Toufen City, formerly known as Tianliao Village, is located in northern Miaoli County, Taiwan. It is the most populous administrative district in the county, with a current population of about 107,000. The city is predominantly inhabited by the Hakka ethnic group, who make up roughly 90% of its population. Among them, the Haifeng and Lufeng (Hailu) dialect of Hakka is the main spoken variety. Along with Sanwan and Nanzhuang, Toufen is one of the areas in Miaoli where this dialect remains widely spoken, distinguishing it from most other townships in the county where the Siyi dialect is dominant.
Geographically, Toufen is situated on the foothill border between Hsinchu and Miaoli. It neighbors Baoshan and Emei in Hsinchu County, and borders Zhunan, Sanwan, and Zaoqiao within Miaoli. The terrain consists mainly of plains and hills, lying in the midstream valley of the Zhonggang River. Toufen is closely connected with Zhunan to its west. Benefiting from its proximity to the Zhunan branch of the Hsinchu Science Park, Toufen’s local economy has been invigorated by the technology industry, making it one of the few districts in Miaoli with sustained population growth.
The name “Toufen” traces back to the Qing Dynasty during the Qianlong era, when Han settlers from Fujian and Guangdong leased land from the indigenous Pingpu people to cultivate. The area was originally called “Tianliao Village.” Later, the settlers allocated land through a lottery system, and the one who drew the first lot was given the name “Toufen” (literally “first lot”), which was then adopted as the place name. During the Qing period, Toufen belonged to Zhunan Sub-bao. In the Japanese colonial era, it underwent several administrative adjustments and was elevated to “Toufen Town” in 1939.
After World War II, Toufen Town was established in 1946 and incorporated into Miaoli County in 1950 following administrative reorganization. In 2013, its population surpassed 100,000, becoming the first township in Miaoli to reach this milestone. Following amendments to the Local Government Act, which allowed any township with over 100,000 residents to be upgraded, Toufen was officially reclassified as a county-administered city on October 5, 2015, becoming the second such city in Miaoli after Miaoli City.
