蘆洲區 Luzhou District, New Taipei City

This sign outside the site of G.L. MacKay's first church says that he and his fellow workers were attacked by locals when they arrived in Luzhou Heshangzhou (now Luzhou) in 1873

Luzhou 蘆洲 (lit. “Reedy Sandbar”) District, New Taipei City

Originally a low lying sandbar (沙洲) in the Danshui River (淡水河)—much of it marshy and with reeds (蘆葦) growing on both banks—from which its was known as 河上洲 (Mdn. Heshangzhou; “Sandbar on the River”).

Around the middle of the 18th century, farmers in the area donated their lands to a monastic community in nearby Guandu (關渡) and then rented them back—thereby reducing or avoiding paying tax to the government—for which it became known as 和尚厝 (Mdn. Heshangcuo; “Monks’House”). The similarity in pronunciation between “on the river” (河上) and “monk” (和尚)—a difference of tones in Mandarin but presumably based on Fujianese pronunciation at that time—led to the area also being called 和尚洲 (Mdn. Heshangzhou; “Monks’ Sandbar”).

This was the name George L. MacKay knew in the 1870s when he established his first church here.

The sandbar was also home to many egrets (鷺鷥; lusi), it was also known as 鷺洲 (Mdn. Luzhou; “Egret Sandbar”), in particular, 鷺洲庄 (Luzhou Village) in Xinzhuang District (新莊郡) of Taipei Province (台北州) under Japanese rule (1895-1945).

Following re-organization under the ROC administration, in 1947 it was divided into Sanchong (Urban) Township (三重鎮; later "City" 市) and Luzhou (Rural) Township (蘆洲鄉; “Reedy Sandbar”; also later "City" 市), with 鷺 (lu; “Egret”) changed to the similar sounding (lu; “Reed”).

In 2010, this became Luzhou District (蘆洲區) of New Taipei City.




Text and photos © Jiyue Publications 2011