Hengchun 3.07

Hengchun Township is an urban township located on the southern tip of the Hengchun Peninsula of Pingtung County, Taiwan. It is the southernmost township in Taiwan. Hengchun is also the only urban township in the southern part of Pingtung County. Hengchun has a land area of and has a population of 30,859 as of December 2014.The city of Hengchun is the entry way to Kenting National Park, the southernmost National Park in the country. With pristine beaches and a vibrant tourist industry, the Hengchun area often attracts more travelers than local residents. The city itself was once completely surrounded by a city wall; now about half of the wall remains intact, as well as the four city gates. On weekends, the streets of nearby Kenting are filled with cars and tour buses.The 2008 Taiwanese film Cape No. 7, the top-grossing film in Taiwan's film history, features Hengchun.Etymology and namesLonkjouwThe modern-day Hengchun area was known to the Dutch as Lonkjouw, alternatively spelled Longkiau, Loncjou, Lonckjau, Lonckiau, Lonkiauw, Lonckjouw, and Lonckquiouw in early records. The name was borrowed from the Paiwan language of the Paiwan people who lived in the area before the Han Chinese's colonization during 18th century.Origin of the name "Hengchun"After the 1871 Mudan Incident which took place near the southern tip of Taiwan, Qing government official Shen Baozhen made an address to the throne for building a city in Longkiau for foreign sailors to accommodate and protect them from the aboriginals' slaughtering. During the stay, Shen noticed that the climate of the area remained warm and sunny, with crops staying "green and wealthy" year-round, therefore he named it Hengchun before he left in 1875 and the term has been used to refer to the area since then.