Taitung County (; Mandarin

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 fo ...

: ''Táidōng Xiàn'';

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 ...

POJ: ''Tâi-tang-koān'';

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...

PFS: ''Thòi-tûng-yen''; Paiwan: ''Valangaw'';lit:Eastern part of Taiwan) is the third largest

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

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 no ...

, located primarily on the island's southeastern coast and also including Green Island, Orchid Island and Lesser Orchid Island.

Name

While its name means "Eastern Taiwan", it is also known as "Houshan" () by many of the locals, meaning behind the mountains or the back mountains.

History

Qing Dynasty

In 1887, the new

Fujian-Taiwan Province Taiwan Province (; PFS: ''Thòi-vàn-sén'' or ''Thòi-vân-sén'') is a nominal administrative division of the Republic of China (ROC). Its definition has remained part of the Constitution of the Republic of China, but the province is no lon ...

included Taitung Prefecture as one of four prefectures.

Empire of Japan

During the Japanese rule of Taiwan, Taitung County was administered as Taitō Prefecture.

Republic of China

After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the

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 northeas ...

on 25 October 1945, Taitung was established as a

of Taiwan Province on 25 December the same year.

Geography

Taitung runs along the south east coast of Taiwan. Taitung county, controlling is the 3rd largest county in Taiwan after Hualien County and

Nantou County Nantou County (; Hokkien POJ: ''Lâm-tâu-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Nàm-thèu-yen'') is the second largest county of Taiwan by area, located in the central part of the country. It is also the only non-coastal county in Taiwan. Its name derives fro ...

. Mainland Taitung County's coastline is long. The Huatung Valley runs along the northern half of the county. Taitung currently has a population of 234,123. Due in part to its remote location and isolation by mountains from Taiwan's main population centers, Taitung was the last part of the island to be colonized by

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 v ...

immigrants (late 19th century). Throughout the 20th century Taitung remained an economic backwater. Sparsely populated even today, this isolation may have been a blessing in disguise, as Taitung mostly escaped the

urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It is predominantly th ...

and

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, th ...

that have come to plague much of the island's lowland areas. In addition to the area on Taiwan proper, the county includes two major islands, Green Island or Isla Verde and Orchid Island. Green Island was home to an infamous penal colony used for

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although nu ...

s during the " White Terror" period of

Chinese Nationalist Chinese nationalism () is a form of nationalism in the People's Republic of China (Mainland China) and the Republic of China on Taiwan which asserts that the Chinese people are a nation and promotes the cultural and national unity of all Chi ...

(KMT) rule (from 1947 until the end of

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Martia ...

in 1987). Orchid Island, home of the

Tao people The Tao people are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the tiny outlying Orchid Island of Taiwan. They have a maritime culture, with great ritual and spiritual significance placed on boat-building and fishing. Their ways of life have been th ...

(

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 peo ...

closely related to the people of the northern Philippines), has become a major tourist attraction despite the government-operated

Taiwan Power Company The Taiwan Power Company (, Taipower; ) is a state-owned electric power industry providing electricity to Taiwan and off-shore islands of the Republic of China. History Taipower was established on 1 May 1946. Its origins can be traced to 19 ...

's controversial use of part of the island as a

nuclear waste dump Radioactive waste is a type of hazardous waste that contains radioactive material. Radioactive waste is a result of many activities, including nuclear medicine, nuclear research, nuclear power generation, rare-earth mining, and nuclear weapon ...

Government

Administrative divisions

Taitung County is divided into 1

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

, 2 urban townships, 8 rural townships and 5 mountain indigenous townships. Taitung County has the second highest number of mountain indigenous townships in Taiwan after

Pingtung County Pingtung County is a county located in southern Taiwan. It has a warm tropical monsoon climate and is known for its agriculture and tourism. Kenting National Park, Taiwan's oldest national park, is located in the county. The county seat is Pi ...

. The seat of the county is located at Taitung City, where it houses the Taitung County Government and Taitung County Council. The current

Magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

of Taitung County is

Rao Ching-ling Rao Ching-ling (; born 23 November 1969) is a Taiwanese politician. Education Rao obtained her doctoral degree from National Taiwan Normal University in political science. Political career Rao was elected to the Taitung County Council after wi ...

of the

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 Ta ...

. Colors indicates the common languages status of

and Formosan languages within each division.

Politics

Taitung County elected one

Democratic Progressive Party The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a Taiwanese nationalist and centre-left political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). Controlling both the Republic of China presidency and the unicameral Legislative Yuan, it is the majorit ...

legislator to the

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 ...

during the 2016 Republic of China legislative election.

Demographics

Taitung County is home to seven aboriginal ethnics, including Amis, Bunun, Kavalan, Paiwan, Puyuma, Rukai and Yami. Taitung County has the largest aboriginal to overall population of a county or city in Taiwan, at 35.5%.

Education

Education in Taitung County is administered under the Education Department of the Taitung County Government. * National Taitung University * National Taitung Junior College

Culture

Taitung County possesses a very diverse collection of aboriginal cultures. Because Taitung is probably one of the least affected counties by the settlement of the Han Chinese, most of the aboriginal cultures are still very much a part of everyday society.

Energy

Taitung County houses the

Lanyu Power Plant The Lanyu Power Plant () is a Fossil-fuel power station, fuel-fired power plant in Yuren Village, Orchid Island, Taitung County, Taiwan. It is the only Power station, power plant on Orchid Island. Technical specification The power plant uses 15, ...

, a 6.5 MW fuel-fired power plant located in Orchid Island.

Tourist attractions

Buildings

Duoliang Station, Kunci Temple, Lüdao Lighthouse, Moving Castle and Taitung Chinese Association.

Historical sites

Beinan Cultural Park, Dulan Site and Green Island White Terror Memorial Park.

Museums and galleries

Lanyu Flying Fish Cultural Museum, National Museum of Prehistory, Rice Village Museum, Taitung Aboriginal Gallery, Taitung Art Museum,

Taitung County Museum of Natural History The Taitung County Museum of Natural History () is a museum in Sanxian Village, Chenggong Township, Taitung County, Taiwan. Architecture The museum is housed in a 3-story building. The ground floor houses the research archive room and special ...

, Taitung Performing Art Center, Taitung Story Museum, Wu Tao Chishang Lunch Box Cultural History Museum.

Nature

Baxian Caves Baxian Caves () are sea caves located in the east coast of Changbin Township, Taitung County, Taiwan. History Recently, the caves have been occupied and used as temples or places to place cremation ashes. However since 10 years ago, the Cultura ...

, Chulu Ranch, Dapo Pond, Dulan Mountain, , , Green Island,

Jhihben National Forest Recreation Area Jhihben National Forest Recreation Area () is located in Beinan, Taitung, Beinan Township, Taitung County, Taiwan. Geography The forest recreation area spans around 110 hectares in area with an elevation of 125 to 650 meters above sea level. ...

, Orchid Island,

Sanxiantai Sanxiantai ( Amis: nuwalian; ) is an area containing a beach and several islands located on the coast of Chenggong Township, Taitung County, Taiwan. The beach stretches for ten kilometers in length. It is situated at the 112-kilometer mark. A p ...

, Sika Deer Ecological Park, Taitung Forest Park,

Xiangyang National Forest Recreation Area Xiangyang National Forest Recreation Area () is a forest in Lidao Village, Haiduan Township, Taitung County, Taiwan. Geography The forest is located at an altitude of 2,320―2,700 meters above sea level and spans over an area of 362 hectare ...

and Zhaori Hot Spring.

Theme parks

Bunun Tribal Leisure Farm

Transportation

Air

Taitung County houses the international Taitung Airport in the mainland Taitung County of Taitung City and another two airports at the outlying islands, which are Lüdao Airport in Green Island and Lanyu Airport in Orchid Island.

Rail

Taitung County is crossed by two

Taiwan Railways Administration Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) is a railway operator in Taiwan. It is an agency of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, responsible for managing, maintaining, and running conventional passenger and freight railway services ...

lines of South-Link Line and Hualien–Taitung Line. The stations consist of Chishang, Dawu, Guanshan, Guzhuang, Haiduan, Jinlun, Kangle, Longxi, Luye, Ruihe, Ruiyuan, Shanli, Taimali, Taitung and Zhiben Station.

Water

Chenggong Fish Harbor, Fugang Fishery Harbor and Green Island Nanliao Harbor.

Notable natives

Yu Chang Yu-Cheng Chang (; born August 18, 1995) is a Taiwanese professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the Cleveland Indians / Guardians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox. Career Min ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

player *

Yang Chuan-kwang Yang Chuan-kwang, or C.K. Yang ( Amis: Maysang Kalimud, ) (July 10, 1933 – January 27, 2007), was an Olympic decathlete from Taiwan. Yang attended college at UCLA where he trained and competed with team mate and Olympian Rafer Johnson and wa ...

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ἄθλος (''áthlos'', or ἄ ...

medalist *

Tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful ...

, singer *

A-Mei Kulilay Amit (, born 9 August 1972), better known by her stage name A-Mei, is a Taiwanese Puyuma singer and record producer. In 1996, she made her singing debut and released her album, ''Sisters''. Her albums ''Truth'' (2001), ''Amit'' (2009), ...