Top:A night view of Tongluo, Second left:Lonteng Ancient Bridge, Second right:Liyu Reserve Lake, Third left :Chunhsiang Strawberry Farm Park, Third right:Hakka Cultural Park, Bottom left: Osmamthus Street in Nanchuang, Bottom right: Mount Huoyen
The name Miaoli was coined by matching Hakka Chinese sound for the characters 貓貍to the phonetically approximate Pali (Bari) from the Taokas language. The resulting word (貓狸) is a widespread but non-orthodox variant referring to Viverridae. In 1889,during late Qing rule,the name was modified from various forms (貓裏,貓裡,貓里) to its current form.
History
Evidence of settlement in Miaoli dates back a thousand years. Many archaeological artifacts have been found showing that during the prehistoric era,people lived in the river terrace. They mainly led an agriculture life and engaged in hunting and fishing for their extra food source. About a thousand years ago,an indigenous group Taokas settled here.
In the mid-17th century,Han Chinese began to migrate into the area,beginning a gradual process of deforestation and establishment of permanent settlement sites. Most inhabitants of Miaoli assimilated into the dominant Han population or migrated deeper into the mountainous range. After several hundred years,Miaoli had become the home of people from different origins,such as Hakka,Hoklo,Atayal and Saisiyat.[2]
Kingdom of Tungning
After Koxinga took over Taiwan from the Netherlands,he placed Miaoli in Tian-Sing County (天興縣) and started an immigration plan to develop this area.
Qing Dynasty
After the last Tungning Ruler Zheng Keshuang surrendered to the Qing Dynasty,Tian-sing County was renamed Zhuluo County. In 1889,Miaoli Hsien (苗栗縣) was established as an independent county under Taiwan Prefecture. At the end of the 19th century,thousands of acres of high-quality fertile fields had been reclaimed in the area of Nanzhuang,Shitan,Dahu and Zhuolan. Public and private schools were also established all over Miaoli which made the area a place of gathering intellectuals and elites in northern Taiwan.
Empire of Japan
The county was at first eliminated under Japanese Imperial rule. Byōritsu-chō (Japanese:苗栗庁) existed from ca. 1901 to 1908,but was split over Shinchiku-chō (新竹庁) and Taichū-chō (台中庁) in 1909. From 1920 to 1945,Byōritsu town (苗栗街),Enri town (苑裡街) and six villages were under the jurisdiction of Byōritsu District,under Shinchiku Prefecture.
Miaoli County is considered to be located in the central northern part of the island of Taiwan,contiguous with Hsinchu county,Hsinchu City,and Taichung City. The Xueshan Range is located on the border between Miaoli county and Taichung City. Miaoli county north to south averages about 50 kilometers and east to west averages about 64 kilometers. It is roughly diamond-shaped in appearance. The overall coastline of Miaoli is about 50 kilometers long.
Miaoli has little flat lands (plateau) and very mountainous due to the Xueshan Range.[4] Miaoli has rich rainfall along with abundant rivers.
The main population of Miaoli County is comprised by the Han Chinese and the Taiwanese aborigines. The Taiwanese aborigines constitute about 1.9% of the total population where the rural areas is where the Hokkiens are the main group in western urban areas of Miaoli, while the Hakkas comprise the main group of Han Chinese in the rural southern and central parts of Miaoli county
The main sports and recreational structures in Miaoli include Miaoli Sports Hall, Miaoli County Tennis Court, and the Park of Zhunan Township. In Taiwan National Athletic Games of 2011, Miaoli is ranked 21 out of 22 teams with 1 gold, 1 silver, and 8 bronze.
Economy
Popular regional agriculture, food production and culture promoted by the government include strawberries from Dahu Township, Hakka zongzi, Sanwan Chinese pears, Touwu Daikons, Sanyi wood sculptures, Tai’an persimmons, and many more.
In 2019, annual revenue of Miaoli County is NT$19.1 billion, while its annual expenditure is NT$18.9 billion.[8] Monthly, Miaoli County Government spends NT$600 million on their staffs salaries and another NT$600 million for retirement obligation. As of July 2015, the county government has a debt of NT$64.8 billion.[9]
On revenue, the county government received NT$9,572,442,000 from tax revenue (49.92% of all of its total revenue), NT$8,845,859,000 from subsidy and financial assistance (46.13% of all of its total revenue) and NT$283,792,000 from fines and compensation (1.49% of all of its total revenue). On expenditure, the county government spent NT$7,239,103,000 on education, science and culture (38.21% of all of its total expenditure), NT$4,457,682,000 for general and administration (23.53% of all of its total expenditure) and NT$2,267,660,000 on social welfare (11.97% of all of its total expenditure).[8]
Education-related affairs in Miaoli County is regulated by Education Department of the Miaoli County Government. At the end of 2004, the population of people older than 15 years old was 451,128, among which 97.91% of them were literate. There were 108,052 college-educated, 156,870 senior high school or junior college graduates, 176,755 junior high school or lower graduates. The percentage of people receiving education higher than college was relatively low.[10]
Miaoli County houses several universities and colleges, such as the National United University, Yu Da University and Jen-Teh Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management.
The various cultural festivals of Miaoli County includes, Miaoli Marine Tourism, Meng-Hua Literary Award, Hakka Tung Hua Festival, Hakka folk song festival, Miaoli international tourism festival, etc.
1 Provinces are merely retained as nominal entities within the constitutional structure, as they have no governing power following the formal dissolution of the provincial administrative organs in 2018. Cities and counties are de facto regarded as the principal constituent divisions of Taiwan.
Sarah Shair-Rosenfield (November 2020). "Taiwan Combined"(PDF). The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
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