Citong

Cìtóng (莿桐) is a small agricultural township in northeastern Yunlin named for the thorny tung trees (莿桐) that once flourished here. The township comprises two main settlements: the administrative center of Citong itself, and the riverside village of Raoping (饒平), also known as Shuzijiao (樹仔腳), where a ferry once crossed the Zhoushui River into Changhua. Garlic cultivation dominates the local economy, earning the township the nickname “hometown of garlic” (蒜頭的故鄉). The Shuzijiao Catholic Church, established in 1890, is among the older Catholic parishes in rural Taiwan.