Xinpu History Xinpu used to be called the Balikuo. Originally the hunting ground for Pingpu people. Until 1784 (Qianlong 49 years), more than ten households moved to Xinpu. They gradually formed a small market and turned the barren place into rich soil and called it Xinpu, which is officially recorded on the documents for the first time.
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In the early 19th century, Xinpu and Zhudong and Zhuji were the three major areas of Hsinchu, but later Xinpu started to fall behind with lack of transportation infrastructures. The former bustling and prosperous life had slowly faded in time. However, it preserved the most numbers ancestral shrines and houses in Taiwan!
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SettlementsSettlement causeXinpu Town is located on the south side of Hukou Terrace. The terrain is surrounded by mountains and rivers. Fengshan River and Yuli River run through the terrain. The main settlements in Xinpu are developed along the river sides in the area. With limited land and space, the settlements are integrated into streets, forming a special landscape of “WoHu”
Settlement HistoryThe fertile and rich land of Xinpu has resulted in good harvest in farming. It has become a farming center for major crops such as sugar cane, tea, and camphor. During the late Qing Dynasty and Japanese occupation period, Xinpu was once prosperous because it was positioned as a relay station between the mountains and the sea. This had led to a unique development of Hakka’s settlement culture. However, with the decline of waterway transportation, Xinpu is no longer the center of economic activities, leaving the group of people with highest density of family shrines.
Xinpu Township’s 3 streets of Zhongzhen Road, Heping Street, and Chenggong Street and 6 lanes of Da-Sui (waterway) Lane, Lantern Lane, Truancy Lane, Comic Lane, Swallow Lane, and Smithy Lane are the memories of Xinpu township’s residents. In the center region of Xinpu Township, there are many family shrines consisting of Lin, Fan, Chu, Zhang, Liu and Chen family. There are also unique architectures such as the Pan Family House, Washing Cave (Crab Cave), Pan Jinhe Residence (Osmanthus Garden), Hsinpu Elementary School’s dormitory, and Town Office. These traditional streets, family shrines, and buildings have allowed Xinpu Township to retain the Hakka traditions and customs over the years. It has also embedded the traditional Chinese symbol of “Home Roots” into the township, reflecting an important starting point of the Hakka community’s establishment in Xinpu.
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Xinpu Elementary School
(Nu-Chao Academy)
The traditional education culture is passed down through family tree and family instruction, continuing the Hakka spirit of “family of farming and schooling”. It is also passed down in the form of family shrines and religious ritual activities. Regional education organizations have been established more than a hundred years ago.
HistoryEstablished on March 29, 1898, Hsin-Pu Elementary School is the first public school in Hsinchu County. It was formerly the Hsinchu Mandarin School Hsin-Pu Campus. In October 1987, it was changed to Hsin-Pu Public School. When it was first established, it used Wenchang Temple as its classroom. The school moved to current location in 1901. In 1941 it was renamed to Hsin-Pu Xu National School. After Taiwan’s retrocession, the school was renamed to Hsin-Pu National School in 1945. In 1965 it was renamed to Hsin-Pu Elementary School. All nine elementary schools in Xinpu town are campuses of Hsin-Pu Elementary School.
Establishment
HistoryThe deputy commander-in-chief, General Ko Yuan-Feng, served as the principal. The Nu-Chao Pavilion was built at the same time. The academy was the only school without any buildings and with the shortest existence.
This military academy only existed for less than two years in Xinpu before it was relocated to Kinmen to prepare for the Battle of Guningtou. Therefore it is called the shortest-lived military academy. Historical ValueThe academy used Xinpu as its training base to implement government and military unified cadre education, hoping to recruit talents and revitalize the spirit of Whampoa Military. It has become an important piece of evidence of past history.
The troops stationed at Shi-Guang Elementary School, Hsin-Pu Elementary School, and Fangliao Elementary School. In order to have a place for meetings and gatherings, the academy issued Taiwan’s very first “patriotic lottery ticket”. The lottery ticket income, combined with donations from soldiers and local people, provided enough funding to build the school hall of Hsin-Pu Junior High School. |