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 county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

on the rocky seacoast in northeastern New Taipei City in northern

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 ...

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

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), 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 mea ...

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 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 came to set up fishing operations. The

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

loyalist Koxinga 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 commonly called the "Taiwan Prefecture, ...

was under siege. In 1683, following the

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 ...

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

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 over administration of Taiwan at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

: Taihoku Prefecture became Taipei County, and Banri Village became Wanli Township.

Geography

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

, to the east by the Anle and Qidu Districts of Keelung. To the south is a short border with Xizhi District of New Taipei City, and to the southwest is

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

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

Administration

Since December 25, 2010, Wanli has been administered as a district of New Taipei City. Prior to this date, Wanli was a township under Taipei County. Wanli is further subdivided into ten villages: Wanli (), Beiji (), Guihou (), Yehliu (), Dapeng (), Huangtan (), Shuangxing (), Xidi (), Kanjiao (), and Zhongfu (). Prior to the 2010 reorganization, 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.