Lugang (traditional Chinese: 鹿港; pinyin: Lùgǎng; Wade-Giles: Lu-kang; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lo̍k-káng; literally "Deer Harbour") is an urban township in northwestern Changhua County, Taiwan (latitude 24°03'N, longitude 120°26'E). The township is on the west coast of Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait. The township's name came from the port's trade of deerskins during the Dutch colonial period. Its old Taiwanese name was Lo̍k-á-káng. Lugang was an important sea port in the 18th century and 19th century. It was the most populous city in central Taiwan until the early 20th century.
During the Qing Dynasty, the depth of Lugang's harbour and its proximity to Fujian province on mainland China made Lugang an important trading port. During Lugang's heyday from 1785 to 1845, Lugang's population reached 200,000. Lugang was Taiwan's second largest city after current Tainan and was larger than Bangka (now a district of Taipei), then the island's third-largest city.
The subsequent silting of the harbour and the city's refusal to allow railroads to pass through the city led to losses in trade in commerce, which, in turn led to Lugang's decline. This same decline, however, averted the modernization processes that demolished historical buildings in Tainan and Taipei, leaving Lugang preserved as it was in its heyday.
There are still many old temples in Lugang, such as Longshan Temple and Matzu Temple.
The Yuzhenzhai (玉珍齋) cakes are famous local specialties, as well as Lugang's Ox Tongue Cakes (牛舌餅) and oyster pancakes.
The town is also the origin of the terms e-káng and teng-káng used respectively to refer to southern Taiwan and northern Taiwan; the literal meanings of the terms are below the harbor and above the harbor.
- Area: 39.46 km²
- Population: 85,254 people (Sep. 2007)
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