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Lukang 鹿港鎮Rokkō; Luchiang; Lugang
Urban township
Lukang Township
An alley in the old town of Lukang
Coordinates: 24°03′N 120°26′E / 24.050°N 120.433°E / 24.050; 120.433
Country	Taiwan
County	Changhua County
Government
• Type	Urban township
• Mayor	許志宏
Area
• Total	71.802 km (27.723 sq mi)
Population
• Total	85,423
• Density	1,200/km (3,100/sq mi)
Gender
• Male	44,101
• Female	42,717
Website	www.lukang.gov.tw/eng

Lukang, formerly romanized as Lugang and also known by other names, is an urban township in northwestern Changhua County, Taiwan. The township is on the west coast of Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait. Lukang was an important sea port in the 18th century and 19th century. It was the most populous city in central Taiwan until the early 20th century. In March 2012, it was named one of the Top 10 Small Tourist Towns by the Tourism Bureau of Taiwan.

Name

The township's name, which means "Deer Port", came from its deerskin trade during the Dutch period. Its old Taiwanese name was Lok-a-kang (Chinese: 鹿仔港; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lo̍k-á-káng) and its shortened version is seen in English texts and maps as variants such as Lok-kang, Lokang and Lo-kiang.

In 2011, the Ministry of Interior decided to keep the historical Wade-Giles spelling "Lukang" and abandon the change to the Pinyin spelling "Lugang" consistent with the switch to Tongyong Pinyin in 2002 and later Hanyu Pinyin 2009.

History

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An important trading port during Lukang's heyday from 1785 to 1845, Lukang's population reached 20,000. Lukang was Taiwan's second largest city after Tainan and was larger than Bangka (now a district of Taipei), then the island's third-largest city. The rice industry brought great wealth to the city. During the late 1800s the most prominent families in Lukang were the Huang and Koo clans.

The subsequent silting of the harbor and the city's refusal to allow railroads to pass through the city led to losses in trade in commerce, which, in turn led to Lukang's decline relative to other cities, which were experiencing considerable urbanization and population growth. This same decline, however, averted the modernization processes that demolished historical buildings in Tainan and Taipei, leaving Lukang preserved as it was in the past.

During the period of Japanese rule, the city was Taiwan's fifth most populous city, with a population of 19,805 according to the December 1904 census. The Hoklo people in the area were predominantly of Xiamen and Quanzhou origin, thereby speaking the Quanzhou dialect of Hokkien. Nanguan music is highly popular in Lukang and originates from Quanzhou.

In 1920, Lukang was governed as Rokkō Town (鹿港街) under Shōka District of Taichū Prefecture.

Overview

There are many old temples in Lukang, such as Longshan Temple and Matzu Temple. The city boasts over 200 temples dedicated to a wide variety of folk deities. The town is also the origin of the terms "ē-káng" (下港) and "téng-káng" (頂港) used respectively to refer to southern Taiwan and northern Taiwan; the literal meanings of the terms are "below the harbor" and "above the harbor".

The Yu Jen Jai (玉珍齋) cakes are famous local specialties, as well as Lukang's Ox Tongue Cakes (牛舌餅) and oyster pancakes. It will host the 2012 Taiwan Lantern Festival, beating out six other contenders.

Lukang encompasses 39.46 square kilometers (15.24 sq mi) with a population of 85,423, including 43,199 males and 42,224 females as of January 2023.

Administrative divisions

The township comprises 29 villages, which are Dayou, Zhongxing, Luojin, Shunxing, Pulun, Xingong, Yushun, Tungshi, Guocuo, Yongan, Jingfu, Taixing, Zhangxing, Xinghua, Longshan, Caiyuan, Jiewei, Zhaoan, Haipu, Yangcuo, Caozhong, Tounan, Shanlun, Dingpan, Toulun, Gouqi, Liaocuo, Tungqi and Dingcuo.

Infrastructure

• Hsingneng Power Plant
• Hsingyuan Power Plant

Tourist attractions

• BRAND'S Health Museum
• Chang Bin Show-Chwan Health Mall
• Eight Wonders
• Lukang Ai Gate
• Lukang Artist Village
• Lukang Culture Center
• Lukang Folk Arts Museum
• Lukang Kinmen Hall
• Lukang Longshan Temple
• Lukang Rimao Hang
• Lukang Tianhou Temple
• Lukang Wen Wu Temple
• No Heaven Street
• Taiwan Glass Gallery & Glass Temple

In popular culture

The town was referenced in the 1982 song "Lukang, The Small Town" (鹿港小鎮) by Lo Ta-yu.

Notable natives

• Chao Shou-po, politician, educator, civic activist and lawyer
• Koo Hsien-jung, former businessperson
• Koo Chen-fu, businessman, diplomat
• Koo Kwang-ming, politician
• Stan Shih, Co-founder & Honorary Chairman of Acer Inc.
• Li Ang, writer
• Shi Shuqing, writer

Climate

References

Citations

1. "鎮長介紹". 11 September 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
2. "彰化縣各鄉鎮市 107年12月人口數統計表" (PDF). Retrieved 6 January 2019.
3. Wong, Maggie Hiufu (30 March 2012). "Taiwan names its 10 top small tourist towns". CNN Go. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
4. Campbell (1896), map.
5. Davidson (1903), Index p.32.
6. Davidson (1903), map.
7. Liu, M. (2011). 鹿港譯名恢復Lukang.United Daily News, retrieved at 28 June 2011.
8. DeGlopper (1995), pp. 78–79.
9. Cheung, Han. "Taiwan in Time: Crafting Taiwan's temples". www.taipeitimes.com. Taipei Times. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
10. Takekoshi, Yosaburō (1907). "Chapter XIII: Population and future development of the island resources". Japanese rule in Formosa. London, New York, Bombay and Calcutta: Longmans, Green, and co. p. 200. OCLC 753129. OL 6986981M.
11. Davidson (1903), p. 591.
12. "Historic town of Lukang boasts over 200 temples". China Post. CNA. 1 March 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
13. "Lugang unveiled as host of 2012 Taiwan Lantern Festival". Taiwan Today. 22 February 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
14. 統計資料 | 一月 | 表四 [Statistics|January|Table 4]. accounting.chcg.gov.tw (in Chinese). Changhua County Government. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
15. "月報表(逐日資料) : 鹿港 (撤銷站) (C0G640), 鹿港 (C2G640)". Central Weather Administration. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
16. "中央氣象署 測站氣候資料 : 彰化鹿港 C0G640". Atmospheric Science Research and Application Databank. Retrieved 7 October 2024.

Bibliography

• Campbell, William (1896). "The island of Formosa: Its past and future". Scottish Geographical Magazine. 12 (8): 385–399. doi:10.1080/00369229608732903.
• Davidson, James W. (1903). The Island of Formosa, Past and Present : history, people, resources, and commercial prospects : tea, camphor, sugar, gold, coal, sulphur, economical plants, and other productions. London and New York: Macmillan & co. OL 6931635M.
• DeGlopper, Donald R. (1995). Lukang: Commerce and Community in a Chinese City. Albany: State University of New York Press, Albany. ISBN 9780791426906.

External links

• Official website (in English)

v t e Cities and townships of Changhua County
County seat: Changhua City
Cities	Changhua City Yuanlin
Urban townships	Beidou Erlin Hemei Lukang Tianzhong Xihu
Rural townships	Dacheng Dacun Ershui Fangyuan Fenyuan Fuxing Huatan Pitou Puxin Puyan Shengang Shetou Tianwei Xianxi Xiushui Xizhou Yongjing Zhutang

• Townships in Changhua County