臺北市政府文化局

When it comes to canals in the Greater Taipei area, many people first think of Liugong Canal. However, the oldest water channel in Taipei history is actually the Wulixue Canal.

The Wulixue Canal takes its name from “Wulixue River”, the old name of Jingmei River. The Xiulang and Wulixue tribes, Pingpu indigenous peoples who lived in the area, used the term “wulixue” to mean “beautiful”. Thus, Wulixue River translates to “beautiful river”.

After Han Chinese settlers began cultivating Taipei, in 1724 tenant farmers from the western side of the Taipei Basin wanted to divert water from Wulixue River to irrigate their fields. However, owing to a lack of funds during construction, ten members of the Zhou extended family pooled resources to cover the shortfall and enable the project to be completed. Thus, the resulting canal was also called the Zhou Qigu Canal (“seven Zhou shares canal”). Since the stream irrigated the fields of Neihu Village in Wenshan Fort, it was also known as Neihu Pi.

In 1940, with Taipei’s changing industrial landscape, many farmlands were converted into construction sites and irrigation canals were gradually filled in and turned into roads, with only a few preserved. After the Wulixue Canal passed through Gongguan and reached the vicinity of Wenzhou Street, it split into nine branches at Jiubiantou. Of these, three were major branches, with the current second Wulixue branch located on Lane 45, off Wenzhou Street.

Only a short length of the open-air section of the canal remains, marked by a sign that reads “Exploring the Wulixue Canal”. Following the canal path leads to a small bridge to the adjacent Lane 49, off Wenzhou Street. The greenery next to the old canal was originally a military wasteland, but local leadership efforts have turned it into a community garden for local residents. The lively waterway and nearby cultivated land evoke scenes from when the canal was in active use during the Qing Dynasty. Visitors can come to this historical site to learn about Taipei’s historical development.