County-controlled city

A county-controlled city (縣轄市) is one of the 32 cities in Taiwan Province of the Republic of China administered under one of the 16 counties of the Republic of China. On the same level as a ROC township, it is the lowest-level city of ROC, below provincial and direct-control municipality. In contrast, the counties under the People's Republic of China cannot administer cities (but since it has prefecture-level city absent in ROC, it still has 3 kinds of cities as well). A county-controlled city has urban villages (里) directly under it.

The two criteria of a county-controlled city originally are:

population between 150,000 and 500,000
advanced industry and transportation network

The population criteria was originally 50,000 in the 1940s, but was raised to 10,000 in 1959, and again in 1977 to the present level.

At first, in late January 1946, there were only two county-controlled cities: Hualien and Yilan, which were prefecture-controlled cities (州轄市) under the Japanese Occupation. (The Kuomintang did not create such cities on the Mainland before they fled.) Taipei County has the most county-controlled cities (10). For all places ever obtained the county-controlled status, see the chart below:

Timeline

Below, unless noted otherwise in parenthesis, the newly created cities were towns that exceeded the 150,000 criteria.

Date Addition #
August 16, 1950 Chiayi (originally provincial city) 3
December 1, 1951 Hsinchu, Changhua, and Pintung (originally provincial cities) 6
April 1, 1962 Sanchong, Taipei 7
July 1, 1962 Chongli, Taoyuan 8
January 25, 1971 Taoyuan, Taoyuan 9
July 1, 1972 Banchiao and Fengshan, Taipei 11
January 1, 1976 Taitung, Taitung 12
March 1, 1976 Fengyuan, Taichung 13
January 1, 1979 Yonghe and Jhonghe, Taipei 15
January 15, 1980 Sinjhuang and Sindian, Taipei 17
December 25, 1981 All county seats (originally jhen-township) upgraded to county-controlled cities, namely,
Miaoli, Miaoli
Nantou, Nantou
Douliou, Yunlin
Sinying, Tainan
Makung, Penghu

22
July 1, 1982 remove Hsinchu and Chiayi (to be provincial cities) 20
October 31, 1988 Jhubei, Hsinchu (county seat) 21
July 1, 1991 Taibao, Chiayi (county seat) 22
March 1, 1992 Pingjheng, Taoyuan 23
September 10, 1992 Puzi, Chiayi (originally siang-township, county seat) 24
May 1, 1993 Yongkang, Tainan (originally siang-township) 25
June 26, 1993 Tucheng, Taipei 26
November 1, 1993 Dali, Taichung 27
January 1, 1995 Bade, Taoyuan 28
August 1, 1996 Pingyuan, Taichung 29
October 6, 1997 Lujhou, Taipei 30
July 1, 1999 Sijhih, Taipei 31
October 4, 1999 Shulin, Taipei 32

Date	Addition	#
August 16, 1950	Chiayi (originally provincial city)	3
December 1, 1951	Hsinchu, Changhua, and Pintung (originally provincial cities)	6
April 1, 1962	Sanchong, Taipei	7
July 1, 1962	Chongli, Taoyuan	8
January 25, 1971	Taoyuan, Taoyuan	9
July 1, 1972	Banchiao and Fengshan, Taipei	11
January 1, 1976	Taitung, Taitung	12
March 1, 1976	Fengyuan, Taichung	13
January 1, 1979	Yonghe and Jhonghe, Taipei	15
January 15, 1980	Sinjhuang and Sindian, Taipei	17
December 25, 1981	All county seats (originally jhen-township) upgraded to county-controlled cities, namely, Miaoli, Miaoli Nantou, Nantou Douliou, Yunlin Sinying, Tainan Makung, Penghu	22
July 1, 1982	remove Hsinchu and Chiayi (to be provincial cities)	20
October 31, 1988	Jhubei, Hsinchu (county seat)	21
July 1, 1991	Taibao, Chiayi (county seat)	22
March 1, 1992	Pingjheng, Taoyuan	23
September 10, 1992	Puzi, Chiayi (originally siang-township, county seat)	24
May 1, 1993	Yongkang, Tainan (originally siang-township)	25
June 26, 1993	Tucheng, Taipei	26
November 1, 1993	Dali, Taichung	27
January 1, 1995	Bade, Taoyuan	28
August 1, 1996	Pingyuan, Taichung	29
October 6, 1997	Lujhou, Taipei	30
July 1, 1999	Sijhih, Taipei	31
October 4, 1999	Shulin, Taipei	32

Lienchiang and Kinmen Counties do not have any cities.