Hualien () is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

on the east coast of

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. It is Taiwan's largest county by area, yet due to its mountainous

terrain Terrain (), alternatively relief or topographical relief, is the dimension and shape of a given surface of land. In physical geography, terrain is the lay of the land. This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation, slope, and orientati ...

, has one of the lowest populations in the country. The county seat and largest city is

Hualien City Hualien City (; Wade-Giles: Hua¹-lien² Shih⁴; Hokkien Pe̍h-ōe-jī, POJ: ''Hoa-lian-chhī'' or ''Hoa-liân-chhī'') is a county-administered city and the county seat of Hualien County, Taiwan. It is located on the east coast of Taiwan on the ...

. Hualien County is located in the eastern part of Taiwan—the

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

lies to its east and the

Central Mountain Range The Central Mountain Range is the principal mountain range on the island of Taiwan. It runs from the north of the island to the south. It acts as a barrier between the east and west coasts, hindering travel. The tallest peak of the range is ...

lies to its west. Narrow and long, Hualien is the largest county in Taiwan in terms of area. Most of its population resides in the Huadong Valley, which runs north to south between the Central and Hai'an mountain ranges. Hualien's natural environment attracts many visitors and some of its natural attractions include

Taroko Gorge Taroko National Park () is one of the nine wonders in Taiwan and was named after the Taroko Gorge, the landmark gorge of the park carved by the Liwu River. The park spans Taichung Municipality, Nantou County, and Hualien County and is located ...

Qingshui Cliff Qingshui Cliff () is a 21 kilometer length of coastal cliffs averaging 800 meters above sea level in Xiulin Township, Hualien County, Taiwan. The tallest peak, Qingshui Mountain, rises 2408 meters directly from the Pacific Ocean. The cliff is lo ...

, and Qixingtan Beach. Much of modern-day Hualien County was populated by the

Sakizaya people The Sakizaya (native name: Sakuzaya, literally "real man"; ; occasionally Sakiraya or Sakidaya) are Taiwanese indigenous peoples with a population of approximately 1,000. They primarily live in Hualien (formerly known as ''Kiray''), where their ...

before the arrival of the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, Dutch, and

Han Chinese The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...

under

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

annexation. The region was renamed Karenkō Prefecture in 1895 during Japanese colonial rule. In 1945, after the end of World War II, the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

took control of Taiwan and renamed the former Karenkō Prefecture as Hualien County of

Taiwan Province Taiwan Province ( zh, t=臺灣省 , p=Táiwān Shěng , poj=Tâi-oân-séng; PFS: ''Thòi-vàn-sén'' or ''Thòi-vân-sén'') is a ''de jure'' administrative division of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Provinces remain a titular division as ...

. Taiwan Province would be reorganized once again in 1998 and Hualien County fell under the direct jurisdiction of the

Executive Yuan The Executive Yuan () is the executive (government), executive branch of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Under the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China, amended constitution, the head of the Execut ...

. As of February 2023, Hualien's organic cultivation area was , the largest of any county in the country. Hualien is the largest organic agricultural production base in Taiwan.

History

Early history

Modern-day Hualien City was originally called ''Kilai'' (), after the Sakizaya

Taiwanese indigenous peoples Taiwanese indigenous peoples, formerly called Taiwanese aborigines, are the indigenous peoples of Taiwan, with the nationally recognized subgroups numbering about 600,303 or 3% of the Geography of Taiwan, island's population. This total is incr ...

' settlement. Spanish settlers arrived in 1622 to pan for gold. Picking up the sounds of native words, these settlers called the area ''Turumoan'' ().

settlers arrived in 1851.

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

records give the name of the region as ''Huilan'' () due to the whirling of waters in the

delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

Empire of Japan

During Taiwan's Japanese colonial period (1895–1945) the island's Japanese governors opted not to

transliterate Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → and → the digraph , Cyrillic → , Armenian → or L ...

the name "Kiray" because the Japanese pronunciation of the word resembled the Japanese word for . The official name became . Karenkō Prefecture consisted of modern-day Hualien County. Toward the end of World War II the

Governor-General of Taiwan The governor-general of Taiwan (, shinjitai: ) was the head of the Government-General of Taiwan in the Japanese era (including Formosa and the Pescadores) when they were part of the Empire of Japan, from 1895 to 1945. The Japanese governors- ...

moved many Japanese residents of Taiwan to the area to develop agriculture. The county was named after lotus flowers.

Republic of China

After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the

in October 1945, Hualien was established as a

named Hualien County of

on 9 January 1946. In 1951, Hualien was the first county in Taiwan to be governed according to the ROC local autonomy law. Today the Hualien area serves as the key population center on the east coast it is one of the five main 'life circle' regions in Taiwan, together with

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

Taichung Taichung (, Wade–Giles: '), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in central Taiwan. Taichung is Taiwan's second-largest city, with more than 2.85 million residents, making it the largest city in Ce ...

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 commonly called the "Taiwan Prefecture, ...

and

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsiung City has a population of approximately 2.73 million p ...

2021 train derailment

On 2 April 2021, a Taroko Express derailed at the north entrance of Qingshui Tunnel after striking an unattended

flatbed truck A flatbed truck (or flatbed lorry in British English) is a type of truck the bodywork of which is just an entirely flat, level 'bed' with no sides or roof. This allows for quick and easy loading of goods, and consequently they are used to trans ...

that had fallen onto the tracks. The incident is the deadliest train accident in Taiwan since 1948, with at least 50 passengers reported dead and more than 150 injured.

Geography

Taiwan 2009 HuaLien City Roadside Cemetery FRD 8181

Hualien County is situated in eastern Taiwan. It faces the

with

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

(

Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan. It consists of three main island groups—the Okinawa Islands, the Sakishima Islands, and the Daitō Islands—spread across a maritime zone approximately 1,000 kilometers east to west an ...

) lying to its east, the

Taichung City Taichung (, Wade–Giles: '), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality in central Taiwan. Taichung is Taiwan's second-largest city, with more than 2.85 million residents, making it the largest city in Central Taiwan. It serves as th ...

Nantou County Nantou is the second largest County (Taiwan), 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 from the Hoanya people, Hoanya Taiwanese aborigines, Taiwanese ...

, and

Kaohsiung City Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsiung City has a population of ...

to its west, Yilan County to the north, and

Taitung County Taitung () is the third largest county in Taiwan, located primarily on the island's southeastern coast and also including Green Island, Orchid Island and Lesser Orchid Island. The seat is located in Taitung City. Name While its name means "East ...

to the south. It stretches around from north to south, with its east-west width ranging from . Its area is about , approximately an eighth of Taiwan's total area. Despite its vast area, only 7% of the county area is populated. The remaining area is occupied by rivers (7%) and mountains (87%). Prominent mountain ranges include the

in the west and the

Hai'an Range The Coastal Mountain Range, also known as the Hai'an Range (), is a mountain range situated on the eastern coast of the island of Taiwan, and spans the border between Hualien and Taitung Counties. The Coastal Mountain Range is the northern por ...

in the east. The main rivers in the county include the Hualian River and Xiuguluan River and their branches. Subtropical plains, with a mean width around , dominate the valleys between both mountain ranges. Due to the inhospitable nature of the surrounding mountainous terrain, Hualien people reside mostly on the

alluvial fan An alluvial fan is an accumulation of sediments that fans outwards from a concentrated source of sediments, such as a narrow canyon emerging from an escarpment. They are characteristic of mountainous terrain in arid to Semi-arid climate, semiar ...

s of the

Huatung Valley The Huadong Valley or Hualien–Taitung Valley (), also known as East Rift Valley, the Longitudinal Valley or as the during the era of Japanese rule, is a long and narrow valley located between the Central Mountain Range and the Coastal Moun ...

plains.

Government

Administrative divisions

Hualien County is divided into one

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

, two urban townships, seven rural townships, and three mountain indigenous townships. Some towns have Japanese names because these towns were named by Japanese during the Japanese ruling period from 1895 to 1945.

is the county seat and houses the Hualien County Government and

Hualien County Council The Hualien County Council (HLCC; ) is the elected county council of Hualien County, Republic of China. The council composes of 33 councilors lastly elected through the 2022 Taiwanese local elections, 2022 local elections on 26 November 2022. ...

. Colors indicate the common language status of

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka-speaking Chinese, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas, are a southern Han Chinese subgroup whose principal settlements and ancestral homes are dispersed widely across the provinces of southern China ...

and

Formosan languages The Formosan languages are a geographic grouping comprising the languages of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan, all of which are Austronesian. They do not form a single subfamily of Austronesian but rather up to nine separate primary subfamili ...

within each division.

Politics

Hualien County voted one

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...

legislator to be in 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 four-year terms by people of the Taiwan Area through a ...

during the

2022 Taiwanese local elections Local elections were held in Taiwan on 26 November and 18 December 2022 to elect county magistrates (city mayors), county (city) councilors, township mayors, township councilors and chiefs of village (borough) in 6 municipalities and 16 counties ...

. The incumbent Magistrate of the county is Hsu Chen-wei of the

Climate

Hualien has 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 subtype that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ' ...

(''Am'' under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

Demographics and culture

Population

Hualien County has 318,995 inhabitants as of January 2023 and is divided into 1

and 12

townships A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

. Its late development means that many aboriginal cultures such as Amis, Atayal, Bunun, Truku, Sakizaya, and Kavalan are well-preserved. As of 2014, aborigines make up 27.5% of the population of Hualien County (about 91,675). The

Hakka people The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka-speaking Chinese, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas, are a southern Han Chinese subgroup whose principal settlements and ancestral homes are dispersed widely across the provinces of southern China ...

comprise about 30% of inhabitants. The county has seen negative population growth since the early 2000s due to emigration to other places outside Hualien County, with an average reduction of 1,393 people per year over the past 18 years. According to a 2015 survey on national happiness index, Hualien County was rated as the happiest place to live in Taiwan among other 20 counties and cities due to strong levels of satisfaction with work-life balance, living condition, education, environmental quality and the performance of the

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

Religion

The Buddhist

Tzu Chi The Buddhist Tzu Chi Charity Foundation ( zh, t=佛教慈濟慈善事業基金會, l=Buddhist Compassionate Relief Charitable Foundation) is a Taiwanese international humanitarian and nongovernmental organization. Its work includes medical ai ...

foundation is headquartered in

. There are also many temples around the county. Buddhism and folk religions are popular in Hualien County. Hualien County also has the highest concentration of Roman Catholics in Taiwan, with 9.46% of its population identifying as such.

Sports

Hualien County is home to the Hualien Stadium and Hualien Baseball Stadium. Because of its captivating scenic view, fresh air, fine weather, and plenty of well-maintained bike trails, Hualien County is a destination for cyclist enthusiasts and marathon runners. A number of cycling tournaments and marathon events are held each year in Hualien County. Notable events include the Taiwan KOM Challenge and Taroko Gorge Marathon. Hualien was the host for the 2009 Asian Canoe Polo Championships. Hualien will be hosting the 2026

International Children's Games The International Children's Games (ICG) is an International Olympic Committee-sanctioned event held every year where children from cities around the world and between the ages of 12 and 15 participate in a variety of sports and cultural activitie ...

, its first international multi-sport event, and the third Taiwanese city to host the International Children's Games.

Economy

Xincheng Hualien Taiwan Asia Cement Corporation-03

There is

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...

mining activity in the county. The Asia Cement Corporation plant in Xincheng Township contributes nearly 29% of Taiwan's annual cement production.

Education

The Hualien County Department of Education lists 6 institutions of higher learning within the county's borders as well as 15 high schools, 35 junior high schools and 151 elementary schools, though some of the listed elementary campuses have been closed for years due to their remote location and subsequently low enrollment.

Primary and secondary education

Secendary education

* National Hualien Senior High School * National Hualien Girls' High School * National Hualien Industrial Vocational High School * National Hualien Commercial High School * National Hualien Agricultural Senior High School * National Yuli Senior High School * Hualien Physical Education Senior High School * Tzu Chi Senior High School Affiliated with Tzu Chi University * Stella Maris Ursuline High School * Szu Wei Senior High School

Higher education

Hualien County is home to

National Dong Hwa University National Dong Hwa University (NDHU) is a national university, national research university located in Hualien County, Hualien, Taiwan. Established in 1994, NDHU offers sixth widest range of disciplines in Taiwan, including the sciences, engine ...

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). TCU has strong ties with Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation as well as five teaching hospitals in ...

. The

is the first and most prestigious university in Hualien, boasting the largest student body, largest concert hall, and largest library of any institute of higher education there. The National Hualien University of Education, which was merged with the

in 2008, was the first normal school in Hualien; only nine schools of its kind exist in Taiwan.

Mandarin education

* National Dong Hwa University Chinese Language Center *Tzu Chi University Chinese Language Center

Energy

Hualien County houses the hydroelectric Bihai Power Plant with an installed capacity of 61.2 MW and coal-fired Hoping Power Plant with a capacity of 1,320 MW, the fourth largest coal-fired power plant in Taiwan. Both power plants are located in Xiulin Township. Due to its power plant, Hoping is also the location of a deep water

bulk cargo Bulk cargo is Product (business), product cargo that is transported packaging, unpackaged in large quantities. Description Bulk cargo refers to material in either liquid or granular, particulate (as a mass of relatively small solids) form, ...

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

. Hoping Port is located in Hoping Village, Xiulin Township.

Tourist attractions

Taiwan 2009 HuaLien Taroko Gorge Temple FRD 6719

In 2023, Booking.com included Hualien as the only Asian city on its list of "Most Welcoming Cities on Earth." In 2024, Hualien was selected "Asia’s Top 9 Nature Destinations" by Agoda.

Nature

The national parks in the county include Matai'an Wetland Ecological Park,

Taroko National Park Taroko National Park () is one of the nine wonders in Taiwan and was named after the Taroko Gorge, the landmark gorge of the park carved by the Liwu River. The park spans Taichung Municipality, Nantou County, and Hualien County and is located ...

and Yushan National Park. Notable mountains and cliffs in the county include Hehuan Mountain, Pingfeng Mountain, Qilai Mountain, and

. Other natural areas include the Liyu Lake, Shihtiping, Mugua River Gorge, Walami Trail, Niushan Huting, East Rift Valley, Rareseed Ranch, Lintianshan Forestry Culture Park, and Qixingtan Beach.

Museums

Museums and historical buildings in Hualien County include Dongli Story House, Hualien Sugar Factory, Pine Garden, Saoba Stone Pillars, Hualien Cultural and Creative Industries Park, Lintian Police Substation and Old Lintian Police Station, Chihsing Tan Katsuo Museum, and

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 ...

Theme parks

Farglory Ocean Park is in Hualien County.

Places of worships

Hualien Martyrs' Shrine, Hualien Sheng'an Temple, Hualien Chenghuang Temple, Xiangde Temple,

Eternal Spring Shrine Eternal Spring Shrine, also called Changchun Shrine (), is a landmark and a memorial shrine complex in Taroko National Park in Xiulin Township, Hualien County, Taiwan. It is one of the major picturesque points of the park, with the view of the m ...

and Hualien Al-Falah Mosque are located in the county.

Markets

The one night market in the county is Dongdamen Night Market.

Transportation

Air

Hualien Airport Hualien Airport (; ; Seediq: ) , also referred to as Hualien Chiashan Airport, 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, ...

(HUN)

Rail

Taiwan Railways Administration Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) was a governmental agency in Taiwan which operated Taiwan Railway from 1948 to 2023. It managed, maintained, and operated conventional passenger and freight Rail transport, railway services on of track. Pa ...

– North-Link Line, Taitung Line and Eastern Trunk Line

Bus

* Taroko Bus

Roads

* Provincial Highway No.8 (

Central Cross-Island Highway The Central Cross-Island Highway () or Provincial Highway 8 is one of three highway systems that connect the west coast with the east of Taiwan. Construction The construction of the Central Cross-Island Highway began on July 7, 1956 and was ...

) * Provincial Highway No. 9 (Su'ao-Hualien and Hualien-Taitung Highway) * Provincial Highway No. 11 (Hualien-Taitung Coast Highway) * Provincial Highway No. 14 * Provincial Highway No. 16 * Provincial Highway No. 23 (Fuli-Donghe Highway) * Provincial Highway No. 30 ( Yuchang Highway) * County Road No. 193

Sea

Port of Hualien A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

* Heping Cement Port

Sister cities

* Hawaii County,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. Bellevue or Belle Vue may refer to: Places Australia * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales Canada * Bellevue, Alberta * Bellevue, Newfoundlan ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

Takachiho file:TakachihokyoWithManaiFalls.JPG, 270px, Manai Falls file:Mt.Sobo.jpg, 270px, Mount Sobo file:Yokagura.jpg, 270px, Yokagura is a List of towns in Japan, town in Nishiusuki District, Miyazaki, Nishiusuki District, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. , t ...

, Miyazaki,

Yonaguni , one of the Yaeyama Islands, is the westernmost island of Japan, lying from the east coast of Taiwan, between the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea. The island is administered as the Towns of Japan, town of Yonaguni, Okinawa, Yonaguni, Ya ...

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Authority control