Tainan Science Park of Taiwan is located in Xinshi, Shanhua and Anding Districts of Tainan City with a total area of , and is a part of the Southern Taiwan Science Park .-History:...
and Kaohsiung Science Park
Kaohsiung Science Park
The Kaohsiung Science Park, also known as Luzhu Science Park, is located in Luzhu District in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. It is a part of the project of Southern Taiwan Science Park, and covers an area of . The park was established in early 2000s....
.