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HUALIEN INFORMATION

Hualien City is the capital of Hualien County, Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. It is on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. It has a population of about 110,000 people.

According to The Record of Hualien County, the place was originally called Kilai (Traditional Chinese: Hanyu Pinyin: Jilái; Wade-Giles: Chi-lai; Japanese: Taiwanese: Kilaai). Because Kilai (Kirai in Japanese) sounds the same as "dislike" in Japanese, the Japanese administration changed the name to Karen in the early 20th century. The Republic of China Kuomintang administration of the late 20th century promoted the Standard Mandarin Chinese reading, Hualien. In Chinese, Hualien is an approximate homonym of Huilan, which means "recurring waves (of the Pacific Ocean)".

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 of Taipei arrived at Fengchuan. In 1875, more farmers, led by Lin Cang-an of 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. In about 1912, the city expanded to Guohua and Guoan Villages, a region later known as Old New Port. Around 1923, the city continued to expand to Aolang Port, today known as New Port, including Guowei and Guoji Villages.

There are 6 colleges, 12 senior high schools, 4 middle schools, and 16 elementary schools. 37 churches and 31 temples. The native people are the Ami. It contains Meilun Mountain and a part of Meilun Creek. Shiliugu is the areas near the creek known as Fengchuan, or "Fertile River", that is still over 80% farmland nowadays.

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.