◆《Rural villages between Hsin-Ying and Chia-Yi》

Houbi Township is commonly known as owl-bi-liaow. Situated in the northern end of Tainan County, the northern and western sides are bordered by Pachang Creek and Chiayi County. It is connected to Baihe Township in the east, Yenshui Township in the southwest, Dongshan Town in the southeast, and Hsinying City in the south. With regard to natural terrain form, it is elevated in the northeastern part and is tilted toward the west. However, the relative height is not significant, and the land form is rather flat. The territory is mostly Chianan Plain. Geographically, Houbi Township is located at the border between Tainan and Chiayi Metropolitan. Houbi Township is destined to play the role of a rural village due to its location distribution. Therefore, the humanities and landscapes of Houbi Township are apparently plain agricultural town oriented. Fields are seen everywhere especially rice fields. In addition, commercial activities in major villages within the precinct are rather slow. It is especially so as compared to neighboring towns and townships.

◆《Pachang Creek in the northern vicinity》

Pachang Creek passes the northern side of Houbi Town. Pachang Creek originated nearby Feng-Chi Lake, Alishan, and Chiayi County. The main tributaries are Chi-Lan Creek and Tou-Chien Creek. The many tributaries of Pachang Creek looks like a palm, thus, the name Pachang Creek. (Meaning palm creek) It used to be pronounced “Pachiang Creek.” Later, it was officially renamed Pachang Creek.” Historical records show that Pachang Creek has had several river re-channeling. It is the so-called “Snake Creek.” The re-channeling mainly took place in middle-down stream and at sea mouth opening. By the 80s, Water Resource Agency levied on Shi Pu Land partially and began constructing concrete riverbanks along two shores. River channels remained the same ever since. 　

Pachang Creek	Pachang Creek streamway http://gis.swcb.gov.tw/

◆《Plain terrain within the entire precinct》

The terrain form in Tainan County is generally classified into 3 areas: In the Eastern mountainous area, Alishan Mountain Ridge and Blue Ridge Mountain bordered by Zengwun River are found. It is bounded by Chiayi Ridge in the north and Hsin-Hua Ridge in the south. The western plain is Chia-Nan Plain. Houbi Town is located within confines of Chia-Nan Plain. It is a narrow and long plain between Pachang Creek and Jishuei River Jishuei River (Driving Creek) alluvial fan. In terms of topography, the northeastern part of Houbi Town is slightly elevated and is inclined toward the west. The eastern boarder area measures about 30 meters and the 20-meter contour line passes through the median line of Houbi Town. The west of Pachang Creek is elevated 10 meters above ground. In general, the ground gradient of Houbi Town is not steep without apparent elevation. The terrain is relatively flat.