Hualien

This article is about the city. For the county, see Hualien County.

Coordinates: 23°58′20″N 121°36′23″E / 23.97222, 121.60639
Hualien City 花蓮市
Country	Republic of China (Taiwan)
Region	Eastern Taiwan
Government
- Mayor	Chita Cai(蔡啟塔)
Area
- Total	29.41 km² (11.4 sq mi)
Population (???)
- Total	110,000 (35,000 households)
Time zone	CST (UTC+8)
Website: http://www.hualien.gov.tw

Hualien City (traditional Chinese: 花蓮市; pinyin: Huāliánshì; Wade-Giles: Hua-lien shih; POJ: Hoa-liân-chhī) is the capital of Hualien County, Taiwan. It is located on the East coast of Taiwan, by the Pacific Ocean, and has a population of about 110,000 inhabitants.

1 History
2 Subdivisions
3 Transport
4 Demographics
5 Climate
6 Education
7 Sister cities
8 External links

History

A temple in Hualien

According to The Record of Hualien County (花蓮縣志), Hualien was originally called Kilai (traditional Chinese: 奇萊; pinyin: Jīlái; Wade-Giles: Chi-lai; Japanese: きらい; Taiwanese: Kî-lâi). Because Kilai (Kirai in Japanese) is pronounced the same as "dislike" (嫌い) in Japanese, the Japanese administration changed the name into Karen (花蓮; かれん) in the early 20th century. After World War II, the name Hualien (花蓮) was kept by the Republic of China Kuomintang administration, but pronounced it in Chinese.

The Spaniards tried to mine 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. In 1875, more farmers, led by Lin Cang-an (林蒼安) from Yilan, settled at Fengchuan. But, by the time of the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), when Hualien City, along with the rest of Taiwan, was ceded to Japan, there were still not many settlers in Hualien. Circa 1912, the city was expanded to Guohua and Guoan Villages, a region later known as Old New Port (舊新港). Around 1923, the city extended to Aolang Port (鯉浪港), today known as New Port (新港), including Guowei and Guoji Villages.

Beach of Jiqi, Hualian/ Panorama Photography/ taken by geoffroy

Subdivisions

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

The first union: Minyun (民運), Minle (民樂), Minsiang (民享), Minyi (民意), Minsin (民心), Minli (民立), Minle (民德), Minzheng (民政), Minchin (民勤), Minsiao (民孝)
The second union: Minsheng (民生), Minchuan (民權), Minzu (民族), Minyou (民有), Minjhu (民主), Minjhi (民治)
The third union: Jhuji (主計), Jhuyi (主義), Jhusin (主信), Jhuchin (主勤), Jhushang (主商), Jhugong (主工)
The fourth union: Jhusuei (主學), Jhuchuan (主權), Jhunong (主農), Jhuhe (主和), Jhuli (主力), Jhuhe (主安), Jhumu (主睦)
The fifth union: Guofung (國風), Guofang (國防), Guojhi (國治), Guoguang (國光), Guohuen (國魂), Guoan (國安), Guowei (國威), Guohua (國華), Guolian (國聯), Guosheng (國盛)
The sixth union: Guofu (國富), Guoyu (國裕), Guoching (國慶), Guochiang (國強), Guofu (國福), Guosing (國興)

The newest villages from 2002 are Guosheng, Guosing, Minsiao, and Minjhu.

Transport

Hualien Rail Station

Hualien is accessible by rail from the Taipei Main Station, with Tzu-Chiang service provided by the Taiwan Railway Administration. Hualien has a recently renovated commercial airport that serves domestic flights and international charters. Hualien Airport is a popular transit hub for visitors going to nearby Taroko National Park.