Taipei
Capital city of Taiwan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Taipei (/ˌtaɪˈpeɪ/ ; Chinese: 臺北; pinyin: Táiběi),[2] officially Taipei City,[upper-roman 1] is the capital[lower-alpha 1] and a special municipality of Taiwan.[5][6] Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about 25 km (16 mi) southwest of the northern port city of Keelung. Most of the city rests on the Taipei Basin, an ancient lakebed. The basin is bounded by the relatively narrow valleys of the Keelung and Xindian rivers, which join to form the Tamsui River along the city's western border.[7]
Taipei City Tai-pak, Taipeh | |
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Skyline of Taipei from Elephant Mountain with Taipei 101 (left) | |
 Flag  Logo | |
| Etymology: Wade–Giles: Tʻai²-pei³; lit. 'North of Taiwan' | |
| Nickname(s): The City of Azaleas | |
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.svg) | |
  Taipei City  Taipei City  Taipei City .svg) Taipei City | |
| Country |  Republic of China (Taiwan) |
| Settled | 1709 |
| Renamed Taihoku | 17 April 1895 |
| Provincial city status | 25 October 1945 |
| Provisional national capital | 7 December 1949 |
| Reconstituted as a Yuan-controlled municipality | 1 July 1967 |
| City seat | Xinyi District 25°02′15″N 121°33′45″E |
| Districts | 12 |
| Largest district | Daan District |
| Government | |
• Mayor | Chiang Wan-an (KMT) |
| Legislature | Taipei City Council |
| National representation | |
| 8 of 113 constituencies | |
| Area | |
• Total | 271.80 km2 (104.94 sq mi) (16th) |
• Water | 2.7 km2 (1.0 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• March 2023 estimate | 2,494,813 (4th) 9,078,000 (urban)[1] (4th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2016 estimate |
• Total | $65,539 (1st) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2016 estimate |
• Total | NT$990,292 (1st) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (National Standard Time) |
| Calling code | (0)2 |
| Postal code | 100–116 |
| ISO 3166 code | TW-TPE |
| Website |
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| Symbols | |
| Bird | Formosan blue magpie (Urocissa caerulea) |
| Flower | Azalea (Rhododendron nudiflorum) |
| Tree | Banyan (India laurel fig, Ficus microcarpa) |
| Taipei City | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.svg) "Taipei" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 臺北市 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 台北市 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "North of Tai[wan]" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The municipality of Taipei is home to an estimated population of 2,494,813 (March 2023),[8] forming the core part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, also known as "Greater Taipei", which includes the nearby cities of New Taipei and Keelung with a population of 7,047,559,[8][9] the 40th most-populous urban area in the world—roughly one-third of Taiwanese citizens live in the metro areas. The name "Taipei" can refer either to the whole metropolitan area or just the municipality alone. Taipei has been the political center of the island since 1887, when it first became the seat of Taiwan Province by the Qing dynasty until 1895 and again from 1945 to 1956 by the Republic of China (ROC) government,[lower-alpha 2] with an interregnum from 1895 to 1945 as the seat of the Government-General of Taiwan during the Japanese rule. The city has been the national seat of the ROC central government since 1949, it became the nation's special municipality (then known as Yuan-controlled municipality) on 1 July 1967 from provincial city status.
Taipei is the economic, political, educational and cultural center of Taiwan. It has been rated an "Alpha − City" by GaWC.[10] Taipei also forms a major part of a high-tech industrial area.[11] Railways, highways, airports and bus lines connect Taipei with all parts of the island. The city is served by two airports – Songshan and Taoyuan. The municipality is home to architectural and cultural landmarks, including Taipei 101 (which was formerly the tallest building in the world), Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Dalongdong Baoan Temple, Hsing Tian Kong, Lungshan Temple of Manka, National Palace Museum, Presidential Office Building, Taipei Guest House and Zhinan Temple. Shopping districts including Ximending as well as several night markets dispersed throughout the city. Natural features include Maokong, Yangmingshan and hot springs.
In English-language news reports, the name Taipei often serves as a synecdoche referring to the central government that controls the Taiwan Area. Due to the ambiguous political status of Taiwan internationally, the term Chinese Taipei is also frequently used as a synonym for the entire country, as when Taiwan's governmental representatives participate in international organizations or when Taiwan's athletes compete in international sporting events, including the Olympics.
The spellings Taipei and Tʻai-pei derive from the Wade–Giles romanization Tʻai²-pei³[12] which means the North of Taiwan in Chinese. The name could be also romanized as Táiběi according to Hanyu Pinyin and Tongyong Pinyin.[13][14][15]
The city has also been known as Tai-pak[16][17] (derived from Taiwanese Hokkien) and Taipeh.[18][19]
During the Japanese rule from 1895 to 1945, Taipei was known as Taihoku, which is the pronunciation of the Chinese characters (Kanji: 台北) for Taipei in Japanese.[20]
Prior to the significant influx of Han Chinese colonists, the region of Taipei Basin was mainly inhabited by the plains aborigines called Ketagalan. The number of Han colonists gradually increased in the early 18th century under Qing Dynasty rule after the government began permitting development in the area.[21] In 1875, the northern part of the island was incorporated into the new Taipeh Prefecture.
It was formerly established as Taipeh-fu and was the temporary capital of the island in 1887 when it was declared a province (Fukien-Taiwan Province).[22][23] Taipeh was formally made the provincial capital in 1894. The romanized transcription of Taipeh was changed to Taihoku in 1895 when the Empire of Japan annexed Taiwan, based on the Japanese reading of the two characters. The writing in Chinese characters remained unaltered. Under Japanese rule, the city was administered under Taihoku Prefecture. Taiwan's Japanese rulers embarked on an extensive program of advanced urban planning that featured extensive railroad links. A number of Taipei landmarks and cultural institutions date from this period.[24]
Following the surrender of Japan to the Allies during 1945, effective control of Taiwan was handed to the Republic of China (ROC). After facing defeat from Communist forces, the ruling Kuomintang relocated the ROC government to Taiwan and declared Taipei the provisional capital of the ROC in December 1949.[25][26][27] Taiwan's Kuomintang rulers regarded the city as the capital of Taiwan Province and their control as mandated by General Order No. 1.
In 1990, Taipei provided the backdrop for the Wild Lily student rallies that moved Taiwanese society from one-party rule to multi-party democracy by 1996. The city has served as the seat of Taiwan's democratically elected national government ever since.
Early settlers–Qing dynasty
The region known as the Taipei Basin was home to Ketagalan tribes before the eighteenth century.[28] Han Chinese colonists from Dabu County, Yongding County, Anxi and Tong'an of Southern Fujian began to settle in the Taipei Basin in 1709.[29][30]
In the late 19th century, the Taipei area, where the major Han Chinese settlements in northern Taiwan and one of the designated overseas trade ports, Tamsui, were located, gained economic importance due to the booming overseas trade, especially that of tea export. In 1875, the northern part of Taiwan was separated from Taiwan Prefecture and incorporated into the new Taipeh Prefecture as a new administrative entity of the Qing dynasty.[24] Having been established adjoining the flourishing townships of Bangka, Dalongdong, and Twatutia, the new prefectural capital was known as Chengnei (Chinese: 城內; pinyin: chéngnèi; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siâⁿ-lāi), "the inner city", and government buildings were erected there. From 1875 until the beginning of Japanese rule in 1895, Taipei was part of Tamsui County of Taipeh Prefecture and the prefectural capital.[31]
In 1885, as work commenced to govern the island as a province, Taipeh was thus temporarily designated as a provincial capital. The city officially became the capital in 1894.[citation needed] Nowadays, all that remains from the historical period is the north gate. The west gate and city walls were demolished by the Japanese while the south gate, little south gate, and east gate were extensively modified by the Kuomintang and have lost much of their original character.[32]
Empire of Japan
As settlement for losing the First Sino-Japanese War, China ceded the island of Taiwan to the Empire of Japan in 1895 as part of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. After the Japanese takeover, Taipei, romanized into English as Taihoku following the Japanese language pronunciation, was retained as the capital. It subsequently emerged as the political center of the Japanese Colonial Government.[24] During that time the city acquired the characteristics of an administrative center, including many new public buildings and housing for civil servants. Much of the architecture of Taipei dates from the period of Japanese rule, including the Presidential Office Building which was the Office of the Governor-General of Taiwan.
During Japanese rule, Taihoku was incorporated in 1920 as part of Taihoku Prefecture. It included Bangka, Twatutia, and Jōnai (城內) among other small settlements. The eastern village of Matsuyama (松山庄, modern-day Songshan District, Taipei) was annexed into Taihoku City in 1938. Taihoku and surrounding areas were bombed by Allied forces on several occasions. The largest of these Allied air raids, the Taihoku Air Raid, took place on 31 May 1945.
Post-WW2 under ROC
Upon the Japanese defeat following the nuclear bomb destruction of Hiroshima and its consequent surrender in August 1945, the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party) assumed control of Taiwan. Subsequently, Taipei was established as a provincial city and a temporary Office of the Taiwan Province Administrative Governor was established in it.[33] In 1947 the Kuomintang (KMT) government under Chiang Kai-shek declared island-wide martial law in Taiwan as a result of the 28 February Incident, which began with incidents in Taipei but led to an island-wide crackdown on the local population by forces loyal to Chiang. Two years later, on 7 December 1949, Chiang and the Kuomintang forces were forced to flee mainland China after the defeat by Communist revolutionaries. The KMT-led national government that fled to Taiwan declared Taipei to be the provisional capital of a continuing Republic of China.[25][26]
Taipei expanded greatly in the decades after 1949, and as approved on 30 December 1966, by the Executive Yuan, Taipei was declared a special municipality on 1 July 1967.[30] In the following year, Taipei City expanded again by annexing Shilin, Beitou, Neihu, Nangang, Jingmei, and Muzha. At that time, the city's total area increased fourfold by absorbing several outlying towns and villages and the population increased to 1.56 million people.[30]
The city's population, which had reached one million in the early 1960s, also expanded rapidly after 1967, exceeding two million by the mid-1970s. Although growth within the city itself gradually slowed thereafter[33] — its population had become relatively stable by the mid-1990s – Taipei remained one of the world's most densely populated urban areas, and the population continued to increase in the region surrounding the city, notably along the corridor between Taipei and Keelung.[original research?]
In 1990, Taipei's 16 districts were consolidated into the current 12 districts.[34] Mass democracy rallies that year in the plaza around Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall led to an island-wide transition to multi-party democracy, where legislators are chosen via regularly scheduled popular elections, during the presidency of Lee Teng-Hui.[original research?]
Taipei City is located in the Taipei Basin in northern Taiwan.[35] It is bordered by the Xindian River on the south and the Tamsui River on the west. The generally low-lying terrain of the central areas on the western side of the municipality slopes upward to the south and east and especially to the north,[7] where it reaches the 1,120 m (3,670 ft)-tall Qixing Mountain, the highest (dormant) volcano in Taiwan in Yangmingshan National Park. The northern districts of Shilin and Beitou extend north of the Keelung River and are bordered by Yangmingshan National Park. The Taipei city limits cover an area of 271.7997 km2 (104.9425 sq mi),[36] ranking sixteenth of twenty-five among all counties and cities in Taiwan.
Two peaks, Qixing Mountain and Mt. Datun, rise to the northeast of the city.[37] Qixing Mountain is located on the Tatun Volcanic Group; its 1,120 m (3,670 ft)-high main peak renders it the tallest mountain at the rim of the Taipei Basin; 1,092 m (3,583 ft)-high Mt. Datun is a close runner up. These former volcanoes make up the western section of Yangmingshan National Park, extending from Mt. Datun northward to Mt. Caigongkeng (菜公坑山). Located on a broad saddle between two mountains, the area also contains the marshy Datun Pond.
To the southeast of the city lie the Songshan Hills and the Qingshui Ravine, which form a barrier of lush woods.[37]
Climate
| Taipei | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Climate chart (explanation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Taipei has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa).[38][39][40][41] Summers are long-lasting, very hot and humid, and accompanied by occasional heavy rainstorms and typhoons; while winters are short, generally warm and generally very foggy due to the northeasterly winds from the vast Siberian High being intensified by the pooling of this cooler air in the Taipei Basin. As in the rest of Northern Taiwan, daytime temperatures of Taipei can often peak above 26 °C (79 °F) during a warm winter day, while they can dip below that same level during afternoon showers and thunderstorms in the summer. Occasional cold fronts during the winter months can drop the daily temperature by 3 to 5 °C (5.4 to 9.0 °F), though temperatures rarely drop below 10 °C (50 °F).[42] Extreme temperatures ranged from −0.2 °C (31.6 °F) on 13 February 1901 to 39.7 °C (103.5 °F) on 24 July 2020, while snow has never been recorded in the city besides on mountains located within the city limit such as Yangmingshan. Due to Taiwan's location in the Pacific Ocean, it is affected by the Pacific typhoon season, which occurs between June and October.
| Climate data for Taipei (normals 1991–2020, extremes 1896–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 33.8 (92.8) |
31.8 (89.2) |
35.0 (95.0) |
36.2 (97.2) |
38.2 (100.8) |
38.9 (102.0) |
39.7 (103.5) |
39.3 (102.7) |
38.6 (101.5) |
36.8 (98.2) |
34.3 (93.7) |
31.5 (88.7) |
39.7 (103.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 19.6 (67.3) |
20.7 (69.3) |
22.9 (73.2) |
26.7 (80.1) |
30.1 (86.2) |
32.9 (91.2) |
35.0 (95.0) |
34.4 (93.9) |
31.6 (88.9) |
27.8 (82.0) |
24.9 (76.8) |
21.1 (70.0) |
27.3 (81.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 16.6 (61.9) |
17.2 (63.0) |
19.0 (66.2) |
22.5 (72.5) |
25.8 (78.4) |
28.3 (82.9) |
30.1 (86.2) |
29.7 (85.5) |
27.8 (82.0) |
24.7 (76.5) |
22.0 (71.6) |
18.2 (64.8) |
23.5 (74.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 14.4 (57.9) |
14.7 (58.5) |
16.2 (61.2) |
19.4 (66.9) |
22.8 (73.0) |
25.3 (77.5) |
26.8 (80.2) |
26.6 (79.9) |
25.2 (77.4) |
22.6 (72.7) |
19.8 (67.6) |
16.1 (61.0) |
20.8 (69.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −0.1 (31.8) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
1.4 (34.5) |
4.7 (40.5) |
10.0 (50.0) |
15.6 (60.1) |
19.5 (67.1) |
18.9 (66.0) |
13.5 (56.3) |
10.2 (50.4) |
1.1 (34.0) |
1.8 (35.2) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 93.8 (3.69) |
129.4 (5.09) |
157.8 (6.21) |
151.4 (5.96) |
245.2 (9.65) |
354.6 (13.96) |
214.2 (8.43) |
336.5 (13.25) |
336.8 (13.26) |
162.6 (6.40) |
89.3 (3.52) |
96.9 (3.81) |
2,368.5 (93.23) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 13.6 | 12.0 | 14.1 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 15.7 | 11.8 | 14.6 | 13.8 | 12.8 | 12.5 | 13.1 | 163 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 77.2 | 77.8 | 76.1 | 74.9 | 74.7 | 75.3 | 70.2 | 72.1 | 73.9 | 74.4 | 75.0 | 75.9 | 74.8 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 76.1 | 79.3 | 95.1 | 96.9 | 113.6 | 114.8 | 176.9 | 182.8 | 151.7 | 114.7 | 93.3 | 78.6 | 1,373.8 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 23 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 42 | 45 | 41 | 32 | 29 | 24 | 31 |
| Source: Central Weather Bureau[43][44][45][46][47] | |||||||||||||
Air quality
In comparison to other Asian cities, Taipei has "excellent" capabilities for managing air quality in the city.[48] Its rainy climate, location near the coast, and strong environmental regulations have prevented air pollution from becoming a substantial health issue, at least compared to cities in southeast Asia and industrial China. However, smog is extremely common and there is poor visibility throughout the city after rainless days.
Motor vehicle engine exhaust, particularly from motor scooters, is a source of air pollution in Taipei. There are higher levels of fine particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the mornings because of less air movement; sunlight reduces some pollution.[49]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1875 | 38,000 | — |
| 1905 | 74,415 | +95.8% |
| 1920 | 162,782 | +118.7% |
| 1935 | 274,157 | +68.4% |
| 1958 | 715,000 | +160.8% |
| 1972 | 1,890,760 | +164.4% |
| 1980 | 2,220,427 | +17.4% |
| 1985 | 2,507,620 | +12.9% |
| 1990 | 2,719,659 | +8.5% |
| 1995 | 2,632,863 | −3.2% |
| 2000 | 2,646,474 | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 2,632,242 | −0.5% |
| 2010 | 2,618,772 | −0.5% |
| 2015 | 2,704,810 | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 2,602,418 | −3.8% |
| 2022 | 2,524,393 | −3.0% |
| Sources: 1875[50] 1905–1935 [51] 1958 [52] 1972 [53] 1980 [54] 1985–2020 "Populations by city and country in Taiwan". Ministry of the Interior. May 2018. | ||
While Taipei City is home to 2,524,393 people (2022), the greater metropolitan area has a population of 7,047,559 people.[8] Even though the population of the city has been decreasing in recent years, the population of adjacent New Taipei has been increasing. The population loss, while rapid in its early years, was slowed by lower density development and campaigns designed to increase the birthrate in the city in the 2010s. As a result, the population rose 2010–2015.[8][55][56]
Due to Taipei's geography and location in the Taipei Basin as well as differing times of settlement and differing degrees of economic development of its districts, Taipei's population is not evenly distributed. The districts of Daan, Songshan, and Datong are the most densely populated. These districts, along with adjacent communities such as Yonghe and Zhonghe, contain some of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the world.[55]
In 2008, the crude birth rate stood at 7.88%, while the mortality rate stood at 5.94%. A decreasing and rapidly aging population is an important issue for the city.[55] By the end of 2009, one in ten people in Taipei was over 65 years of age.[57] Residents who had obtained a college education or higher accounted for 43.48% of the population, and the literacy rate stood at 99.18%.[55]
Like the rest of Taiwan, Taipei is composed of four major ethnic subgroups: Hoklos, Waishengren, Hakkas, and aborigines.[55] Although Hoklos and Waishengren form the majority of the population of the city, in recent decades many Hakkas have moved into the city. The aboriginal population in the city stands at 16,713 at the end of 2018 (<1%), concentrated mostly in the suburban districts. Foreigners (mainly from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Japan) numbered 71,858 at the end of 2022.[55][58]
| Age distribution | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 73,680 | 69,574 | 143,250 |
| 5–9 | 57,701 | 53,004 | 110,705 |
| 10–14 | 67,345 | 61,491 | 128,842 |
| 15–19 | 77,974 | 72,110 | 150,084 |
| 20–24 | 78,552 | 73,103 | 151,655 |
| 25–29 | 78,447 | 80,882 | 159,329 |
| 30–34 | 105,245 | 118,719 | 223,964 |
| 35–39 | 107,951 | 123,852 | 231,803 |
| 40–44 | 96,222 | 111,729 | 207,951 |
| 45–49 | 96,535 | 112,049 | 208,584 |
| 50–54 | 98,411 | 112,322 | 210,733 |
| 55–59 | 96,092 | 110,635 | 206,727 |
| 60–64 | 87,691 | 100,472 | 188,163 |
| 65–69 | 55,867 | 64,949 | 120,816 |
| 70–74 | 40,087 | 50,018 | 90,105 |
| 75–79 | 28,413 | 39,123 | 67,536 |
| 80–84 | 23,314 | 26,760 | 50,074 |
| 85+ | 26,109 | 25,887 | 51,996 |
As Taiwan's business, financial, and technology hub, Taipei has been at the center of rapid economic development in the country and has now become one of the global cities in technology and electronics.[59] This development is part of the so-called Taiwan Economic Miracle which has seen dramatic growth in the city following foreign direct investment in the 1960s. Taiwan is now a creditor economy, holding one of the world's largest foreign exchange reserves of over US$403 billion as of December 2012.[60]
Despite the Asian financial crisis, the economy continues to expand at about 5% per year, with virtually full employment and low inflation. The city's GDP stand at US$327 billion in 2014.[61] As of 2013[update], the nominal GDP per capita in Taipei city is 5th highest in East Asia, behind Tokyo, Singapore, Osaka, and Hong Kong, but ahead of Seoul, as well as London and Paris, according to The Economist.[62] GDP per capita based on Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) in Taipei in 2015 was US$44,173, behind that of Singapore (US$90,151 in 2016 from the IMF) and Hong Kong (US$58,322 in 2016 from the IMF; also based on PPP).[63] The Financial Times ranked Taipei highly in economic potential (2nd, behind Tokyo) and business friendliness (4th) in 2015.[64] The city is home to 30 billionaires, the 16th most in the world, ahead of many global cities such as Los Angeles and Sydney.[65] Business Insider also ranks Taipei the 5th most high-tech city globally, the highest in Asia, in 2017.[66] While the IESE Cities in Motion Index 2017 ranks Taipei as the smartest technology city globally.[67]
Taipei's main development fields include the information and communications technology (hardware and software), biotechnology, general merchandizing (wholesale/retail), financial services, and MICE industries. Most of the country's major firms are based there including Acer Computers, Asus, CTBC Bank, Fubon Financial Holding, Tatung Company, D-Link, and others. 5 Global Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in Taipei.[68] The city also attracts many multi-national corporations, international financial institutions, foreign consulates, and business organizations to set up base there. Thus, Taipei has nearly 3,500 registered foreign businesses and attracts over 50% of the total foreign investment in Taiwan.[69] Foreign companies with offices or regional headquarters in Taipei include Google, Microsoft, IBM, Intel, HSBC, Citibank, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, JP Morgan, PwC, and many others. Most financial and foreign firms like to reside in the central business district of Taipei, the Xinyi Special District. With Citi, JP Morgan, DBS Bank, Cathay Life Insurance, Shin Kong Commercial Bank, Hua Nan Bank, and soon Fubon Financial and Nan Shan Life Insurance all establishing skyscrapers in the area. Meanwhile, technology and electronics companies are often co-located in the Neihu Technology Park or the Nankang Software Park. The startup and innovation scene in Taipei is also very vibrant. In 2018 alone, Microsoft announced plans to invest US$34 million to create an artificial intelligence R&D center in Taipei, while Google announced it will hire 300 people and train 5,000 more in artificial intelligence for machines.[70] Taipei is Google's biggest engineering site in Asia.[71] IBM also announced in 2018 that it will develop a cloud research lab and expand its R&D center in Taipei with eyes on artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, and cloud computing. According to the 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Development Index, Taipei's entrepreneurial spirit ranks 6th worldwide and 1st in Asia.