Dongshi District

Dongshi (東勢, Hakka: Tung-si) is a suburban district in eastern Taichung, Republic of China (Taiwan). A majority of the residents are of Hakka ethnicity, making it an enclave in an otherwise non-Hakka county. It's Hakka dialect is very distinct compared to the dialects of other counties.

Geography

Dongshi is situated on a narrow, north-south oriented plain, flanked by the Da Jia River to the west and a mountain ridge to the east. It is this sense of being pressed up against that ridge, at the easternmost edge of the large west-central plain, that gives the town its name. Its elevation ranges from about 330 meters along the Dajia River to more than 725 meters in the foothills of the Central Mountain Range.

The township is bounded by (clockwise from the north) Zhuolan Township (Miaoli County), Heping Rural Township, Xinshe Rural Township, Shigang Rural Township, Fengyuan City, Houli, Taichung, Houli Rural Township, and Sanyi Rural Township (Miaoli County).

Famous Features

Dongshi includes some greenspace and significant farmland; largely orchards. Dongshi is known for its pears, which are large and almost spherical with a thin, light yellowish-brown rugose skin. In a good year, their flavor is excellent. Intensive topwork at the start of each season involves grafting Japanese pear bud slips to the tree stock.

Dongshih Hakka Culture Area

The old train station has been converted into a Hakka Cultural Area (東勢客家文化園區.) Historical Hakka cultural artifacts along with modern works of art are on display. This area also marks the southern terminus of the Dongshih-Fongyuan Bicycle Greenway (東豐自行車綠廊.) This greenway was converted from a former railway track. The town is also noted for two large forest parks in the mountainous eastern parts of the county. Dongshi Forest Park (東勢林場) and Sijiaolin (四角林林場) are managed by the Changhua County and Taichung City Agricultural Committees respectively.

Native products

• Persimmon
• pear

• Area: 117.41 km²
• Population: 56,762 people (2003)

Buildings in Dongshi were severely damaged by Chi-Chi earthquake in 1999.

Note: There is a rural township with the identical name in Yunlin County. In fact the name is quite a common one based on geography.

References

• 地圖王 – 台中縣市 (Map King – Taichung County and City). pp. 69–71. ISBN 9867967844. 
• 輕鬆找路通 -台中縣市 (Easy Road Finder – Taichung County and City). pp. 4–5,78–79. ISBN 957791508-6. 

Coordinates: 24°15′31.3″N 120°49′41.4″E / 24.258694°N 120.828167°E / 24.258694; 120.828167