Hsinchu (新竹) is historically a very important area in Taiwan and when the modern era came to the country the words "Made in Taiwan" became synonymous with "Hsinchu". The area has a history of over 400 years and was used as an administrative capital by the Ching Dynasty and the Japanese. It is populated predominately by the Hakka people (and engineers) and is one of the areas where Hakka culture is well-preserved and celebrated. The Hsinchu Science Park is the home of many major corporations and helps to fuel the worlds hunger for technology. The city is full of historic locations like the City God Temple (城隍廟) and the beautiful Japanese-era train station while the county has mountains, rivers, aboriginal tribes and old streets such as Beipu (北浦老街) and Neiwan (內灣老街) as well as having the tallest standing statue of the Laughing Buddha in the world at Emei lake. Hsinchu is a great place to visit to learn about the history of Taiwan but also to sample some of the special foods that the area is known for.
