Yilan County Government - 宜蘭縣政府全球資訊網

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.

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.

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.