Wanli District (), known in Basay as Masu, is a rural

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

on the rocky seacoast in northeastern

New Taipei City New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, be ...

in northern

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 ...

. Wanli is a popular tourist destination and the site of the Cape Yeliu

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

Formation which features distinctive hoodoo outcrops. The "Queen's Head" outcrop is a Taiwanese icon and serves as an informal trademark for the township. Kataw in the adjacent Jinshan District features the Wanli Taiwanese hot springs area, which is connected with the Jinshan Hot Springs (金山溫泉).

History

The village of Masu (瑪鋉) was inhabited by

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, ...

before the era of European colonization. The area first came under the control of the Spanish, who were then ousted by the Dutch. The area began to develop when

Hoklo people The Hoklo people or Hokkien people () are a Han Chinese (also Han Taiwanese) subgroup who speak Hokkien, a Southern Min language, or trace their ancestry to Southeastern Fujian, China and known by various endonyms or other related terms such a ...

came to set up fishing operations. The

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

loyalist

Koxinga Zheng Chenggong, Prince of Yanping (; 27 August 1624 – 23 June 1662), better known internationally as Koxinga (), was a Ming loyalist general who resisted the Qing conquest of China in the 17th century, fighting them on China's southeastern ...

landed his troops at Wanli in 1661 to expel the Dutch from their northern strongholds while their principal fortress in

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" ...

was under siege. In 1683, following the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

conquest of Taiwan, the area was incorporated into Zhuluo County. In 1875, it was a member of Kimpauli (金包里堡), Kelung Sub-Subprefecture (基隆支廳). In 1891, during Qing dynasty rule, the village was destroyed by military force as punishment for engaging in raids against Chinese camphor men and soldiers near Tokoham (modern-day Daxi). When the Japanese took control of the island in 1895, Wanli (called ''Banri'' by the Japanese) became part of ''Kīrun'' Subprefecture, ''Taihoku Ken''. In 1901, a reorganisation split ''Taihoku Ken'' up into smaller prefectures, with Banri becoming part of Kinpori (Kimpauli) Subprefecture, . In 1909, Kīrun Prefecture was amalgamated into the larger . This situation remained in place until the

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

took over administration of Taiwan at the end of

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 ...

: Taihoku Prefecture became

Taipei County New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, be ...

, and Banri Village became Wanli Township.

Geography

Wanli is bordered to the northwest by Jinshan District, to the northeast by 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 ...

, to the east by the Anle and

Qidu District Qidu District or Cidu District () is a district of the city of Keelung, Taiwan. It borders New Taipei to the west. History During the period of Japanese rule, included modern day Qidu and Nuannuan districts and was governed under of Taih ...

s of

Keelung Keelung () or Jilong () (; Hokkien POJ: '), officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. The city is a part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with its neighbors, New Taipe ...

. To the south is a short border with

Xizhi District Xizhi () is an inner city district in eastern New Taipei City in northern Taiwan, and is located between Taipei City and Keelung City. Compared to most districts in eastern New Taipei, which are very sparsely populated, Xizhi is one of the mor ...

, and to the southwest is

Taipei City Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the Capital city, capital and a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Regions of Taiwan, Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of t ...

's Shilin District. The topography of the area is marked by the rocky Pacific coastline and the forested, mountainous interior.

Administration

Since 25 December 2010 Wanli has been administered as the Wanli District of

. Prior to this date it had been the Wanli Township of Taipei County. Wanli is further subdivided into ten villages; Wanli (), Beiji (), Guihou (),

Yehliu Yehliu () is a cape in Wanli District, New Taipei, Taiwan. The cape, known by geologists as the Yehliu Promontory, forms part of the Daliao Miocene Formation. It stretches approximately into the ocean and was formed as geological forces p ...

(), Dapeng (), Huangtan (), Shuangxing (), Xidi (), Kanjiao (), and Zhongfu (). Prior to the 2010 reorganisation Wanli elected its own mayor, but now as a district of New Taipei City the District Chief is appointed by the mayor of New Taipei City.

Economy

The crabbing industry is important, and in 2012 the government established the Wanli Crab brand name to boost sales.

Infrastructure

Kuosheng Nuclear Power Plant The Kuosheng Nuclear Power Plant or Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant ( zh, t=國聖核能發電廠, s=国圣核能发电厂, first=t, p=Guóshèng Hénéng Fādiànchǎng), Second Nuclear Power Plant (第二核能發電廠 or 核二), is a nuclear p ...

Tourist attractions

Yehliu Ocean World The Yehliu Ocean World () is an oceanarium in Yehliu Village, Wanli District, New Taipei, Taiwan. History The oceanarium was opened in 1980. On 13 July 2013, the building was hit by surge of waves caused by Typhoon Soulik causing NT$5 millio ...

* Feicui Bay (翡翠灣) * Wanli UFO village, a large collection of prefabricated Futuro and

Venturo Venturo or Venturo House is a prefabricated house designed by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen in 1971. It is composed of fiberglass-reinforced polyester plastic, polyester-polyurethane, and acrylic glass. In the late 1960s Suuronen became known ...

homes

Notable natives

* Huang Yee-ling, singer * William Lai, Premier of the Republic of China

References

{{Authority control Districts of New Taipei