Hualien City (; Wade-Giles: Hua¹-lien² Shih⁴;

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...

POJ: ''Hoa-lian-chhī'' or ''Hoa-liân-chhī'') is a

county-administered city A county-administered city is a unit of administrative division in Taiwan. Under the administrative structure of Taiwan, it is at the same level as a township or a district. Such cities are under the jurisdiction of counties. It is also the lowes ...

and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Hualien County Hualien County (Mandarin Wade–Giles: Hua¹-lien² Hsien⁴; Pīnyīn: ''Huālián Xiàn''; Hokkien POJ: ''Hoa-lian-koān'' or ''Hoa-liân-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Fâ-lièn-yen''; Amis: ''Kalingko'') is a county on the east coast of Taiwan. It ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. It is located on the east coast of Taiwan on the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

, and has a population of 106,368 inhabitants.

Name

Hualien County annals () record that the city was called "Kilai" () until the early twentieth century. This name refers to the Sakiraya

Taiwanese aborigines Taiwanese may refer to: * Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien * Something from or related to Taiwan ( Formosa) * Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan * Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan * Taiwanese people, ...

and their settlement. After Taiwan came under Japanese rule in 1895 its governors sought to change the name because "Kilai" is pronounced the same as the Japanese word for . The name was eventually changed to . After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the incoming

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

-led

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

retained the

Kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...

spelling but shortened the name to just , or ''Hualien'' via

Chinese romanization Romanization of Chinese () is the use of the Latin alphabet to transliterate Chinese. Chinese uses a logographic script and its characters do not represent phonemes directly. There have been many systems using Roman characters to represent Chin ...

History

The

Spaniard Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex history, including a number of different languages, both ind ...

s built mines for

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

in Hualien in 1622. Permanent settlements began in 1851, when 2,200

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive va ...

farmers led by Huang A-fong (黃阿鳳) from

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

arrived at Fengchuan (now the area near Hualien Rear Station). In 1875, more farmers, led by Lin Cang-an (林蒼安) from

Yilan Yilan may refer to: China * Yilan County, Heilongjiang (依兰县), county of central Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China * Yilan Town, Heilongjiang (依兰镇), seat of Yilan County * Yilan, Jilin (依兰镇), town in Yanji Taiwan ...

, settled at Fengchuan. Settlements in the area remained small by the start of Japanese rule. The city was expanded circa 1912 by its Japanese governors to incorporate ''Guohua'' () and ''Guoan'' () Villages, a region later known as . In 1920, was established, and around 1923 it was extended to , today known as "New Port" (), including the Guowei and Guoji Villages. In 1940, the town was upgraded to Karenkō City,

Karenkō Prefecture was one of the administrative divisions of Taiwan during the Japanese rule. The prefecture consisted of modern-day Hualien County. Population Administrative divisions Cities and Districts In 1945 ( Shōwa 20), there were 1 city and 3 dist ...

. On 25 October 1945, Taiwan was handed over from Japan to the

under

government. In January 1946, the incoming

designated Hualien City a

and to be the

Climate

Hualien experiences a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...

(Am) with frequent cyclones, as it borders the

. It closely borders on a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

. The city experiences significant rainfall year-round and the temperature there averages . Precipitation in the city averages . January is the city's driest month, while September tends to be the wettest.

Subdivisions

The 45 villages () of the city are divided into six village unions (): (in

Hanyu Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

) # The first union: Minyun (), Minle (), Minxiang (), Minyi (), Minxin (), Minli (), Minde (), Minzheng (), Minqin (), Minxiao () # The second union: Minsheng (), Minquan (), Minzu (), Minyou (), Minzhu (), Minzhi () # The third union: Zhuji (), Zhuyi (), Zhuxin (), Zhuqin (), Zhushang (), Zhugong () # The fourth union: Zhuxue (), Zhuquan (), Zhunong (), Zhuhe (), Zhuli (), Zhu'an (), Zhumu () # The fifth union: Guofeng (), Guofang (), Guozhi (), Guoguang (), Guohun (), Guo'an (), Guowei (), Guohua (), Guolian (), Guosheng () # The sixth union: Guofu (), Guoyu (), Guoqing (), Guoqiang (), Guofu (), Guoxing () The newest villages from 2002 are Guosheng, Guoxing, Minxiao, and Minzhu.

Government institutions

* Hualien County Government *

Hualien County Council The Hualien County Council (HLCC; ) is the elected county council of Hualien County Hualien County ( Mandarin Wade–Giles: Hua¹-lien² Hsien⁴; Pīnyīn: ''Huālián Xiàn''; Hokkien POJ: ''Hoa-lian-koān'' or ''Hoa-liân-koān''; Hakk ...

Demographics

Hualien City has 9,000 aboriginal people, making it the city with the largest aboriginal population in Taiwan. The majority of the aborigines that reside in Hualien include the Amis, Atayal, Truku and Bunun. Hualien City is also the most densely populated area in Hualien county.

Education

There are 3 universities, 12 senior high schools, 4 junior high schools, 16 elementary schools.

Universities

National Dong Hwa University National Dong Hwa University (NDHU; ; shortened as "") is a national research university located in Hualien, Taiwan. Established in 1994, NDHU is widely considered as the most potential research university and the most prestigious university ...

, Meilun campus *

Tzu Chi University Tzu Chi University (TCU; ) is a private university in Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. It was founded by the Tzu Chi Foundation (NGO) and is famous in Taiwan for the quality of the medical education it provides. TCU has strong ties with H ...

Tzu Chi University of Science and Technology Tzu Chi University of Science and Technology (TCUST; ) is a private university in Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. History Tzu Chi University of Science and Technology was established by Tzu Chi Buddhist Compassion Relief Foundation in ...

High schools

* National Hualien Senior High School * Tzu Chi High School

Industries

Hualien City is the center of politics, economy and transportation of Hualien County.

Medical care

Hualien Tzu Chi Medical Center
(First Medical Center in Eastern Taiwan)

Hualien Hospital, Department of Health, Execusive Yuan
Taiwan 2009 HuaLien City JingSi Hall FRD 8410

Taiwan 2009 HuaLien City JingSi Hall FRD 8410

Tourist attractions

Hualien is most famous as the jumping off point for Taroko Gorge National Park. Taroko Gorge is billed as the largest marble canyon in the world. Tours from Hualien City are available in large bus tours or smaller group or private tours. Taroko Gorge features suspension bridges, trails, rivers, waterfalls and more. *

Dongdamen Night Market The Dongdamen Night Market or Dongdaemun Night Market () is a Night markets in Taiwan, night market in Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. It is the largest night market in the county. Name ''Dongdamen'' means ''big east gate'' in English du ...

* Hualien Al-Falah Mosque * Hualien Baseball Stadium *

Hualien County Stone Sculptural Museum The Hualien County Stone Sculptural Museum () is a museum of stone sculpture in Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. History The museum was opened in 2001 as the first stone sculpture museum in Taiwan. Architecture The museum is a two-story b ...

Hualien Cultural and Creative Industries Park The Hualien Cultural and Creative Industries Park () is a multi-purpose park in Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. History The buildings in the area used to be constructed during the Japanese rule of Taiwan The island of Taiwan, toge ...

* Hualien Martyrs' Shrine * Hualien Railway Culture Park * Pine Garden
North Beach Park (Beibin Park)
* South Beach Park and Night Market (Nanbin Park)
Meilun Mountain Park

Hualien Fish Market

Old Railroad Cultural Shopping Street
* Rock Street *

Whale Watching Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins ( cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity (cf. birdwatching), but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes.Hoyt, E. 2 ...

Jing Si Hall (Meditation Hall)
of the

Tzu Chi Buddhist Tzu Chi Charity Foundation, known for short as the Tzu Chi Foundation ( zh, t=佛教慈濟慈善事業基金會, p=Fójiào Cí Jì Císhàn Shìyè Jījīn Huì, l=Buddhist Compassionate Relief Charity Foundation), is a Taiwanese in ...

Foundation *Gong Tian Temple

Transportation

Air

Hualien City is served by

Hualien Airport Hualien Airport (; ami, Pahikukiyan nu Kalinku; Seediq: ) is a commercial airport located in an civilian area of Chiashan Air Force Base in Xincheng, Hualien County, Taiwan. With flights to Taipei, Kaohsiung and Taichung, it served 235,386 p ...

located at the neighboring Xincheng Township of

. The airport is about 10 minutes drive to the city.

Rail

* Hualien Station, TRA

North-Link Line The North-Link Line () is the central section of the Eastern Line of the Taiwan Railways Administration. The length of its mainline is 79.2 km, and there is a 7.4 km long branch between Beipu and Hualien Port. History The high mountai ...

and Hualien–Taitung Line

Sea

The

Port of Hualien The Port of Hualien () is an international port on the Pacific Ocean in Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. Its artificial harbor protected by breakwaters was built in 1930–1939. There are 25 wharves in Hualien Port. The annual container volu ...

is an international port in the city with liners sailing to Japan,

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

South East Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

Road

* Provincial Highway No. 9 * Provincial Highway No. 11 * County Road No.193

Notable natives

* Hsieh Chia-hsien, baseball player * Huang Teng-hui, artist and entrepreneur *

Lin Man-ting Lin Man-ting (; born 10 July 1990 in Hualien City, Taiwan), or Claire, is a Taiwanese female footballer and futsal player with Amis descent. She last played for ASPTT Albi. She was the first ever Taiwanese women player to play for a European cl ...

, football and futsal player * Yeh Kuang-shih, Deputy Mayor of

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...

(2018–2020) *

Yang Mu Yang Mu ( zh, t=楊牧, p=Yáng Mù, September 6, 1940 – March 13, 2020) was a pen name of Wang Ching-hsien(), a Taiwanese poet, essayist, critic, translator, and Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature at the University of Washington, Sea ...

, poet, writer

Gallery

Image:HuaLien-Temple.jpg, Martyrs' shrine in Hualien Image:TRA Formosa Express on Mugua River Bridge 20091121.jpg, Formosa Express tourist train Image:Taiwan 2009 HuaLien City Residential Community FRD 6061.jpg, Residential community Image:Taiwan 2009 HuaLien City YuanYeh Resort Overlooking CiSingTan Bay FRD 8295.jpg, Yuan Yeh Resort Image:Taiwan 2009 HuaLien City Roadside Cemetery FRD 8181.jpg, Roadside cemetery

Twin towns – sister cities

Hualien City is twinned with: *

Ulsan Ulsan (), officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City is South Korea's seventh-largest metropolitan city and the eighth-largest city overall, with a population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring ...

, South Korea (1982) *

Yonaguni , one of the Yaeyama Islands, is the westernmost inhabited island of Japan, lying from the east coast of Taiwan, between the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean proper. The island is administered as the Towns of Japan, town of Yonaguni, Okina ...

, Japan (1982) *

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, United States (1983) *

Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. It may refer to: Placenames Australia * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Glebe, an historic house in Sydney, New South Wales Canada ...

, United States (1984) *

Oudtshoorn Oudtshoorn (, ), the "ostrich capital of the world", is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, located between the Swartberg mountains to the north and the Outeniqua Mountains to the south. Two ostrich-feather booms, during 1865– ...

, South Africa (1985)

Friendly cities

Hualien City has friendly relations with: *

Takachiho is a town in Nishiusuki District, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. As of October 1, 2019, the town has an estimated population of 11,959 and a density of 50.3 persons per km². The total area is 237.54 km². Geography Takachiho is in the north ...

, Japan (2005) *

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...

, Northern Mariana Islands, United States (2007)

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Populated places in Hualien County