Hualien City

Hualien County annals (花蓮縣志) record that the city was called "Kilai" (Chinese: 奇萊; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Kî-lâi) until the early twentieth century. This name refers to the Sakiraya Taiwanese aborigines and their settlement.[4]

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 "dislike" (嫌い, kirai). The name was eventually changed to Karen Harbour (Japanese: 花蓮港, Hepburn: Karenkō). After World War II the incoming Kuomintang-led Republic of China retained the Kanji spelling but shortened the name to just Karen (花蓮), or Hualien via Chinese romanization.

The Spaniards built mines for gold in Hualien in 1622. Permanent settlements began in 1851, when 2,200 Han Chinese farmers led by Huang A-fong (黃阿鳳) from Taipei arrived at Fengchuan (now the area near Hualien Rear Station). In 1875, more farmers, led by Lin Cang-an (林蒼安) from Yilan, 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 (國華) and Guoan (國安) Villages, a region later known as Old New Port (舊新港街). In 1920, Karenkō Town (花蓮港街) was established, and around 1923 it was extended to Riran Port (鯉浪港), today known as "New Port" (新港),[5] including the Guowei and Guoji Villages. In 1940, the town was upgraded to Karenkō City, Karenkō Prefecture.

On 25 October 1945, Taiwan was handed over from Japan to the Republic of China under Kuomintang government. In January 1946, the incoming Kuomintang designated Hualien City a county-administered city of Hualien County and to be the county seat.

The 45 villages (里) of the city are divided into six village unions (聯合里): (in Hanyu Pinyin)

1. The first union: Minyun (民運), Minle (民樂), Minxiang (民享), Minyi (民意), Minxin (民心), Minli (民立), Minde (民德), Minzheng (民政), Minqin (民勤), Minxiao (民孝)
2. The second union: Minsheng (民生), Minquan (民權), Minzu (民族), Minyou (民有), Minzhu (民主), Minzhi (民治)
3. The third union: Zhuji (主計), Zhuyi (主義), Zhuxin (主信), Zhuqin (主勤), Zhushang (主商), Zhugong (主工)
4. The fourth union: Zhuxue (主學), Zhuquan (主權), Zhunong (主農), Zhuhe (主和), Zhuli (主力), Zhu'an (主安), Zhumu (主睦)
5. The fifth union: Guofeng (國風), Guofang (國防), Guozhi (國治), Guoguang (國光), Guohun (國魂), Guo'an (國安), Guowei (國威), Guohua (國華), Guolian (國聯), Guosheng (國盛)
6. The sixth union: Guofu (國富), Guoyu (國裕), Guoqing (國慶), Guoqiang (國強), Guofu (國福), Guoxing (國興)

The newest villages from 2002 are Guosheng, Guoxing, Minxiao, and Minzhu.

• Hualien County Government
• Hualien County Council

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.[6] Hualien City is also the most densely populated area in Hualien county.[3]

Hualien experiences a tropical monsoon climate (Am) with frequent cyclones, as it borders the Pacific Ocean. It closely borders on a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with the average temperature of the coldest month being just above 18 °C, as well as a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with the driest month's precipitation narrowly missing the 60 mm mark. The city experiences significant rainfall year-round and the temperature there averages 23.4 °C (74.1 °F). Precipitation in the city averages 2,177 mm (85.7 in). January is the city's driest month, while September tends to be the wettest.

Hualien County Council

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

Hualien City Hall

Tzu Chi University

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

• Hualien Tzu Chi Medical Center (First Medical Center in Eastern Taiwan)
• Mennonite Christian Hospital
• Hualien Hospital, Department of Health, Execusive Yuan

Jing Si Hall of the Tzu Chi Foundation

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
• Hualien Al-Falah Mosque
• Hualien Baseball Stadium
• Hualien County Stone Sculptural Museum
• Hualien Cultural and Creative Industries Park
• 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
• Jing Si Hall (Meditation Hall) of the Tzu Chi Foundation
• Gong Tian Temple

• Hsieh Chia-hsien, baseball player
• Huang Teng-hui, artist and entrepreneur
• Lin Man-ting, football and futsal player
• Yeh Kuang-shih, Deputy Mayor of Kaohsiung (2018–2020)
• Yang Mu, poet, writer
• Chen Li, poet

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  Martyrs' shrine in Hualien
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  Formosa Express tourist train
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  Residential community
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  Yuan Yeh Resort
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  Roadside cemetery

Hualien City is twinned with:[12]

• Ulsan, South Korea (1982)
• Yonaguni, Japan (1982)
• Albuquerque, United States (1983)
• Bellevue, United States (1984)
• Oudtshoorn, South Africa (1985)

• List of East Asian ports
• 2018 Hualien earthquake

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hualien City.

Look up Hualien, Hua-lien, or Hualian in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Hualien travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Geographic data related to Hualien City at OpenStreetMap