Shuilin
A rural township in Yunlin County, Taiwan
Shuilin Township (Chinese: 水林鄉; pinyin: Shuǐlín Xiāng, Wade–Giles: Shueilin) is a rural township in Yunlin County, Taiwan.
Shuilin Township was originally known as 'Shuicanlin'. The earliest documented references to this name are both verifiable and historically significant. According to accounts, imperial ministers from the late Ming dynasty arrived in Taiwan from the east, where Gaoshan people had already settled, engaging in agriculture across the region. During the 22nd year reign of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing dynasty (1683), additional immigrants from Zhangzhou and Quanzhou in Fujian arrived, cultivating land and forming a settlement.
History
Shuilin Township was originally affiliated with Zhuluo County (now Chiayi County) in the first year reign of Emperor Yongzheng. In the 14th year reign of Emperor Guangxu, Yunlin County was established, and the township was placed under its jurisdiction. Following the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki in the 32nd year of Guangxu's reign, Taiwan was ceded to Japan, and Shuilin remained under Japanese rule for 50 years. During this period, administrative reforms replaced counties with bureaus, placing Shuilin Township initially under Douliu City Hall and later under Chiayi City Hall.
In the 9th year of the Republic of China, local autonomy was introduced, and the township was reorganised into Beigang County within Tainan Prefecture.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Shuilin” as a rural township in Yunlin County, Taiwan. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as a rural township in Yunlin County, Taiwan. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q712929. Authority coordinates are 23.566, 120.234. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1683.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Shuilin”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Shuilin primary sources, Shuilin archive and Shuilin research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Shuilin”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Shuilin” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.