Since the store had no formal name, travelers called it Sintiam (Chinese: 新店; pinyin: Xīndiàn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Sin-tiàm; lit.

It was originally called Amkhe'ar (暗坑仔; Ànkēngzǎi; Àm-kheⁿ-á; 'dark/secret gorge'), due to luxurious vegetation in the area.

[citation needed] Although in 1980, it was still underdeveloped, the four-lane Zhongxing Road helped to develop the city, While areas south of Xiaobitan were still farmland.

In 2004 when the Tzu Chi Hospital branch opened, replacing a water park, a new road was constructed to deal with traffic.

Originally established as urban township of Taipei County, Xindian was upgraded to a county-administered city on 15 January 1980.

Most of the population in the Ankeng region is mainly concentrated in the southeastern hillside residential communities.