| Official Name: | Shizi Township 獅子鄉 |
| Subdivision Type: | Location |
| Area Total Km2: | 301 |
| Population As Of: | February 2024 |
| Population Total: | 4768 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Shizi Township | |
| Hp: | Shīzǐ Xiāng |
| Tp: | Shihzǐh Siang |
| W: | Shih1-tzu3 Hsiang1 |
| Poj: | Sai-á-hiong |
| Phfs: | Sṳ̂-é-hiông |
| Collapse: | no |
Shizi Township[1] is a mountain indigenous township in Pingtung County, Taiwan. It is the largest township of the county. The main population is the Paiwan people of the Taiwanese aborigines.
The original Paiwan name for the area was Tjakuvukuvulj (Tjakuvukuvuɬ; historically rendered as Chaobo Obol or in). Han Chinese settlers noted a rock outcropping in the shape of a lion's head and called the village Sai-a-thau-sia .
Under Kuomintang rule, the name was changed to the current Shizi, though in Taiwanese Hokkien the name Sai-a-thau is still normally used in spoken contexts.[2]
The terrain of Shizi is mountainous, as the district is located near Taiwan's Central Mountain Range.
The township comprises eight villages:
Agriculture produced in the township includes mangoes, bird's-nest ferns and watermelons.
Places of interest in or around Shizi are Shuangliu Forest Recreation Area, the Cultural Objects Museum, Lilongshan and Neiwen Village.
Shizi is connected via railway through the TRA South-Link Line. A key station is Fangshan Station. Two highways run through the township: Provincial Highway No.1 and Provincial Highway No.9 (South-Link Highway).