Yilan County, Taiwan

Yilan County
宜蘭縣
County

Flag
Coat of arms
Coordinates: 24°45′2″N 121°45′33″E / 24.75056°N 121.75917°E / 24.75056; 121.75917Coordinates: 24°45′2″N 121°45′33″E / 24.75056°N 121.75917°E / 24.75056; 121.75917
Country Republic of China (Taiwan)
Province Taiwan Province
Region Northeastern Taiwan
Seat Yilan City
Largest city Yilan City
Boroughs 1 cities, 11 (3 urban, 8 rural) townships
Government
 • County Magistrate Wu Tze-cheng (acting)
Area
 • Total 2,143.6251 km2 (827.6583 sq mi)
Area rank 6 of 22
Population (Dec. 2014)
 • Total 458,777
 • Rank 17 of 22
 • Density 210/km2 (550/sq mi)
Time zone National Standard Time (UTC+8)
Website www.e-land.gov.tw
Symbols
Flower Cymbidium
Tree Chinese flame tree (Koelreuteria formosana)
Yilan County, Taiwan
Traditional Chinese 宜蘭縣
Simplified Chinese 宜兰县

Yilan County (Chinese: 宜蘭縣; pinyin: Yílán Xiàn; Wade–Giles: I2-lan2 Hsien4) is a county in northeastern Taiwan. Yilan is officially administered as a county of the Republic of China.

Name

The name Yilan name derives from the aboriginal Kavalan tribe. Other former names in reference to this area in the Yilan Plain include Kabalan,[1] Kavalan, La-A-Lan,E-A-Lan, and Gilan. Before 2009, the county's official name was transliterated as Ilan.

History

Yilan Government building in 1915

Since early ages, many people have traveled from far places to Yilan. Indigenous tribes that have settled in Yilan are Kavalan people and Atayal people.

The Kavalan people came by the sea and lived by the river at Yilan Plain since around 1,000 years ago. They mostly speak the Austronesian languages. Their settlements consisted of small villages along rivers with around 40-50 communities scattered around the area with a total population of approximately 10,000 people. The Atayal people came by crossing the Xiyuan Pass and settled in the mountain areas.

The Atayal people arrived in Yilan around 250 years ago and settled along the upper Dazhuoshui River. Later, the tribes crossed the Siyuan Pass to reach the valley upstream of the Zhuoshui River. These people are the current residents of Datong Township. Other parts of the Atayal people headed east to enter and settle along the Nan'ao North River and Heping North River. These groups are now settled in Nan-ao Township.

Around 200 years ago, at the end of the 18th century, the Han Chinese traversed the mountain range and settled in Yilan. Large populations began taming the wilderness, cultivating the fields and building irrigation channels. They used various means to seize lands from the Kavalans. Some Kavalans left their homes while some others migrated southwards to Hualien and Taitung coastlines and established settlements.[2]

Spanish Formosa

The Spaniards began arriving in Taiwan in the 17th century. In 1626, the Spaniards led an invasion under the pretext of ship crews having been slain by Taiwanese barbarians. They then torched harbors and surrounding villages, and even went as far as taking over Su'ao Town and established a city called Saint Lorenzo.

Dutch Formosa

The Spaniards were subsequently ousted by the Dutch who had taken over the southern part of Taiwan and established Dutch Formosa. In 1640, the Dutch began contacting Han Chinese merchants for trade and levying taxes on various commercial goods. The merchants had to pay all company taxes but also enjoyed the right to monopolize trade.

Kingdom of Tungning

During the Kingdom of Tungning era, the previous economy monopoly system developed during the Dutch Formosa continued to be practiced.

Qing Dynasty

When the Qing Dynasty annexed Taiwan, they established the Kavalan sub-prefecture in Yilan. In 1806, armed conflicts broke out among various ethnic immigrants, followed by pillaging by pirates. The Qing Dynasty government subsequently realized that if they continued to disregard the Kavalan people and did not establish rule of law and a system of defense, Yilan would become a haven for criminals and outlaws, a thorn in the side for Taiwan. In 1809, Jiaqing Emperor incorporated Kavalan into the domain of the empire. Troops were dispatched to quell pirate attacks and chart local territory.

Local government systems in Taiwan underwent many changes during the Qing Dynasty period. But with regards to administrative levels lower than the county, including local villages, there were no major changes. The earliest organization and planning of Yilan consisted of seven citadels. In 1835, the seven citadels were further divided into 12 citadels based on the needs of the changing population and environment. This arrangement remained unchanged until the end of Qing Dynasty rule.[3]

After the Mudan Incident in 1874, Qing rulers changed their passive attitude and took a more ambitious approach in ruling Taiwan. The original aboriginal term Kavalan district was renamed with a more Han-centric Yilan name and the administrative system was also changed accordingly from the original temporary "district" to a formally governed "county".[4] In 1875, the newly created Taipeh Prefecture included modern-day Yilan County.

Empire of Japan

After the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894, the Qing government handed over Taiwan to the Japan in accordance with the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Modern-day Yilan County covers Giran District (宜蘭郡), Ratō District (羅東郡), Suō District (蘇澳郡), and Giran City (宜蘭市) as they existed from 1920 to 1945, all under Taihoku Prefecture, during Japanese rule.

Republic of China

After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China in October 1945, the present-day area of Yilan County was incorporated under Taipei County. On 16 August 1950, Yilan County was established as a county of Taiwan Province with Yilan City as the county seat.

Geography

Yilan Plain

Yilan County sits on the Yilan Plain, a combined alluvial plain created by Lanyang River and other minor streams with a rough shape of triangle. On the three vertices of the triangle sit the Toucheng, Sanxing and Su-ao Townships with a roughly equal distance of 30 km on the three sides. The Xueshan Range sits on the northwest of Yilan County from Toucheng to Sanxing. The county is geographically divided into the cliffs and the plains. The Central Mountain Range sits to the south from Sanxing to Su'ao.[5]

The Upper Lanyang River is steep and the rapid current is highly erosive. Large amount of silt carried by the river have little time to settle because of the high slope of the lands where it flows out of the mountains and valleys. An alluvial fan is formed as a result of scattered sand and gravel settling down. Large amount of gravel accumulate in the shallow stream bed, creating alluvial fans that often forms into web-like pattern. The river tends to change courses after floods caused by heavy rainfall or river overflow. The Lanyang River slows down as it reaches mid and downstream where silt begins to settle.

Yilan County is located in the northeastern Taiwan Island which covers an area of 2,143 km2. The longest distance from east to west is 63 km and from north to south is 74 km. From the mountain areas downwards, the land falls in altitude in the stages of mountains, alleys, alluvial plains, lowlands, swamps, sand hills and finally coastline.

Government

Yilan City, the county seat of Yilan County
Yilan County Government
Yilan County Council

Yilan County is administered as a county of Taiwan Province. Yilan City is the county seat which houses the Yilan County Government and Yilan County Council. The county is headed by a magistrate with the incumbent acting magistrate is independent Wu Tze-cheng.

Elected magistrates

Administrative divisions

Yilan County is divided into 1 city, 3 urban townships, 6 rural townships and 2 mountain indigenous townships.

Name Chinese
City
Yilan City 宜蘭市
Urban townships
Luodong Township 羅東鎮
Su'ao Township 蘇澳鎮
Toucheng Township 頭城鎮
Rural townships
Dongshan Township 冬山鄉
Jiaoxi Township 礁溪鄉
Sanxing Township 三星鄉
Wujie Township 五結鄉
Yuanshan Township 員山鄉
Zhuangwei Township 壯圍鄉
Mountain indigenous townships
Datong Township 大同鄉
Nan'ao Township 南澳鄉

Politics

Yilan County voted one Democratic Progressive Party legislator out of one seat to be in the Legislative Yuan during the 2016 Republic of China legislative election.[6]

Demographics and culture

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1985 449,981—    
1990 450,943+0.2%
1995 465,043+3.1%
2000 465,186+0.0%
2005 460,426−1.0%
2010 460,486+0.0%
2015 458,117−0.5%
Source:"Populations by city and country in Taiwan". Ministry of the Interior Population Census. 

Population

Today Han Chinese comprises the majority of the population in Yilan County.[2]

Education

National Ilan University

Education related affairs in Yilan County is governed by the Education Department of Yilan County Government. The county houses several public and private universities and colleges such as the National Ilan University, Fo Guang University, Lan Yang Institute of Technology and St. Mary's Medicine Nursing and Management College.

Energy

Yilan County has 40 MW renewable energy capacity from an incinerator plant and two hydroelectric power plants.[7]

Tourist attractions

Su-ao Cold Spring.
Paddy fields in Yilan County

Festivals

Transportation

Yilan Station

Rail

The Yilan Line and North-Link Line of Taiwan Railways Administration pass the county. Train stations within the two lines in the county are Shihcheng, Dali, Daxi, Guishan, Wai-ao, Toucheng, Dingpu, Jiaoxi, Sicheng, Yilan, Erjie, Zhongli, Luodong, Dongshan, Xinma, Su'aoxin, Su'ao, Yongle, Dong-ao, Wuta and Hanben Station.

Relative location

Template:Geographic region Location

References

  1. ↑ Campbell, William (1903). "Explanatory Notes". Formosa under the Dutch: described from contemporary records, with explanatory notes and a bibliography of the island. London: Kegan Paul. p. 543. OCLC 644323041.
  2. 1 2 http://www.e-land.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=2306&CtNode=533&mp=5
  3. ↑ http://www.e-land.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=2308&ctNode=533&mp=5
  4. ↑ http://www.e-land.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=2309&ctNode=533&mp=5
  5. ↑ http://www.e-land.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=2316&CtNode=534&mp=5
  6. ↑ "2016 The 14th Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and The 9th Legislator Election".
  7. ↑ Gao, Pat (1 January 2017). "Head of Steam". Taiwan Today. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  8. ↑ Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ "Jiaosi Hot Springs". National Central Library.
  10. ↑ "Wufongci (Five-Peak Flag) Scenic Area". National Central Library.
  11. ↑ "Taipingshan". taiwan.com.au.
  12. ↑ Travel Bureau MOTC, R.O.C.
  13. ↑ regatta.ilc.edu.tw
  14. ↑ 宜蘭縣政府. "2016宜蘭綠色博覽會官方網站– 糧心". greenexpo.e-land.gov.tw. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
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