Shitan, Miaoli

File:Ml st.png

Shitan Township in Miaoli County

File:ShitanHsintienOldStore.JPG

Shitan Township

Shitan Township (Chinese: 獅潭鄉; pinyin: Shītán Xiāng) is a rural township in Miaoli County, Taiwan. It is located in a mountainous area with a mild, sub-tropical climate. Its rainy season is from May to September. Shitan is short on medical resources. It does not have a hospital or clinic, people often have to travel to Miaoli City to get a health care service.

History

The area was occupied by native Taiwanese through the 19th Century with an economy strongly dependent upon hunting. In 1876 under Qing rule, the Chinese began to build bullock roads into the area. However it was not until the 1930s, during Japanese rule, that standardized roads began to be constructed. The first motor vehicle road was completed into Shitan in 1939, and regular bus service was started. However, by 1942 the bus service had ended because of fuel rationing.

Administrative divisions

• Boshou Village
• Yongxing Village
• Xindian Village
• Hexing Village
• Fenglin Village
• Xinfeng Village
• Zhumu Village

Culture

The Shitan Village Historic Museum preserves a Hakka dwelling from the Koxinga period.

Education

Among the schools in Shitan are:

• 苗栗縣立獅潭國中
• 苗栗縣獅潭鄉獅潭國民小學 Shitan Elementary School in Chinese
• 苗栗縣獅潭鄉永興國民小學
• 苗栗縣獅潭鄉豐林國民小學

Local food specialties

Local food specialities include:

• Tea (茶)
• Mesona (仙草), specifically Mesona chinensis, which is served as a hot, viscous drink, or curded and served over ice as a type of grass jelly.

Tourist attractions

• Lingdong Temple
• Wenshui Old Street

Transportation

Shitan is served by Provincial Highway No. 3 and Provincial Highway No. 72.

See also

• Miaoli County

External links

• "獅潭鄉公所" "Shitan Township" Miaoli County website in Chinese