Houlong Township is an

urban township An urban township is a designation of a unit of local government in several countries. United States The term is called ''urban township'' Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio and urban town in Wisconsin. Generally, an urban township is afforded more loca ...

in western

Miaoli County Miaoli County (Mandarin Pinyin: ''miáo lì xiàn''; Hakka PFS: ''Mèu-li̍t-yen''; Hokkien POJ: ''Biâu-le̍k-koān'' or ''Miâu-le̍k-koān'') is a county in western Taiwan. Miaoli is adjacent with Hsinchu County and Hsinchu City to the nort ...

, Taiwan. It is bordered by the Taiwan Strait on the west and Zaoqiao Township on the east. It lies at the mouth of the Houlong River. Miaoli HSR station is located in Houlong.

Name

The township's name originates from that of a Taiwanese Plains Aborigines settlement. During the Kingdom of Tungning, the area was called ''Aulangsia'' (). Other variants of ''Aulang'' existed (e.g., ). In 1920, during Japanese rule, the place was renamed , under , Shinchiku Prefecture. This name closely matched the Japanese pronunciation of the previous names but with different '' kanji'' ( Chinese characters). This written form was retained after the Kuomintang takeover of Taiwan in 1945; the characters are pronounced ''Hòulóng'' in Mandarin Chinese. The Taiwanese Hokkien pronunciation remains ''Āu-lâng'', based on the pre-1920 name.

Geography

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* Area: * Population: 37,228 (January 2017 estimate) It lies at the mouth of the Houlong River.

Administrative divisions

The township comprises 23 villages: Beilong, Dashan, Dazhuang, Dongming, Fengfu, Funing, Fuxing, Haibao, Haipu, Jiaoyi, Longjin, Longkeng, Nangang, Nanlong, Puding, Shuiwei, Waipu, Wanbao, Xinmin, Xiushui, Xizhou, Zhonghe and Zhonglong.

Politics

The township is part of

Miaoli County Constituency I Miaoli County Constituency I () includes townships along the coast of Miaoli. The district was created in 2008, when all local constituencies of the Legislative Yuan were reorganized to become single-member districts. Current district * Zhunan * ...

electoral district An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

for

Legislative Yuan The Legislative Yuan is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) located in Taipei. The Legislative Yuan is composed of 113 members, who are directly elected for 4-year terms by people of the Taiwan Area through a parallel v ...

Education

* Jen-Teh Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management

Tourist attractions

* Ciyun Temple * Chinghai Temple * Guogang Shell Fossils * Hakka Round House * Haowangjiao * Houlong Art House * Maling Temple * Waipu Fishing Port * Xihu Wetland *

Yingtsai Academy The Yingtsai Academy () is a former tutorial academy in Houlong Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan. Architecture The academy was designed with Southern Min architectural style with a cost of NT$91 million. It features a bridge, garden and pond. ...

Transportation

Houlong Township is accessible from

Dashan Station Dashan () is a railway station on the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) West Coast line (Coastal line) located in Houlong Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan. History The station was opened on 11 October 1922. Around the station * Waipu Fish ...

Houlong Station Houlong () is a railway station on the Taiwan Railways Administration West Coast line (Coastal line) located in Houlong Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan. History The station was opened on 11 October 1922. See also * List of railway stations ...

Longgang Station Longgang () is a railway station on the Taiwan Railways Administration West Coast line (Coastal line) located in Houlong Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan. History The station was opened on 11 October 1922. Around the station * Xihu Wetland S ...

and

Fengfu Station Fengfu () is a railway station of Taiwan Railways Administration Taichung line located in Houlong Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan. Transfers to THSR Miaoli Station can be made at this station. History *25 May 1903: The station opened for ser ...

of the Taiwan Railways. Taiwan High Speed Rail has one station in the township, which is

Miaoli Station Miaoli () is a railway station in Miaoli County, Taiwan served by Taiwan Railways. Overview The station has one side platform and one island platform. It also has a tourist information center. Miaoli Station is an important station on the ...

Notable natives

* Liu Cheng-hung, Magistrate of

(2005-2014)

References

External links

* {{Townships in Taiwan Townships in Miaoli County Taiwan placenames originating from Formosan languages