Regarding geographical characteristics, in Dasi, there are many plateaus and hillocks, with scanty plains. The major rivers are Dahan, Wuduku, and Zaoling Stream. The major mountains are Jinmien Mountain (667 above sea level), Baxi Mountain (573 above sea level), Xizhou Mountain (57 above sea level), Zaoling Mountain (348 above sea level), Weiliao Mountain (222 above sea level), and Wuduku Mountain (238 above sea level). Running across Dasi, Dahan Stream separating the area into two, the east and west. As Dahan Stream runs down from the Ximen Reservoir, the erosion surface decreases, leading the river to sink abruptly; meanwhile, the sediments, making many layers of parallel ladder shaped tablelands, layer the original riverbed. Among the tablelands, people call the bigger and more obvious ones "ping", for example, A-mu Ping, Dasi Ping, Dawan Ping, etc. The best views of watching Dasi's landforms are the Ziding or Yuanxulin at the opposite side. Watching Dasi from these two places, you can see the area consists of three layers of river tableau clearly. People call the highest one "sanzheng", the mountainous area; meanwhile, the lowest one "Yuemei" is the swamp area. The one located in the middle is the best zone, without the zigzag blockage of the traffic and flooding problem of the lower area. Because the place is suitable for development and living, this area is naturally developed at an earlier time, making it the most prosperous city center in Dasi. With the Central Mountain in the east as a natural barrier, instead of the strong northwest wind in the winter, the weather is mild, with four clear-cut seasons and an average temperature of 22°C.   In the past, people called Dasi "Dakuxien", a translation from "Takoham" from the language of the Xiaoli Sect of Ketagalan people. It was also "Taxui" of the Atayal people. In the past, people called the place different names respectively, such as "Dakukan", "Dakekan", "Daikekan", etc. After the Sino-Japanese War, Taiwan was ceded to Japan. The Japanese renamed the place "Dasi", which has been called likewise since then.   Dasi was originally the place where the people of the Xiaoli Sect of Pingpu and Atayal lived. Since the Han immigrants explored the land in the Qing Dynasty it began to develop. Owing to the amendment of the Treaty of Tientsien, Kaoshiung and Tamsui were added as trade ports. Technically, Dasi became the river port at the upper stream of Tamsui River, the internal and one of the international trading ports of Taiwan. Back then, goods from theTao-ju-miao area, such as farm produce, daily necessities, tealeaves, camphor oil, etc, were exported through the place, making the period from 1892 to 1897 the boom years of the place. During that period, junks frequented the harbor, with shops and merchants gathering together along the streets.There were some three to four hundred shops on Hoping, Zhongshan, and Zhongjian Road! Now you can still see the remains of history in the old streets on Hoping and Zhongshan Road etc, as well as witness its glorious past.     The history of Dasi executive district can be traced back to 1662 (the 16th Year of Jungli's Regime, Ming Dynasty), when Zheng-Gung Zhen carried out the Jun and Xien (county and province) system. He drew Daxi within the administrative district of Tienxing Xien, Zhengzi Fu. After 1664, during the Qing Dynasty, the administrative district belonged to other zone. After Taiwan was ceded to Japan in 1895, the Japanese government kept reassigning Dasi's administrative district. After the retrogression of Taiwan, the National Government put Dasi into Taoyuan County; it belonged to that administrative district since then. By the end of June 2002, there were 83,674 families in Dasi, with a total of 43,975 males and 39,699 females. The population density was 795.98 per KM2.   Surrounded by mountains and facing rivers, Dasi is rich in mountainous resources. Further, the swift flow of Dahan Stream brings smooth traffic to the place, making it the center of Taoyuan in the past, Taoyuan. Limited by its tableland landscape, it was unable to employ water to irrigate its arid fields; therefore, people could only grow sweet potatoes, tealeaves, etc. In the middle of Kuanxu's Regime, Qing Dynasty, the Governor was eager to appease the aborigines and explore the camphor plantation. Encouraging the people to invest and manage related business, in 1886, he established the Appeasement and Development Bureau to govern the land. With the development of the mountainous areas, the population soared, bringing prosperity to Taoyuan. During the Japanese occupation, with the forwarding of the patrol line, the building of light railway, the development in mining and lumbering, it brought an apex to Dasi's economic growth. The building of Dachuan, Taoyuan and the northwest line, and clearway and the moving of Lin Ben-Yuan Store to Panchiao, brought much influence to Dasi. In recent years, it restored its fame as an old town, endeavoring to develop the old street and tourism, releasing its life force one more!