Hualien County

Hualien County
Tropic of Cancer monument
Traditional Chinese	花蓮縣
Simplified Chinese	花莲县
Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Hūalián Xiàn - Tongyong Pinyin Hualián Siàn - Wade–Giles Hua-lien Hsien Min - Hokkien POJ Hoa-liân-kōan

Hualien County 花蓮縣 Abbreviation(s): Hualien (花蓮)
County seat	Hualien City
Region	Eastern Taiwan
County Magistrate	Fu, Kun-Chi (傅琨萁)
Cities	1
Townships	12
Area
- Total	4,628.57141 km² (1 of 25)
- % water	1.0 %
Population
- Total	340,794 (March 2010) (20 of 25)
- Density	73.63/km²
Symbols
- County flower	Lotus (Nymphaeaceae)
- County tree	Peepul (Ficus religiosa)
- County bird	Maroon Oriole (Oriolus traillii)
Official websites	(Chinese)

Hualien County is the largest county in Taiwan and is located on the mountainous eastern coast of Taiwan. It contains the island's largest port. It is the starting point of the Hualien-Taitung Line and the terminal point of North-Link Line of TRA. For the Provincial highway System, Hualien has the connection of Suhua Highway, Huatung Highway, Hualien-Taitung Coast Highway and the Central Cross-Island Highway. Hualien County also contains part of Taroko National Park and Yushan National Park.

The seat of Hualien County is Hualien City.

History

Hualien was originally called Kilai (奇萊) by the native Austronesian inhabitants of Taiwan. Spanish settlers arrived in 1622 to pan for gold. Picking up the sounds of native words, these settlers called the area "Turumoan" (多羅滿). Han Chinese settlers arrived in 1851. Qing Dynasty record the name of the region as "Huilan" (洄瀾 "eddies") due to the whirling of waters in the delta.

During Taiwan's Japanese colonial period (1985-1945) the island's Japanese governors opted not to transliterate the name "Kilai" as the Japanese pronunciation of the word resembled the Japanese word for "disgusting" (嫌い). The official name became "Karen" (花蓮; かれん). Toward the end of World War II the Governor-General of Taiwan moved many Japanese residents of Taiwan to the area to develop agriculture.

After Japan's surrender in 1945 rule of Taiwan passed to the Chinese Kuomintang. The Kuomintang soon became refugees in Taiwan following the rise of Communism in China (1949) but continued to govern the island according to the Republic of China constitution. In 1951 Hualien was the first county in Taiwan to be governed according to the ROC local autonomy law.

In the 1990s Taiwan transformed itself into a self-governing multiparty democracy. Today the Hualien area serves as the key population centre on the east coast as well as the one of five main life circle regions in Taiwan. (Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung)

A great white shark was caught off Hualien County on May 14, 1997. Reportedly almost 7 meters in length and weighing 2500 kg, it is the largest specimen ever recorded.

Population

Population density around the county (December 2009).

Hualien County has 340,000 inhabitants and is divided into 1 city and 12 townships. Its late development means that many aboriginal cultures such as Ami, Atayal, Bunun, Truku, Sakizaya and Kavalan are well-preserved. Aborigines make up one-forth of the population of Hualien County (about 90,000). The Hakka people comprise about 30% of inhabitants.

Administration

Some towns have Japanese names because these towns were named by Japanese during the Japanese ruling period from 1895 to 1945.

English	Japanese
Hualien City	Karen
Fenglin Township
Yuli Township	Tamasato
Fengbin Township	Toyohama
Fuli Township	Tomisato
Guangfu Township
Ji'an Township	Yoshiyasu
Ruisui Township	Mizuho
Shoufeng Township
Wanrong Township
Xincheng Township
Xiulin Township
Zhuoxi Township

Transportation

Shihtiping Harbor

• Hualien Airport
• Taiwan Railway Administration - North-Link Line and Hualien-Taitung Line
• Provincial Highway No.8 (Central Cross-Island Highway)
• Provincial Highway No. 9 (Suao-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
• Hualien Port
• Heping Cement Port

Education

Hualien County is home to two campuses of the National Dong Hwa University. The Hualien County Department of Education lists in all 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 or to low enrollments.

Attractions

National Parks

• Taroko National Park
• Yushan National Park

National Scenic Areas

• East Coast National Scenic Area
• East Rift Valley National Scenic Area

National University

• The National Dong Hwa University, Shoufeng and Meilun campuses

National Forest Recreation Park

• Liyu Lake (Carp Lake) National Forest Recreation Park
• Fuyuan National Forest Recreation Park
• Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Park

County Scenic Area

• Chishingtarn Coast Scenic Area

Gallery

• 

  Cyclists at FuLi Town

• 

  Farmers paint with flowers

• 

  Carp Lake

• 

  Farmer's residence

• 

  Rice Paddy

• 

  Biking at Taroko Gorge

• 

  Bus on narrow road

• 

  Great view at Taroko

• 

  Chihsing Tan bay with the Central Mountain Range in the background.

• 

  Formosa Express tourist train

• 

  Roadside cemetery

• 

  The Chihsing Tan Katsuo museum and former fish-flake factory

• 

  Bashian Caves

• 

  Hsiang-Te Temple

• 

  Jici Bay

External links

• Hualien County Government Website (Chinese) (English)
• East Coast National Scenic Area
• Taroko National Park
• Hualien delicious cuisine Introduction
• Ah-Taiwan: Life in Formosa - Taichung to Hualien