Chiayi

Chiayi City 嘉義市 Ka-gi, Kagi, Chiai, Chia-i
City
Chiayi City
Clockwise from top left: Hinoki Village, Chiayi Confucius Temple, Fountain at the Lantan Reservoir, Chiayi City Sports Arena, Chiayi Municipal Culture Center, Chiayi Sun Shooting Tower, National Chiayi University
Flag Logo
Nickname:  Peach City (桃城) or Jia City (嘉市)
Country	Republic of China (Taiwan)
Province	Taiwan Province (de facto dissolved)
Region	Southwestern Taiwan
First mentioned	1787
Renamed to Kagi	17 April 1895
Autonomous city	1930
Provincial city	25 October 1945
Downgraded to county-administered city	16 August 1950
Provincial city status restored	1 July 1982
Seat	East District
Districts	2 districts East West
Government
• Type	Chiayi City Government
• Mayor	Huang Min-hui (KMT)
Area [1]
• Total	60.03 km2 (23.18 sq mi)
• Rank	21 out of 22
Elevation	69 m (226 ft)
Population  (January 2023)[2]
• Total	263,188
• Rank	18 of 22
• Density	4,400/km2 (11,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (National Standard Time)
Postal code	600
Area code	05
ISO 3166 code	TW-CYI
Flower	Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia blakeana)
Tree	Hong Kong orchid tree
Website	www.chiayi.gov.tw/en/

Chiayi City
"Chiayi" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	嘉義市
Simplified Chinese	嘉义市
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Jiāyì Shì Bopomofo ㄐㄧㄚ   ㄧˋ   ㄕˋ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Jiayih Shyh Wade–Giles Chia1-i4 Shih4 Tongyong Pinyin Jiayì Shìh Yale Romanization Jyāyì Shr̀ MPS2 Jiāyì Shr̀ IPA [tɕjá.î ʂɻ̩̂] Hakka Pha̍k-fa-sṳ Kâ-ngi-sṳ Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Gāyih Síh Jyutping gaa1 ji6 si5 IPA [kaː˥ jiː˨ siː˩˧] Southern Min Hokkien POJ Ka-gī-chhī Tâi-lô Ka-gī-tshī
Japanese name
Kanji	嘉義市
Hiragana	かぎし
Katakana	カギシ
Transcriptions Revised Hepburn Kagi-shi Kunrei-shiki Kagi-si

Chiayi (/ˈdʒjɑːˈiː/,^[3] Taigi POJ: Ka-gī; Chinese: 嘉義), officially known as Chiayi City, is a city located in Chianan Plain in southwestern Taiwan, surrounded by Chiayi County with a population of 263,188 inhabitants as of January 2023.

Hoanya people inhabited present-day Chiayi under its historical name Tirosen prior to the arrival of Han Chinese in Taiwan and was ruled by the Dutch and Kingdom of Tungning under various names. During the Qing dynasty, Tirosen was governed as part of Taiwan Prefecture in Fujian under Zhuluo County and the city was renamed to Kagee in 1787. The city was once again named Kagi during the Japanese era but the earthquake destroyed much of the town. Kagi became administered as part of Tainan Prefecture from 1920. Following the surrender of Japan, the Republic of China, who deposed the Qing in 1911, took control of the city in 1945 as Chiayi City and became administered as a provincial city of Taiwan Province before being integrated in Chiayi County in 1950 as a county-administered city and later restored its status as provincial city in 1982. In 1998, Taiwan Province became streamlined and Chiayi City became governed directly by the Executive Yuan.

The city is known for Alishan National Scenic Area and warm humid subtropical climate in the summer months. Left with the landmarks of Japanese colonial rule, Chiayi City has the round-island railway system and Alishan Forest Railway where the city is the starting point along with various Japanese temples.