Banqiao District (Chinese: 板橋區; pinyin: Bǎnqiáo Qū) Banciao, Panchiao or Pan-ch'iao is a district and the seat of New Taipei City, Taiwan. It has the third-highest population density in Taiwan, with over 24,000 inhabitants per square kilometre (62,000/sq mi). Until the creation of New Taipei City, Banqiao was an incorporated county-administered city and the former seat of Taipei County.
Name origin
The district's old name was Pang-kio (Chinese: 枋橋; pinyin: Fāngqiáo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Pang-kiô; lit. 'timbered bridge'), which dates back to the Qing Dynasty during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735–1796 AD). A wooden bridge, locally called Pang-kiô-thâu (枋橋頭), was built for pedestrians to cross a brook located in the west of today's Banqiao, the modern day Nanzigou (湳仔溝, literally "Nanzi Creek"). The spellings Pankyu, Pankio, and Pankyo can be found in English-language works of the early 20th century.[2][3]
In 1920, the Japanese government modified the name to Itahashi (板橋, "planked bridge").[4] The same characters are still used today, but are read Bǎnqiáo in Mandarin. However, in Taiwanese Hokkien, the old name Pang-kiô is still the norm.
History
In the early 20th century, Pankyo (Pankyu) was a walled city and said to be owned by a landlord who had lived there "in feudal style", surrounded by armed retainers.[2]
From 1920 to 1945, during Japanese rule, the area was administrated as Itahashi Town (板橋街), Kaizan District, Taihoku Prefecture.
Map including Banqiao (labeled as Pan-ch’iao-chieh (Itahashigai) 板橋街) (1950)
Banqiao is located in western part of the Taipei Basin of northern Taiwan, in the subtropical climate zone. Banqiao is surrounded by Taipei to the east, Sanchong to the north, Xinzhuang to the northwest, Shulin to the southwest, Tucheng to the south, and Zhonghe to the southeast. Banqiao is also bordered by two rivers, Xindian River to the northeast and Dahan River to the northwest.
Economy
Skyline of downtown Banqiao District at night
Agriculture sector thrived in Banqiao in the 1950s. In the 1960s, manufacturing sector started to appear in the region and in the 1970s industries and commerce have developed. In the 1980 and '90s, finance and commerce grew in the area.[5]
Education
Banqiao is home to several universities, including the National Taiwan University of Arts. The National Banqiao High School is considered one of the top high schools in New Taipei City.[citation needed]
Banqiao has several sports facilities (including Banqiao Stadium,) and the annual New Taipei City sports game is hosted in the district.
Transportation
Banqiao station is served by high-speed rail, conventional rail, metro, and bus lines, making it a major transportation hub in New Taipei City.Banqiao bus station
Banqiao is well served by multiple public transportation services. Banqiao station is served by THSR bullet trains, conventional rail TRA trains, and the Taipei Metro.
Since beginning of 2020, the Circular line of the Taipei Metro also runs through the district. The Taipei Metro serves the district via the following stations:
