Shetou Township

Changhua County's Shetou Township has 'three abundant' things, referring to 'abundant socks, abundant guavas, and abundant chairmen.' This rhyme reflects Shetou Township's past history of family-run factories dominated by textiles and its specialty in producing guavas. 'Abundant chairmen' is a description from earlier times when every household had a family factory, and many family members might have operated their own small businesses, hence the saying 'abundant chairmen.' Shetou is a major hub for Taiwan's sock industry, known as the 'Hometown of Socks.' A past saying claimed, 'Seven out of every ten pairs of socks in Taiwan come from Shetou.' Shetou Township is located on the Bagua Plateau, where the climate is suitable for guava growth, making it a 'treasure land for guavas' that produces high-quality guavas. In the era when 'home was a factory,' many families owned their own sock factories, leading to many operators being playfully referred to as 'chairmen.'

Changhua Shetou's characteristics are its 'three abundant' fame: 'abundant guavas, abundant socks, and abundant chairmen.' It is not only a well-known guava producing area in Taiwan, known as the 'Guava Kingdom,' but also the 'Hometown of Socks' in Taiwan, and the largest sock production base nationwide. Shetou is a famous guava producing area, renowned for its crystal and pearl guavas. Every season (around December), the Shetou Sock and Guava Festival is held. After World War II, Shetou became a sock-making hub, with over 70% of Taiwan's socks originating from Shetou. In earlier years, due to the policy of 'home is a factory,' many families became small sock factories, hence the saying 'everyone is a chairman.'

The predecessor of Changhua County was the southern part of Zhulou County during the Qing Dynasty. In the first year of Yongzheng (1723), a county was established in the 'Banxian' area, making Banxian the ancient name of Changhua County. The early name of Changhua County, 'Banxian,' originated from the transliteration of the name of the local Pingpu indigenous Babusa tribe's village, meaning 'Banxian Village.' In the first year of Yongzheng (1723), the Qing Dynasty established Changhua County in the Banxian area and set up the Changhua County government there, thus 'Banxian' also became the ancient name of Changhua County. The Qing Dynasty changed 'Banxian' to 'Changhua,' signifying 'illustrating the imperial dynasty's teachings,' and from then on, the name 'Changhua' was officially established.

Shetou Township's administrative districts include Shetou Village, Guangxing Village, Zhangcuo Village, and Renya Village. The village chief of Shetou Village is Zhang Yu-hao, the village chief of Guangxing Village is Liu Shu-ling, the village chief of Zhangcuo Village is Xiao Cheng-jin, and the village chief of Renya Village is Chen Li-fang.

In addition to being famous for its 'three abundant' characteristics, Changhua's Shetou Township also boasts historical sites and recreational attractions such as Cingshuiyan Temple, the Fukui Railway Museum, and the Evergreen Bicycle Path, offering a rich travel experience.