Today, under clear skies, I hiked around Hengshan Village, savoring the serene beauty of a late autumn countryside in northern Taiwan. Passing the giant camphor tree behind the Land God Temple(土地公), I couldn’t help but feel that this is more than just a picturesque village—it is a site of world-class industrial history.
In the 1820s, Taiwan's camphor industry flourished in Hsinchu and Miaoli, becoming a key player in the global supply chain. Camphor, extracted from native camphor trees, was essential for producing celluloid plastics, smokeless gunpowder, and pharmaceuticals. At its peak, Taiwan supplied over 70% of the world’s camphor, driving industrialization and global trade.
Today, the advanced semiconductor industry in Hsinchu and Miaoli forms the backbone of cutting-edge technologies in AI, automation, and IoT. Anchored by the Hsinchu Science Park—Taiwan’s "Silicon Valley"—this region is home to a comprehensive high-tech ecosystem. Companies such as TSMC lead the way in wafer manufacturing, but they are supported by an intricate supply chain of design firms, equipment manufacturers, and material providers. Together, these industries power global technological progress, with next-generation chips under 7nm accounting for the majority of the industry's output in 2024, showcasing the collective innovation driving the digital era.
From the camphor trade that fueled the industrial revolution to semiconductors that drive the digital era, this region has been at the heart of global industrial and technological progress, shaping history and defining the future.
今天天氣晴朗，我在橫山村漫步，感受北台灣暮秋鄉村的靜謐之美。路過土地公廟後的大樟樹時，我不禁想到，這不僅僅是一個美麗的村莊，更是一個承載世界級產業歷史的地方。
1820年代，台灣的樟腦產業在新竹、苗栗地區蓬勃發展，成為全球供應鏈中的重要角色。從本地樟樹中提煉出的樟腦是製造塑膠、無煙火藥及藥品的關鍵材料。在其巔峰時期，台灣供應了全球70%以上的樟腦，推動了工業革命和國際貿易的發展。
如今，新竹與苗栗的先進半導體產業已成為AI、自動化及物聯網等尖端科技的基石。以新竹科學園區為核心，這片區域孕育出完整的高科技生態系，不僅有像台積電這樣的晶圓製造龍頭，還有支撐整個產業鏈的設計公司、設備製造商及材料供應商。2024年，7奈米以下的下一代晶片已成為產業核心，彰顯這片土地集體創新的力量。
從推動工業革命的樟腦產業，到驅動數位時代的半導體，新竹與苗栗一直站在全球產業與科技進步的最前沿，塑造歷史，定義未來。
沒有留言:
張貼留言