Introduction

    Known as Tek-chhàm in the old days, Hsinchu now celebrates three hundred years since the Qing court established the Tanshi Ting in the city in the first year of the Yongzheng reign (1723). It also celebrates two hundred years since Hsinchu native Zheng Yongxi became the first Taiwanese candidate for succeeding the imperial examination in the year of Kueiwei, which was the third year of the Daoguang reign (1823).

    After Taiwan’s recovery from Japanese occupation, National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) re-established in Hsinchu in 1956 to carry on the cultural development initiated by Zheng Yongxi and the academic milieu of Tsinghua University in Peiking (now Beijing). For over sixty years, NTHU has collaborated and prospered with communities in Hsinchu, mutually contributing to each other’s progress. Hsinchu has become a center of culture and technology, renowned for prestigious academic institutions and innovative technology companies due to the collective efforts of indigenous peoples, immigrants from various provinces in China, and new immigrants in contemporary Taiwan.

   This year marks the 300th anniversary of Hsinchu’s establishment and the 200th anniversary of Zheng Yongxi’s success as the first Taiwanese candidate of the imperial examination. The National Tsing Hua University Heritage Museum is pleased to present this special exhibition, “Story of Tek-chhàm—Three Hundred Years Governance, Two Hundred Years Cultivation,” in commemoration of the milestone achieved by this magnificent city.