Yilan County Government - 宜蘭縣政府全球資訊網-Introduction to the Towns

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Introduce	Yilan City
Anonymity	Jioucyong Town
Land Area	28.1060 km²
Population	94,914
Villages	38 Villages, 478 Neighborhoods
Location	Yilan City is located at the heart of the Lanyang Plain at 21.4511 E, 24.4518 N. It has an average elevation of 7.38 meters above sea level, connecting with Zhuangwei Township in the east, Yuanshan Township in the west, neighboring Wujie in the south, and Jiaoxi in the north of which it is separated by via the Lanyang River.
Description	Yilan City is located at the heart of the Lanyang Plain. In 1802, Han settlers entered and cleared Yilan, and called the area Wuwei. In 1812, Kavalan Hall, the administrative unit for the area was formally established and the construction of a city was started. Walls were put up around the city and Jiuqiong (koehne) trees were planted along the walls. Later on "Hall" was replaced by "County" and the place name "Yilan" was formally given. In 1950, Yilan was formerly established as a county with Yilan City acting as government headquarters for all county matters. Today, highly populated Yilan City is the political, cultural, and educational center of Yilan County, and the most important city in the Xibei (the area north to the Lanyang River) area. Along the street of the old downtown area of Yilan City, you can see plenty of buildings from the Qing and/or Japanese colonial eras, including Zhaoying Temple, and the Bank of Taiwan, etc., all of which are rare and well-preserved Taiwanese historical sites. In addition, in the old downtown area of Yilan City, some special industries, from the Qing and/or Japanese eras can be found. In the past, most people living on Wuying Street (generally called the Blacksmith Street by the locals) made their living engaged in traditional handicrafts such as the blacksmith business. Following the passing of time, the population engaged in traditional handicrafts decreased. However, stores making traditional agricultural tools can still be found on this street. Moreover, as in recent years it has become trendy for people to remember the good old days, traditional local delicacies such as Ox tongue-shaped Cookies and Yashang (dried and smoked duck) have regained their popularity and revitalized the local food industry.
Historical Description	Yilan was brought into Mainland China's sphere of control by the Qing court in 1810. In 1812, an administrative unit was formally established in Wuwei, known today as Yilan City. In 1813, construction of Yilan City was completed, with internal facilities following closely after, making Yilan City the center for government, the economy, culture, and education on the Lanyang Plain. After Taiwanese retrocession, Yilan was formerly established as a county with Yilan City acting as government headquarters for all county matters. For the last 180 years, Yilan City has continuously been the political, economic, cultural, and educational center for Yilan County.

Introduce	Toucheng Township
Anonymity	Touwei
Land Area	97.6885km²
Population	27,979
Villages	24 villages, 262 neighborhoods
Location	Located at 121.51E, 21.41 N, Toucheng is nestled in the mountains and opens to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It neighbors Taipei County's Gongliao, Shuangxi and Pinglin Townships by the Xue (Snow) Mountain in the northwest and connects to Zhuangwei and Jiaoxi Townships in the south.
Description	Situated at the northern end of Yilan County opening up in the east to the Pacific Ocean, neighboring other counties and towering mountains in the west, Toucheng Township has always been an important entrance to Yilan. Toucheng's unique topography also contributes to its special sights. Its north coastline features spectacular sea eroded rock formations. Turtle Island, rich undersea springs, sea eroded caves and pebbled beaches are the result of the volcanic movements within this area. The intersection with Jiaoxi, including the marsh area near the Zhu'an river mouth and the Xiapu wetlands features special wetland crab species and migrant birds drawn here to the wetland. This has contributed to the development of the aquaculture industry within the Xiapu area. Toucheng, in addition to its traditional fishing industry related to its unique terrain, the township government takes advantage of its fishing harbors to promote off shore eco-tour including the whale watch in Turtle Island. Newly established B&B and leisure farms also join in this tourism trend, creating new business opportunities for the local residents.
Historical Description	Toucheng was originally named "Touwei". In 1796, Wu Sha led a group of people from Zhangzhou and Fujian Province ,China to enter and start clearing land for development within Yilan. When they successfully entered the Lanyang Plain, they built soil walls and established their first base in Touwei. This was the first piece of land explored by the Han people, and that was how the name Toucheng (the first town) was given. In 1796, when the Han settlers came in groups, they built Qingyuan Temple, the first temple in the Yilan area, by the riverbank. Touwei Street became prosperous because of the booming water shipping business. At that time, Wushi Harbor was Yilan's trading harbor with the outside world. The river came directly to Qingyuan Temple, and streets were developed along the riverbanks. On the north end of Heping old street, one can still see the traces of the Qing dynasty harbor and the 13 associated businesses that once ran a thriving business there. On the south end, Qing and Japanese colonial period architecture can still be found.

Introduce	Jiaoxi Township
Anonymity	Dry Pit, Reef Pit
Land Area	99.4647 km²
Population	35,425
Villages	18 Villages, 301 Neighborhoods
Location	Jiaoxi is located in the northeast corner of Yilan at 121.50 to 121.37 E, 24.46 t0 24.51 N. It covers an area of 101 km².
Description	Provincial Hwy No. 9 following the railway traverses Jiaoxi Township dividing it into east and west areas, giving Jiaoxi an unique look. The area wests of the railway features the famous Jiaoxi hot springs. The hot springs here are of the ordorless, colorless, carbonic type and contain rich minerals. Outside of their healing properties, the slightly alkaline hot spring water can actually neutralize chemical fertilizers, making soil better for farming. Because of this, a "Hot Springs Industry" has developed. Outside of the hot springs, "hot spring vegetables", "hot springs mineral water", and "hot springs fisheries" are vigorously promoted by the local Farmers' Association to make every use of the hot springs resources. Also by virtue of the fact that hot springs can be found via digging anywhere within a 1-kilometer radius of the Jiaoxi Railway Station, the villages of Yushi, Deyang, Liujie, and Dazhong are overflowing with hot spring hotels, granting Jiaoxi the name of the "Land of Hot Springs". To the other side of the railway is the shallow area of the Dezi River downstream section. In the past, the majority of the residents in this area were aquafarmers. Today, with the advent of the trendy bio-organic industry, the superior water quality of the Jiaoxi area assisted in evolution from the aquaculture industry to the imerging bio-organic industry. Currently the Academia Sinica's Institute of Cellular and Organismic (formerly the Institute of Zoology), has set up a Marine Station here, aiding in the development of the bio-organic industry.
Historical Description	More than 200 years ago, before large groups of Han settlers arrived to explore the land, this area was inhabited by the people of the Kavalan Tribe. According to Yilan County History, there were 20 Kavalan tribal clans dispersed north of the Zhuoshui River to the south of Wushi Harbor in Touwei. Among the 20 clans, 7 inhabited the flatland area of Jiaoxi. In 1796, the famous Han pioneer, Wu Sha, entered Toucheng, moving south and exploring the land for development along the way. By 1799, Jiaoxi Tangwei (today's Deyang Village), Baishiwei (today's Baiyun and Yushi Villages), Sanwei (today's Sanmin Village) and Siwei (today's Wusha Village) were fully developed. As they opened the Jiaoxi, the settlers from Zhangzhou and Quanzhou called this place the "Dry Pit" in ther dialect because the land was surrounded by mountains with very limited water resources. The pronunciation sounds like the current name Jiaoxi in the Minnan dialect. This is believed to the origin of the name. During Japanese ruling, the Japanese were the first to discover and develop the rich hot spring resources in the Jiaoxi area. The hot springs bath and associated drinking establishments were the result of Japanese influences. After Taiwanese retrocession, the hot springs continued to bring in visitors to Jiaoxi. During the 80s and 90s, American soldiers based in Taiwan and Japanese businessmen were attracted by the fame of the hot springs and the bars flowed into Jiaoxi, earning Jiaoxi the name "Little Beitou". Since then, Jiaoxi has been viewed through a pornographic prism. However, in recent years the Yilan County Government has dedicated itself to recreating the image of Jiaoxi. Today's Jiaoxi is a dynamic tourist town crammed with newly renovated hot spring resorts promoting heath benefits and hot spring gourmet delicacies.

Introduce	Zhuangwei Township
Anonymity	Minzhuangwei
Land Area	35.3051 km²
Population	24,454
Villages	14 villages, 223 neighborhoods
Location	Located at the northeast part of Yilan County, in the center of the Lanyang Plain coast, Zhuangwei Township borders the Pacific Ocean to the east, Toucheng Township to the north, Jiaoxi Township and Yilan City to its northwest, and Wujie Township to its south.
Description	Located at the center of the Lanyang Plain coastline, Zhuangwei Township is blessed with abundant agricultural product year round. Green onions in spring, melons in summer, migrant birds in the fall, and garlic in the winter give Zhuangwei an unique rustic landscape following the change of the seasons. Through the operation of recreational farms and combining with local farm products and scenic spots, the farmers have successfully increased their income.
Historical Description	Minzhuangwei was the old name of Zhuangwei Township. Looking into the history of this town, in the early days it was inhabited mainly by the Kavalan Pingpu Tribes. In the early Jiaging Emperor reign of the Qing Dynasty, Wu Sha's son Wu Guang Yi followed in his fathers footsteps and led a group of people to open and explore the now Zhuangwei area. When the land was explored, it was divided into small lots and given to those who helped exploring the land as a reward. That was how Zhuangwei got its name. In the early 19th century, Lin Ming Zhan who came with Wu Sha from Mainland China chose this area as a base to expand and cultivate the land. The soil here is fertile, however there were no natural defensive barriers of which the people could use to protect themselves with. To strengthen their defensive power, strong young people were selected for guard duty. In the process of exploring the land, routes were named as Zhuangyi (strong No. 1), Zhuanger (strong No.2) and Zhuangwu (strong No. 5) showing proof of this unique self-defense system.

Introduce	Yuanshan Township
Anonymity
Land Area	133.7054 km²
Population	32,058
Villages	16 villages, 324 neighborhoods
Location	Situated in the west of Lanyang Plain, Yuanshan Township got its name from a round hill within the area of the town, which is the place where the Yuanshan Memorial Hall is located today. With an elevation of about 43 m, the hill looks like a dome when looked from the distance and is therefore named Yuanshan. Habituated primarily by farmers, Yuanshan Township is a place of beautiful natural landscapes surrounded by green hills and blue waters where the people are simple and sincere.
Description	Located at the southern end of the Xue (Snow) Mountain Range and bounded by the Lanyang River on the south, Yuanshan Township comprises mostly of hills. As a result of the climate, temperature, humidity and day-night temperature difference offer favorable basic conditions for the growth of a wide variety of fruit trees, including citrus tankan, pineapple, bamboo shoof, ginger, star fruit, chives, guava, wax apple, green onion and Le Shan pear, all of them are distinctive local farm products, which may be pricked by the visitors personally during the full fruiting period to enjoy the happiness between parents and children. Abundant field landscapes and countryside industries make Yuanshan Township a nice place to promote most diversified farm recreation activities.
Historical Description	According to the history of Yilan, Yuanshan Township was first cultivated in the 58th year of the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty (1793), the Han people from Zhangzhou and Buanzhou Province led by Wu Hua (nephew of Wu Sha), who was the leader of the people that first cultivated Lanyang plain and arrived here to cultivate the native land. The areas cultivated by people from Quanzhou Province were named “Jie” while the areas cultivated by people from Zhang Zhou Porvince were named “Jiu”to distinguish from each other. In Aug of the 17th year of the Jiaqing Emperor regime (1812), Kavalan Department was established and had jurisdiction over Yuanshan Township. In the 21st year of the Guangxu Emperor regime (1895), Japan occupied Taiwan, divided Yilan into 3 prefectures, Yuanshan was changed into a village and put under the jurisdiction of Taipei State, Yilan Prefecture. After the recovery of Taiwan, the government demarcated the regional administrative division and Yuanshan Township was established in 1946; soon after, on the Double Tenth Day in 1950, Yilan county was established officially, Yuanshan Township still belonged to it and was put under the jurisdiction of Yilan county and was named Yilan County, Yuanshan Township.

Introduce	Luodong Township
Anonymity	Laodong
Land Area	11.2493 km²
Population	69,650
Villages	23 villages, 537 neighborhoods
Location	Luodong sits in the center of the Lanyang Plain at 121.45 E, 24.42 N connecting to Dongshan in the south, the Lanyang River in the north, Wujie Township in the east, and Sanxing Township in the west, with a total area of 11.344 square kilometers, making it the smallest town on the island.
Description	Of equal status and importance to the Wushi Harbor in Toucheng, Luodong since the Qing Dynasty has always been an important transit town south to the Lanyang River. Merchandise from outside of the town and wood logs from Taiping Mountain were transferred out from here. The wood logging business on Taiping Mountain greatly contributed to the prosperity of Luodong Township, making it the most important commerical center in Yilan County. In 1915, the Japapanese government decided to log Taiping Mountain and hence looked for an appropriate location for the storage and transport of the resulting lumber. In 1921, via the efforts of the Luodong Street Chief Chen Chun Jing, the lumber storage and distribution center in Yilan was moved to Luodong. From that time forward, Luodong was transformed from an agricultural town into a business center. Taiping Mountain's lumber production volume soon surpassed Alishan, resulting in lumber dealers shifting their business headquarters to Luodong. Peripheral industries such as shops, hotels, restaurants, and entertainment facilities were subsequently established. Combined with well developed transportation, economic and financial establishments, Luodong became the largest commercial town in the entire county. In recent years because of the establishment of the Luodong Sports Park, the largest of its kind on the island, great numbers of visitors have traveled to Luodong, successfully promoting Luodong's sports and leisure industries.
Historical Description	Luodong is the 2nd largest town in Yilan County, next to Yilan City. It was called "Laodong (monkey)" in the Pingpu language as this area used to feature dense woods inhabited by a large group of monkeys. In 1804, Pingpu tribe chiefs Pan Xian Wen and Mao Ge from Changhua led a group of people to settle in the Luodong area. They established Alishi and Ashushe Communities and developed a large scale agricultural industry. In 1812, a Qing Dynasty officer Fan Bang Gan was put in charge of Luodong. Two years later, Han settlers formally entered the Luodong's Shiliufen (today's Luozhuang Village and Nanchang Village), Beicheng (Beicheng Village, Beitou Lane), and Waizaiwai (Ren'ai Village) to begin exploring and developing the land. In the history of Luodong's exploitation, the Pingpu tribe and Han settlers fought over land and many ethnic conflicts erupted, however they finally succeeded in opening Luodong together. With the continuous effort of our ancestors, Luodong not only became the most prosperous town in the entire Yilan area, but also developed special characteristics through combining both the aboriginal and Han cultures. During Japanese rule, the most dramatic change to Luodong's history came about by the establishment of a base for industry established by the Taiping Mountain logging business promoted by Chen Chun Jing. In 1916, the Japanese established a Yilan branch office under the Forest Administration Bureau in charge of the logging, transportation and storage of the Taiping Mountain area timber with a log pond set up in today's Yuanshan Township. Later on because of a change in the lumber transportation from waterway to railway, Chen Chun Jing made huge efforts to have the branch office moved to Luodong. Finally in 1924, upon the completion of the railway between Luodong and Tuchang (today's Datong Township), the branch office has officially moved to Zhulin in Luodong. From that time onwards, Luodong proceeded into a new commercial era.

Introduce	Sanxing Township
Anonymity	Pa Li Sha
Land Area	74.8334 km²
Population	21,184
Villages	18 villages, 209 neighborhoods
Location	Located in the west of Lanyang Plain, Sanxing Township is the junction between the Lanyang Plain and the hills and the highest point of the plain. Since ancient times, Sanxing Township was the place where the aboriginals of the hills and the residents of the plain trade with each other and an important place of ethnic and cultural conflicts and exchange. Sanxing Township has been a place of conflicts of multiple ethnic groups, including the many people that came here to cultivate the land after World War II times and traces of cultural integration could be seen anywhere.
Description	Geographically, Sanxing Township is located at the junction of the hills, plain and rivers of Yilan. With such natural topography and environment, Sanxing Township used to be flooded by the rivers in the early days, the whole region was covered by the Lanyang River that flows in every directions like a web, forming a large "river land", characterized by frequent flood hazards. People that came to Sanxing Township in the early days to cultivate the wasteland diverted water for irrigation and grew rice, peanuts and sugarcanes on the land from through accumulation of sand in the river channels that flow like a web. Due to its geographic conditions, Sanxing Township is unique in Yilan for such characteristics as multiple ethnic groups and frequent flood hazards.
Historical Description	In the Qhing Dynasty, the immigrants that came to Yilan to cultivate the native land referred to Sanxing as "Pa Li Sha Nan". Sanxing was one of the places in the Yilan Plain that was developed late. Due to late development, Sanxing was not included when Lu Zhi Heng, Deputy Governor of Kavalan divided the Yilan Plain into 7 Baos to facilitate the counting of households in 1823 and was part of the Xi Zhou Bao until the number of Baos was increased from 7 to 12 in l835. The lands of Sanxing are sand bars in the Lanyang River and this is the unique of Sanxing due to the geographic environment in the early days. During the several decades following World War II, many people left Sanxing, leaving mostly the elderly people and children in the villages because Sanxing Township is located in the west of the Yilan Plain and socio-economic development remains stagnant there although it is no longer frequently flooded and the Barbarian invasion has long disappeared. However, during the recent one to two decades, with the hard work and efforts of people with vision, the production of onion, garlic, silver willow in Sanxing, especially the watery and sweet "Shangjiang Pear" have made Sanxing well-known and increased the income of local people as well as helped improve the economy.

Introduce	Wujie Township
Anonymity	Wufan Clan
Land Area	34.3163 km²
Population	41,579
Villages	15 villages, 330 neighborhoods
Location	Situated at 121.47E, 24.42N, Wujie borders the Pacific Ocean on the east, and is separated from Zhuangwei Township, Yilan City, and Yuanshan Township by the Lanyang River in the north. To its southwest are Sanxing and Luodong. To its south are Dongshan and Su'ao.
Description	Situated at the ocean mouth where the Lanyang River exits to the sea, Wujie's coastline stretches southwards approximately 8 kilometers. The town features mainly flat terrain with the middle and downstream portions of the Dongshan River running through it. The eastern coastal area is composed of sandy beach, sand hills, sand beach, a river brook, and marshes. The soil here is very fertile, and blessed with abundant rainfall and mild temperature, making it perfect for farming. In recent years, with the movement of collective community reconstruction, development of the tourism industry, the agricultural nature of Wujie has changed. The Lizejian area of Wujie Township is famous for its tasty dried/smoked duck while the Jixin and Jinzhong areas are famous for their shrimp farming industries. Erjie is famous for the Chung Hsing Paper Factory and garment manufacturing. Other famous attractions include the Dongshan River Park, Qingshui Tide Gate, the National Center for Traditional Arts, Erjie Wanggong Temple, the Golden Earth God statue at Sijie Fude (Earth God) Temple, the Lanyang River Waterbird Refuge, and the Wushi'erjia Wetland Preservation Area. Among the important events of community revitalization, the moving of the Erjie Wanggong Temple has awakened the community consciousness of the local residents, acting as a catalyst for them to start caring more for their own land and participating in the future development of their hometown.
Historical Description	Before the land was discovered by the Han people, this area belonged to the clans of: Kalewan, Poluosinzihwan, Liuliu, Lidegan (Lizejian) and Saowu of the Yilan Plain. It was not until 1768, with the arrival of a group of pioneers from Fujian led by Lin Han Sheng, that the clearing and development of this area started in earnest. In 1810, the village had more or less formed and was given the name of Wujie, meaning the grouping of the five clans. Yilan was brought into Mainland China's sphere of control by the Qing court in 1810. A Kavalan Hall was establised under the administration of the Taiwan Fu (Government). In 1875, a Taipei Fu was established and the Kavalan Hall became Yilan County. In 1885, Taiwan was established as a province and was ceded to Japan in 1895 at the end of the Sino Japanese War. After the retrocession of Taiwan in 1945, the yoke of Japanese domination was broken, and administrative affairs for Taiwan were taken up by the government of the Republic of China, which established Wujie Township in 1946 under the administration of Taipei County, Luodong District. In 1950, Luodong District was abolished due to an administrative re-adjustment, and Wujie became part of Yilan County as it is today.

Introduce	Dongshan Township
Anonymity	Dongguashan (Wax Gourd Mountain)
Land Area	78.0671 km²
Population	53,078
Villages	24 villages, 468 neighborhoods
Location	Dongshan Township sits in the southeast of the Lanyang Plain against the mountains and facing the Pacific Ocean, at 121.45 E, and 24.3735 N. It is bordered by Datong and Nan'ao Townships in the south, Sanxing in the west, and Su'ao in the east. In the north, it is connected to Luodong, Wujie and 4 other towns.
Description	The hilly terrain has greatly aided in the establishment of the tea industry at Dongshan Township. Facing the changing nature of local industry, the traditional tea making industry within Dongshan Township has been developed into high grade agriculture and tourist farms. Because of the wide tracts of mountains and woods, Dongshan Township features a great diversity of natural attractions including Xinliao and Jiuliao Waterfalls, Plum Blossom Lake, Dongshan River Forest Park, Annong River Flood-Diversion weir, Renshan Nursery Garden. In recent years, local farmers have attempted to combine these natural attractions with the local tea industry by promoting recreational farms, recreational tea gardens, country cuisine, and tourist fruit orchards to attract more visitors and to promote the name of Dongshan Township. In addition to recreational agriculture, with the assistance from Dongshan Farmers' Association, local farmers were able to develop more local farm products including the Sanshui Pear, Wendan Pomelos, Honey Peach, and Chinese Yam. Dongshan Township also holds a Dongshan Township Industry Festival to promote local specialties.
Historical Description	During the Qing Dynasty, Han settlers entered and cleared today's Nanxing, Anping and Dongshan Villages. Dongshan Township was originally named Dongguashan (Wax Gourd Mountain) because of the wax gourd-shaped mountain within Anping Village. In 1875, Dongshan came under the administration of the Taipei Government of Fujian Province. In 1886, it was under the administration of the Yilan Hall, Taipei Government, Taiwan Province. After the Japanese occupied Taiwan, it was administered by Luodong County, Taipei State. After the war, it was re-named Dongshan Township under the administration of Luodong District, Taipei County. It was not until 1950 it was put under the administration of Yilan County.

Introduce	Su'ao Township
Anonymity	Shih Pa Keng, Kang Kou
Land Area	82.9229 km²
Population	36,867
Villages	26 villages, 402 neighborhoods
Location	Located in the southeast of Yilan County situated in the northeast of Taiwan, Su'ao township lies at 122° east longitude and 24.8° north latitude, has a twisted and long topography, faces the Pacific on the east, borders Dongshan Town and Wujie Town on the northwest, Nan'ao township on the northwest, is separated by the Central Mountain Range on the south, and forms a closed area that is surrounded by hills on 3 sides and faces the sea on one side. The town features a narrow and long topography more than 40 km in total length, the mountains wriggle their ways to Hua Lien and the geographic structure is special. The region is abundant in mineral resources and special and rare cold spring resources ranked 1st in Taiwan. The town is under the effect of an east Asia tropical climate with hot summers and rainy winters. Due to the effects of the monsoon, Su'ao township is abundant in precipitation, which is an important resource for the growth of crops, resulting in good harvest each year.
Description	Geographically, Su'ao is bounded by the Central Mountain Range on the south, surrounded by hills on 3 sides and faces the sea on 1 side. The town features a narrow and long topography more than 40 km in total length; the mountains wriggle their ways to Hualien and the geographic structure is special. The region is abundant in mineral resources and special and rare cold spring resources ranked 1st in Taiwan. The town is under the effect of an east Asia tropical climate with hot summers and rainy winters. Due to the effects of the monsoon, Su'ao township is abundant in precipitation, which is an important resource for the growth of crops, resulting in good harvest each year. This region comprises mostly of hills, has a northeast monsoon season that commences in Oct and ends in Jan of the following year, is subject to sea-land breeze in summer, with the peak of typhoon season in Jul, Aug and Sep each year, which hits Su'ao Township quite frequently.
Historical Description	Su'ao was known as “Gang Kou” in ancient times and “Shi Ba Keng” in the mainland. It is said that during the Jia Qing regime of the Qing Dynasty, a man named Su Shi Wei from Quan Zhou led 44 village militias here to cultivate the native land; later, in order to commemorate the contribution of the ancestors of the Su family cultivating the land, people combined the surname "Su" with "Ao", a word used to refer to the bays, and named the region "Su'ao". Su'ao Township belonged to Lizejanbao prior to 1889, changed to Yilan Department Lizejian in 1901, Lizejian Office in 1904, belonged to Luodong Branch in 1908 when Lizejian Office was abolished, changed to Taipei Prefecture Su'ao Branch Su'ao Village in 1920, renamed Su'ao Streets in 1943, put under the jurisdiction of Taipei County immediately after the recovery of Taiwan in 1945 and was then renamed Su'ao Township, Yilan County in Oct, 1950 when the administrative division of Taiwan was readjusted and the name has been used since.

Introduce	Datong Township
Anonymity	Taiping
Land Area	752.9982 km²
Population	5,966
Villages	10 villages, 74 neighborhoods
Location	Located on the southwest of Datong Township, Yilan County is bounded by Yuanshan Town and Sanxing Town on the east, Fuxing Town, Taoyuan County and Jianshi Town, Hsinchu Town on the northwest, Nan'ao Town and Heping Town on the south and Wulai Town, Taipei on the north and is a narrow and long area comprises mostly of hills that slopes from the southwest to the southeast. The main rivers and water catchment areas in Datong Township flows from the southwest to the east to the Pacific, the people in the villages live by the Lanyang River and hillsides on both banks of the Luodong River, tableland and flat alluvial area.
Description	The town is abundant in high mountains and waters and a clean and elegant environment made of high mountains and lofty peaks, beautiful sceneries, birds and flowers and is free from air pollution and noise. It ranks first in Yilan County in terms of tourism resources and has abundant unique local resources.
Historical Description	People living in Datong Township are mostly Atayal people that live on the hillsides on both banks of the Lanyang River, tableland or flat land. During the Japanese occupation and from the recovery of Taiwan until early 1950s, the total population of the entire town was 9873, representing 2499 households, there has been a more than 40% decrease of 4031 in total population and a 31% decrease of 775 in the number of households than before. The reason is that the population of Taiping Village and Tuchang Village (already merged into Taiping Village) consisted mainly of immigrant workers during the peak period of logging and forestation; recently, Forest Administration Lanyang Forest Area Management Office (has been renamed Luodong Forest Area Management Office) implemented the new forest policy of the central government and decided that forestation is more important than logging, as a result of which logging operations were stopped in July, 1978 and the original workers moved to work in other forest areas, leading to abrupt decrease in the population of the town, which could be attributed primarily to the social reasons . Presently, the population of the village is 68, representing 25 households, much less comparing to nearly 7000 people 30 or 40 years ago. The population of the Gaoshan Nationality was about 3300 in early 1950s, increased to about 4000 in 1980s, up 17.5%. However, as a result of factors such as employment and study, etc. in recent years, drain of the people is inevitable.

Introduce	Nan'ao Township
Anonymity
Land Area	691.1716 km²
Population	6,078
Villages	7 villages, 51 neighborhoods
Location	Located in the southeast of Yilan between 121° east longitude and 24° north latitude, Nan'ao township is bounded by Dong'ao Village, Nanqiang Village and Zhaoyang Village at Provincial Highway 9 and faces the Pacific on the east, bounded by Xiulin Town, Hualien County at the Heping River (Large Zhuoshui River) on the south, adjoins Su'ao Town and Dongshan Town on the north and borders the Nanhu Mountains and Datong Town on the west. The name "Nan'ao" was given customarily by people as it is located on the south of Su'ao. It consists of such rivers and high mountains including the Dong'ao River, Da Nan'ao River, Heping River (Large Zhuoshui River), Dayuan Mountain (with an elevation of 1489 m), Shiliufen Mountain (with an elevation of 1817 m), Sanxing Mountain (with an elevation of 2551 m), Nanhu N. Mountain (with an elevation of 3535 m) and Nanhu Mountains (with an elevation of 3740 m).
Description	The Han people, Kavalan people, Pin Po people, Japanese and westerners came to Nan'ao either by sea or by mobilizing plenty of manpower and materials to open up the mountains and build roads, indicating the longing of the many ethnic groups for Nan'ao. With the intervention of the political forces, the Atayal people had to make a choice between the free natural land and future sustainable development in addition to overcoming the great power of the nature. Nan'ao was not really transformed until the Su'ao-Hualien Highway and North Link Line were opened for traffic; however, it remains the town that covers the largest area (740.65 km²), most sparsely populated (8 persons per km² on average) and has the most abundant natural resources and greatest potential for development in Yilan.
Historical Description	In the Qing Dynasty, Nan'ao was included in the scope of "Hou Shan". In order to eliminate the foreigners' yearning for the territory, the Qing Government ordered Governor Luo Ta Chun to build the north road to allow the forces of the Qing Government to enter. Nan'ao was put under the jurisdiction of Kavalan Department that was established in the 15th year of the Jia Qing regime (1810). In the first year of the Taisho period (1912), Nan'ao belonged to Yilan Department Nan'ao Branch and was changed to Taipei Prefecture Su'ao Branch in the 9th year of the Taisho period. After the recovery of Taiwan, the region was put under the jurisdiction of Taipei County in 1946 and was officially changed to under the jurisdiction of Yilan County in 1949.