| Hualien | |
| Official Name: | Hualien City |
| Other Name: | Karenkō |
| Nickname: | Huashi (Chinese: 花市) |
| Settlement Type: | County-administered city |
| Image Map1: | Hualien HL.svg |
| Map Caption1: | Hualien City |
| Pushpin Map: | Taiwan |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Taiwan |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Taiwan |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Taiwan Province (nominal) |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Hualien County |
| Government Type: | County-administered city |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Wei Chia-hsien (KMT)[1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 29.41 |
| Population As Of: | March 2023 |
| Population Total: | 99458 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | CST |
| Utc Offset: | +8 |
| Coordinates: | 23.9722°N 121.6064°W |
| Postal Code Type: | Post code |
| Postal Code: | 970 |
| Blank Name: | Subdivision |
| Blank Info: | 45 boroughs[2] |
Hualien City (; Wade-Giles: Hua¹-lien² Shih⁴; Hokkien POJ: Hoa-lian-chhī or Hoa-liân-chhī) is a county-administered city and the county seat of Hualien County, Taiwan. It is located on the east coast of Taiwan on the Pacific Ocean, and has a population of 99,458 inhabitants.[3]
Hualien County annals (Chinese: 花蓮縣志) record that the city was called "Kilai" 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 . The name was eventually changed to . After World War II the incoming Kuomintang-led Republic of China retained the Kanji spelling but shortened the name to just, 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 governor to incorporate Guohua and Guoan Villages, a region later known as . In 1920, was established, and around 1923 it was extended to, today known as "New Port",[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.
On 3 April 2024, a major earthquake struck near Hualien.[6]
The 45 villages (Chinese: 里) of the city are divided into six village unions (Chinese: 聯合里): (in Hanyu Pinyin)
The newest villages from 2002 are Guosheng, Guoxing, Minxiao, and Minzhu.
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.[7] 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 . Precipitation in the city averages 2177mm. January is the city's driest month, while September tends to be the wettest.
| Hualien City | |
| T: | 花蓮市 |
| S: | 花莲市--> |
| Hp: | Huālián Shì |
| Gr: | Hualian Shyh |
| Tp: | Hualián Shìh |
| Mps: | Huālián Shr̀ |
| Myr: | Hwālyán Shr̀ |
| W: | Hua¹-lien² Shih⁴ |
| Bpmf: | ㄏㄨㄚ ㄌㄧㄢˊ ㄕˋ |
| Phfs: | Fâ-lièn-sṳ |
| Poj: | Hoa-lian-chhī or Hoa-liân-chhī |
| Tl: | Hua-lian-tshī or Hua-liân-tshī |
| Showflag: | wppoj |
There are 3 universities, 12 senior high schools, 4 junior high schools, 16 elementary schools.
Hualien City is the center of politics, economy and transportation of Hualien County.
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.
Hualien City is served by Hualien Airport located at the neighboring Xincheng Township of Hualien County. The airport is about 10 minutes drive to the city.
The Port of Hualien is an international port in the city with liners sailing to Japan, Middle East, Southeast Asia and South Korea.
Hualien City is twinned with:[8]
Yonaguni, Japan (1982)
Albuquerque, United States (1983) Bellevue, United States (1984)Hualien City has friendly relations with:[8]
