the evolution of the xindian transport hub, 1895-1965

8/14/2019 The Evolution of the Xindian Transport Hub, 1895-1965

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Spatial Development of TaiwanProfessor Liu Xiao Lan

National Chengchi UniversityInternational Masters Program

in Asia-Pacific Studies

Timothy Hogan 97924012

November 4, 2009

The Evolution of the Xindian Transport Hub,1895-1965:


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The growth of Xindian, a city of approximately 290,000 inhabitants, located in

Taipei County and bordering Taipei City, has been closely tied to the development of

its transport system. Today, most residents of Taipei City know Xindian as the

terminus of the Xindian to Tamsui line of the MRT, while residents of Xindian are

certainly aware that the symbol of Xindian is the historic suspension bridge crossing

the Xindian River. Since the end of the nineteenth century, the transport system in

Xindian has undergone several major transformations. Partly this has been due to the

impact of technological progress on transportation, but mainly it is a result of the

change in the economic activities occurring in Xindian and the citys proximity to

Taipei. This paper will offer a brief outline of the evolution of Xindians transport

system from the late Qing era, through the Japanese colonia era, up to the time of

rapid industrialization in the 1960s, highlighting economic development and

technological progress. While many significant changes have taken place since the

1960s, this paper will concern itself with this period in order to focus attention on how

the early transport system was transformed as Xindians economy shifted from

agriculture to mining and timber, then on to mixed light industry and commercial, and

finally to a service orientation, with particular attention to the citys role as a

residential suburb of Taipei City.

Xindians transport system has been based on a wide variety of transport

modes, and these can be classified according to their source of power. Table 1 lists

fourteen different transport modes and indicates the economic activity that

predominated when these modes were used for economic activity. It is clear from the

table that some modes only had relevance during specific stages of economic activity,

such as river boats and ox carts when Taiwans economy was predominantly

agricultural, while the railroad played a role in both Taiwans agricultural and

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industrial stages of development, and buses, automobiles, taxis, and motorcycles

played a role during the industrial age and continue to be relevant as service industries

predominate. Also evident is the fact that the transport of passengers has become the

main focus of transport development, reflecting Xindians role as a commercial

services center and residential suburb for people employed in Taipei City and in other

parts of Taipei County.

Transportmode

Power source Cargo Major economic activity

Goods People Agriculture Industry Service

Boat Wind / current X X X

Foot Human X X

Push car X X XBicycle X X X

Cart Animal X X X

Railroad Steam X X X X

Railroad Diesel X X X X X

Truck X X X X

Bus X X X

Truck Gasoline X X X

Automobile X X X

Motorcycle X X X

Taxi X X X

MRT Electricity X X

Table 1: Transport Modes in Xindian and Economic Activity

At the nineteenth century, Xindian was the commercial center for an

agricultural region in the southern part of the Taipei Basin. The economy of the area

was dependent on rice and tea farming and harvesting the timber on the nearby

foothills. Transport over land within the area was difficult and best accomplished by

ox drawn cart, but Xindians location along a major river meant that river boats could

be used to transport goods and passengers downstream to Taipei. While Xindian had

an early irrigation system that provided water to a wide area of farmland stretching

north to Taipei, its transport system was not similarly blessed. Located away from the

railroad line that Liu Ming-chuan had constructed between Jilong and Xinzhu,

Xindian developed more slowly than more favorably located regions. Plus, to the

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south of Xindian lay mountains inhabited by the Atayal people, one of Taiwans

indigenous groups, so there was little incentive nor ability to push transport past the

town. Commercial development during this period was centered near the riverside

where the boats were loaded and unloaded. Shops catering to the rural residents of the

area sold goods that farming families were not able to make for themselves.

With the beginning of the Japanese colonial period in 1895, Xindian

underwent a shift in terms of its land use and economic activity. Agriculture remained

important on the flatlands between Xindian and Taipei, but lumber and mining began

to play a more important role in the district as Japanese investors formed companies

to exploit the resources in the mountains. Transport into the mountainous regions to

Xindians south was accomplished via narrow gauge push car rail lines. These linked

Xindian to nearby lumber, tea, and mining districts such as Guishan and Pinglin..

Such lines were relatively inexpensive to build and operate but effectively carried

small loads reliably. Later, a branch railway was built connecting Xindian to the trunk

line that passed through Taipei. This branch railway carried lumber, coal, and

agricultural products to the market in Taipei. From there it could be transported by

rail to Keelung and then onto ships for transport to Japan. A roadway south of

Xindian was built to allow for the construction of Taiwans first hydroelectric

generating station, located along the river a few kilometers south of Xindian. Roads

were often constructed on the beds laid down for the push cars or followed the same

routes up the river valleys into the mountains. Commercial and residential

development during this period took place in the areas surrounding the railroad

stations. Shops and markets lined the narrow lanes near the station, and farm fields

filled the spaces between clusters of houses and villages.

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During World War II, much of the transport infrastructure was destroyed by

American bombing. In the 1950s, roads, bridges, and railways were rebuilt, including

the rail line to Xindian. The economic activity in Xindian at that time was a mixture

of agriculture, light industry, lumber and coal mining, and commerce. With the train

in operation, agriculture goods could be shipped to market, raw materials could reach

factories, and finished goods could be shipped to markets in the city. Located

relatively close to Taipei, Xindian offered low land prices and labor surplus to

factories willing to establish themselves in the area. The number of roadways

increased, but they were narrow and of poor quality, so the train remained the

dominant transport link with Taipei City. The lumber industry continued to operate in

the mountains to the south of the town, but its production was tapering off as valuable

timber in easily accessible forested areas was depleted. The population of Xindian

was growing as laborers moved to the area to take advantage of job opportunities.

Apartment blocks for workers were built near the train stations and along the major

roads.

By 1965, Xindian was not growing into a industrial city but one of mixed

residential and commercial use. The rail line to Taipei was removed and replaced with

modern Beixin Road, connecting with Roosevelt Road in Taipei City. Along this new

road ran buses to carry workers into and out of the city. The former train station at the

Xindian terminus of the railway, near the Qing-era river port, was turned into a bus

station, and buses making the journey into Taipei City left the station every hour.

While factories continued to operate on the edge of Xindian, the former rice fields

along Beixin Road were given over to the construction of apartment blocks and

commercial buildings. Unlike in Taipei City, the grid pattern of streets was not

employed with any regularity, so narrow lanes and alleys branched off the main roads.

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Few people owned private automobiles at the time, so the lack of parking was not

immediately a problem, but in the years to come it would become a major headache

for Xindians residents. At that time, motorcycles were gaining in popularity as a

preferred mode of private transport. Not only did they use little gasoline, but they

could carry an entire family when necessary and be parked almost anywhere.

Taiwan developed rapidly during the twentieth century, and even Xindian saw

a dramatic transformation. It went from a market town surrounded by rice and tea

farms on one side and forested mountains on the other, to a major population center of

Taipei County with thriving commercial development and remnants of its industrial

and agricultural history. In the years after 1965, Xindian would see its remaining farm

land and surrounding hillsides covered in apartment buildings as an increasing

number of people from southern Taiwan moved northward to take advantage of job

opportunities and former residents of Taipei City escaped the rising land prices there.

This rapid inward migration put strains on Xindians transport system, particularly the

link to Taipei, since there was only one road directly into the city. This feature would

remain a bottleneck for further growth in Xindian, and would only be addressed in the

1980s when an elevated expressway to Taipei was constructed along the river. Like

the railroad and the road system, the expressway opened up new land for

development. It did not, however, offer a long lasting solution to the bottleneck on

transport from Xindian to Taipei. With the rising population in Xindian, and the

rapidly increasing number of cars being driven by commuters into the city, the

expressways capacity was soon reached, and traffic jams became a serious problem,

one that would only be alleviated with the opening of the Xindian MRT Line in the

twenty-first century.

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the evolution of the xindian transport hub, 1895-1965

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