The Land God (土地公) is the biggest “landowner” in New Taipei City, with 312 properties worth NT$1.3 billion (US$40.64 million) registered under the deity’s name, the New Taipei City Government said today.
The city government has been in the process of reviewing land titles in the vast municipality, about which Land Administration Department Director-General Wang Li-kuo (汪禮國) gave a report to the city council today.
Its investigation has found many properties registered under the names of deities, especially the Land God, Wang said.
Photo: Lai Hsiao-tung, Taipei Times
A total of 29.6 hectares of land in the municipality are registered under the god’s various names, larger than Daan Forest Park (大安森林公園) in Taipei, he said.
However, the department reminded residents that a god is not a legal entity, and advised the owners to register their properties through the proper channels as soon as possible.
One columbarium in Sanjhih District (三芝) has 65,397 landowners, the highest density of any parcel of land in Taiwan, Wang said.
Foreigners prefer Tamsui District (淡水), with 26 percent of all foreign nationals who own land in New Taipei City choosing the northern region, he said.
Meanwhile, younger people prefer Banciao District (板橋), he said, adding that 11 percent of the city’s property owners under 30 chose the district.
The only property market that remains “immature” is Linkou District (林口), where the average age of buildings is only 16.6 years old, Wang said.
The oldest is Pingsi District (平溪) with buildings 37 years old on average, he added.
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