Shilin District 3.94

Shilin District is a district of Taipei and home to a large foreign population, mainly concentrated in the Tianmu area. It has long been a top choice for expatriates from Europe, the United States, and Japan to live, run businesses, and establish embassies and offices due mainly to the natural environment—sitting at the foot of Yangmingshan—and because the international schools are all located here. The central command of the Republic of China Navy is located in Shilin.HistoryThe name Shilin was derived from Pattsiran, the Ketagalan word for "hot springs". It was then transliterated into Chinese as "八芝蘭", which has been written as Pat-chi-na or Pachina.Prior to Han settlement, the area was home to the Kimassauw community (麻少翁社) of the Taiwanese Plains Aborigines. During the Qing era, a fort was set up, later called 芝蘭一堡. By the late Qing dynasty, "many literary talents from Shilin had passed the imperial examination", prompting the local gentry to rename it Shilin (士林), meaning "congregation of scholars and talents".