Linbian, Pingtung

Linbian Township[1] (Chinese: 林邊鄉; pinyin: Línbiān Xiāng; Wade–Giles: Lin2-pian1 Hsiang1; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Nâ-piⁿ-hiong or Nâ-á-piⁿ [林仔邊]; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Lìm-piên-hiông) is a rural township in western Pingtung County, Taiwan. It lies at the mouth of the Linbian River, facing the Taiwan Strait. It is known for its year-round warm climate, seafood restaurants and its wax apples (lembus).

Linbian Township
林邊鄉
Rural township
Linbian Township in Pingtung County
LocationPingtung County, Taiwan
Area
 • Total16 km2 (6 sq mi)
Population
 (July 2018)
 • Total17,889
 • Density1,100/km2 (2,900/sq mi)

Names

The area was called Pangsoya[2] or Pangsoia[3] during the Dutch era, and was later a small town called Pang-soh (Chinese: 放索; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Pàng-soh).[3] Early ethnic Chinese settlers called the area Nâ-á-piⁿ (林仔邊, lit. "wood's edge"). In 1920, the Japanese administration renamed the settlement Rinhen (Japanese: 林邊), officially Rinhen Village (林邊庄). In 1945, the Kuomintang regime retained the same Chinese characters which are read as Línbiān in Mandarin Chinese. However, the older Taiwanese pronunciation of Nâ-á-piⁿ continues to be commonly used.[4]

History

In 1951, Nanzhou Township was separated from Linbian.

Geography
  • Area: 15.62 square kilometres (6.03 sq mi)
  • Population: 19,235 people (2014)

Climate

Like the rest of Southern Taiwan, Linbian is located within the tropics and has a tropical wet and dry climate. Due to its location, it is considered to be one of the warmest townships of Taiwan having the least variation of temperatures between seasons in the country (along with other various townships in Pingtung) because it is both located at a low latitude on the central Pingtung plains and also just above the Hengchun Peninsula which therefore does not share the peninsula's temperate climate caused by its sea currents. The coldest month is January and the warmest month is July, with an average daily mean of 21°C and 28°C respectively. Although statistically the average highs during the "winter" season varies around 26°C, temperatures exceeding 29°C during the afternoon are not uncommon even in January.

Due to the warm and mostly windless weather, Linbian is famous for growing some of the best wax apples (lembus) in Taiwan, with one of the longest harvest time in the country, therefore it is nicknamed "the wax apple township" (蓮霧之鄉).

Climate data for Central Pingtung (Fangliao Township) (1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 25.5
(77.9)		 26.1
(79.0)		 28.1
(82.6)		 30.5
(86.9)		 31.8
(89.2)		 32.6
(90.7)		 33.3
(91.9)		 33.0
(91.4)		 32.5
(90.5)		 31.1
(88.0)		 29.0
(84.2)		 26.5
(79.7)		 30.0
(86.0)
Average low °C (°F) 16.1
(61.0)		 17.1
(62.8)		 19.5
(67.1)		 22.6
(72.7)		 24.9
(76.8)		 26.0
(78.8)		 26.5
(79.7)		 26.2
(79.2)		 25.6
(78.1)		 24.2
(75.6)		 21.3
(70.3)		 17.5
(63.5)		 22.3
(72.1)

Administrative divisions

The township comprises 10 villages: Guanglin, Linbian, Qifeng, Renhe, Shuili, Tiancuo, Yongle, Zengan, Zhonglin and Zhulin.

Tourist attractions

Transportation

Linbian Station
  • TRA Linbian Station
  • TRA Zhen'an Station

Notable natives

References

  1. 臺灣地區鄉鎮市區級以上行政區域名稱中英對照表 Archived 2012-03-25 at the Wayback Machine Glossary of Names for Administrative Divisions. (in Chinese) Accessed at Taiwan Geographic Names Information System website Archived 2013-08-16 at the Wayback Machine (in English). Ministry of the Interior. 16 June 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  2. Andrade, Tonio (2005). "Chapter 3: Pax Hollandica". How Taiwan Became Chinese: Dutch, Spanish, and Han Colonization in the Seventeenth Century. Columbia University Press. Chapter 3, Note 76.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  3. Campbell, William (1903). "Explanatory Notes". Formosa under the Dutch: described from contemporary records, with explanatory notes and a bibliography of the island. London: Kegan Paul. p. 545. OCLC 644323041.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  4. 吳秀麗 (1994). 商用台語. Independence Evening Post (in Chinese). Taipei. p. 145. ISBN 9789575963149.
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