Shilin District

Shilin District
Shilin District
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	士林區
Simplified Chinese	士林区
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Shìlín Qū
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ	Sū-lîm-khu
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	八芝蘭
Simplified Chinese	八芝兰
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Bāzhīlán
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ	Pat-chi-lân
Ketagalan name
Ketagalan	Pattsiran
Hakka name
Hakka	Sṳ-lìm-khî
	(Ketagalan word for "hot spring"; transliterated into Chinese as "八芝蘭" Bāzhīlán) (old name)

Shilin

士林區
Shirin
Shilin 士林區 Shirin
District
	Shilin District
Country	Taiwan
Region	Northern Taipei
Divisions	List 51 villages; 988 neighborhoods;
Area
• Total	62.3682 km2 (24.0805 sq mi)
• Rank	Ranked 1st of 12
Population (January 2023)
• Total	265,462
• Rank	Ranked 2nd of 12
• Density	4,300/km2 (11,000/sq mi)
Postal code	111
Website	sldo.gov.taipei (in Chinese)

Shilin District (also spelled Shihlin District, Chinese: 士林區; pinyin: Shìlínqū; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Sū-lîm-khu) is a district of Taipei. The central command center of the Republic of China Navy (ROCN) is located in Shilin.

Map including Shilin (labeled as Shih-lin-chuang (Shirinshō) 士林庄) (1950)

History

The name Shilin was derived from Pattsiran, the indigenous Ketagalan word for "hot springs". It was then transliterated into Chinese as "八芝蘭" (pinyin: Bāzhīlán; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Pat-chi-lân), which has been written as Pat-chi-na or Pachina.^[1]

Prior to Han Chinese settlement, the area was home to the Kimassauw community (麻少翁社) of the Taiwanese indigenous peoples. During the Qing era, a fort was set up, later called Zhilan Yi Bao (first fort/settlement of Pattsiran, 芝蘭一堡). By the late Qing dynasty, "many literary talents from Shilin had passed the imperial examination", prompting the local gentry to rename it Shilin (士林), meaning "congregation of scholars and talents".^[2]^[3]

In the 1920s under Japanese colonial rule, the area was organized as Shirin Village (士林庄) and in 1933 Shirin Town (士林街), under Shichisei District (七星郡), Taihoku Prefecture. In 1945 after World War II, it was modified to Shilin Township (士林鎭), Taipei County (臺北縣).

Shilin is foremost a residential district and has several famous neighborhoods, such as Waishuangxi (外雙溪) and Tianmu. Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek lived in Shilin after moving the Chinese Nationalist government to Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War. The district is divided up into 51 villages (里), which are further divided up into 987 neighborhoods (鄰).

The district can be said to be the origin of culture in Taipei.^[2] During the Qing Dynasty, many private, public and community schools were opened in the area. During the Japanese era, a national learning center was set up at Zhishanyan.^[2]

Education

Chinese Culture University

Shilin has three universities: Ming Chuan University, Soochow University, and the Chinese Culture University. Several international schools, including the Taipei American School, Taipei Japanese School, The Primacy Collegiate Academy and Taipei European School are located in this district. The district is also home to two vocational colleges, four senior high schools, eight junior high schools, and twenty elementary schools.^[2]

The National Taiwan Science Education Center is also located in this district, along with the Taipei Astronomical Museum, the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines, and the National Palace Museum.

Institutions

Tourism

The National Palace Museum is home to over 600,000 ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks.

The district is home to many national historical sites, including historical temples, markets, and buildings. Tourist attractions include:

The Tatun Volcanic Group is located northeast of the district. The district is also the location of the Tianmu Baseball Stadium, Bailing Sport Park, Shilin Fitness Center and Chinese Culture and Movie Center. The Shuangxi Park and Chinese Garden is also located in Shilin.

Transportation

Shilin Station

In addition to many bus lines, the district is served by Jiantan, Shilin, and Zhishan metro stations of the Taipei Metro Tamsui-Xinyi Line. It is served by Provincial Highway No. 2A and 2B, as well as many other major roads that run through the city.