Economic department ECON 166

Student: Amy Liu

Professor: Dr. Thayer Watkins

The History of the Economy of Taipei

Taipei
Taipei Brief History

In ancient times, the area in which Taipei is now located was a lake which, over thousands of years, evolved into a dry basin. The Taipei of 300 years ago was full of swamps and grassy lowlands In 1709, a farmer named Chen Lai-chang, who hailed from Chuanchou in Fukien province, applied to establish a farm at Takala in what is now central Taipei. Following this the number of immigrants to Taipei began to increase. Control of the city of Taipei was essentially divided among immigrants from different areas of Mainland China, making conflicts almost inevitable. This led to frequent armed clashes, the largest of which occurred in 1853.

In 1875, the Ching dynasty official, Shen Pao-Chen applied to establish the Prefecture of Taipei. Taipei's early construction was based on geomancy. Taipei is the main axis from north to south. To promote the city's prosperity, the Ching court repeatedly established administrative and financial agencies here. When the Japanese colonized Taiwan in 1895,they set up administrative headquarters in Taipei and continued to develop the city.

Main Product  from 1998 - 1999

Local economic growth:  41.9% is agriculture, 16.6% is industry and 41.5% is services. Growth rate is 2.51% rom 1998 to 1999.

Main products: Tobacco, rice, corn fruits and vegetables, livestock, poultry, and aquamarine products; processed foods, GTH, furnitures, pottery ceramics and jewelries; non-metallic minerals and industrial products such as cement, tomato paste and industrial gasses.

Business

Trade is the main business in Taipei. Various trading companies concentrate in Taipei. Economic growth based on trading has brought Taipei as the important and effective country globally. Annual fiscal revenue and abroad saving ranks ahead over years. WTCA(world trade center) has been set up to played a role as the representative Trading Organization that contact different countries. More information about WTCA shown from website: http://iserve.wtca.org/awtc/about.html

Transportation

CKS International Airport in Taoyuan County is Taipei's main gateway and is a 40-minute ride which links all traveling from domestic or abroad.

Driving in Taipei is difficult for drivers unaccustomed to heavily congested city traffic. An added difficulty is the inconsistency of street sign phoneticizations. Roadside parking is extremely scarce in the city center.,. Taipei has a convenient public transportation system. The MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) is very efficient and is the only rapid transit system in the country. The bus system is also reliable and efficient.