Early history Archeological records show that New Taipei City had been inhabited since the
Neolithic period, with artifacts dug in
Bali District having shown remains as early as 7000 to 4700 BC. The region around New Taipei City area was once inhabited by
Ketagalan plains aborigines, and evidence shows that the
Atayal had inhabited
Wulai District. The earliest recorded migration by people from
mainland China dated back as early as 1620, when the local tribes were driven into the mountain areas. Over the years, many of the aborigines have
assimilated into the general population.
Qing dynasty During the
Qing Dynasty rule of Taiwan, the
Han Chinese people began to settle in the area now designated as New Taipei City in 1694 and the number of immigrants from mainland China had further increased. After decades of development and prosperity,
Tamsui had become an international commercial port by 1850.
British consulate and stores were established in the region, which helped promote the local tea business, resulting in massive tea leaf exports to
Europe. In 1875,
Shen Baozhen called for the establishment of
Taipeh Prefecture.
Fujian-Taiwan-Province was declared in 1887 and the present-day New Taipei City area fell under the jurisdiction of Taipeh Prefecture.
Japanese rule In 1895, Taiwan was ceded by the
Qing dynasty to the
Empire of Japan. During
Japanese rule, the New Taipei City area was administered under
Taihoku Prefecture together with modern-day
Taipei,
Keelung and
Yilan County. Gold and other mineral deposits were discovered at Keelung Mountain, triggering a mining boom in the region. In October 1896, Japanese government divided the mining area around Keelung Mountain into two districts: an eastern district, designated as
Kinkaseki, and a western district, designated as
Kyūfun. Both districts are now parts of
Ruifang District. They also issued regulations barring local Taiwanese mining companies from mining in the area, giving the mining rights to Japanese companies instead.
Republic of China After the
handover of Taiwan from Japan to the
Republic of China in October 1945, from 25 December of the same year, the present New Taipei City area was administered as
Taipei County with
Banqiao City as the
county seat. In July 1949, the size of Taipei County was reduced when
Beitou and
Shilin townships were put under the jurisdiction of the newly created
Caoshan Administrative Bureau, which would later be renamed the Yangmingshan Administrative Bureau. The southeastern part of Taipei County, became
Yilan County on 10 October 1950, while Taipei City was detached from Taipei County from a provincial city to a special municipality on 1 July 1967. On 1 July 1968, the size of Taipei County was further reduced by when
Jingmei,
Muzha,
Nangang and
Neihu townships, along with
Beitou and
Shilin, were merged into
Taipei City. The county afterward had ten
county-administered cities (
Banqiao,
Luzhou,
Sanchong,
Shulin,
Tucheng,
Xizhi,
Xindian,
Yonghe,
Zhonghe); four
urban townships (
Ruifang,
Sanxia,
Tamsui,
Yingge); and fifteen
rural townships (
Bali,
Gongliao,
Jinshan,
Linkou,
Pinglin,
Pingxi,
Sanzhi,
Shenkeng,
Shiding,
Shimen,
Shuangxi,
Taishan,
Wanli,
Wugu,
Wulai). It was further divided into 1,017
villages and 21,683 neighborhoods. In August 1992, due to the adjustment of the demarcation line between Taipei City and Taipei County around Neigou and Daking Creeks, the area of Taipei County was decreased by . On 25 December 2010, Taipei County was upgraded to a
special municipality as
New Taipei City consisting of 29
districts with the modern
Banqiao District as the municipal seat. ==Geography==