Huwei, Yunlin

23.719983°N 120.435364°E / 23.719983; 120.435364

Huwei Township 虎尾鎮 Kobi
Urban township
Street view in Huwei
Huwei Township in Yunlin County
Location	Yunlin County, Taiwan
Area
• Total	69 km2 (27 sq mi)
Population  (February 2023)
• Total	70,300
• Density	1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi)

Downtown Huwei

Huwei Township Office

Huwei Township (Chinese: 虎尾鎮; pinyin: Hǔwěi Zhèn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hó͘-bóe-tìn or Hó͘-bé-tìn) is an urban township in Yunlin County, Taiwan. It has a population of about 70,300.

Name

In the 17th century, during the Dutch era, Favorolang was one of the largest and most powerful aboriginal villages in Taiwan.^[1] The name has also been spelled Favorlang, Favorlangh, and Vovorollang.^[2] Its location was north of Tirosen (modern-day Chiayi), and the Favorlang river had been called by the Chinese How-boe-khe (Chinese: 吼尾溪) during the reign of the Qing Yongzheng Emperor (ca. 1722 – 1735). The Chinese name for the area (Chinese: 大崙腳庄) was later changed to Go-keng-chhu (Chinese: 五間厝庄; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Gō͘ -keng-chhù-chng).^[3][4]

The name Favorlang is said to have derived from the ethnonym Babuza,^[5] a tribe of the Taiwanese Plains Aborigines.

Map of Huwei (labeled as Kobi) and surrounding area (1944)

In 1920, during Taiwan's Japanese era, the town was administered as Kobi Town (Japanese: 虎尾庄), under Kobi District (虎尾郡), Tainan Prefecture. During this era, the town earned the nickname of "Sugar Capital" (糖都).

Government

Administrative divisions

Villages in Huwei Township

There are 29 villages:^[6]

• Anqing
• Anxi
• Beixi
• Dexing
• Dingxi
• Dongren
• Dongtun
• Fangcao
• Gong'an
• Huilai
• Jianguo
• Juetou
• Kendi
• Lenei
• Lianshi
• Liren
• Pinghe
• Sanhe
• Xi'an
• Xiaxi
• Xingnan
• Xingzhong
• Xinji
• Xinxing
• Xitun
• Yanping
• Yingchuan
• Zhongshan
• Zhongxi

Local government

• Taiwan Yunlin District Court^[7]

Economy

• Huwei Sugar Factory

Education

• National Formosa University
• National Huwei Senior High School

Tourist attractions

Huwei Sugar Factory Steel Bridge

• Huwei Sugar Factory Iron Bridge
• SL Towel Industrial Tourism and Explore Factory
• Tongxin Park
• Yunlin Hand Puppet Museum
• Yunlin Story House

Transportation

THSR Yunlin Station

The township houses the Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) Yunlin Station.

Famous residents

• Gilbertus Happart

Sister city relations

• Ōma, Aomori Prefecture, Japan^[8]

Notable natives

• Chen Po-chih, Minister of the Council for Economic Planning and Development (2000–2002)
• Frankie Huang, actor and television host