Though it is the largest settlement on Taiwan's rugged east coast, Hualien (ªá½¬) is known to most visitors only as the nearest city to Taiwan's premier scenic attraction, Taroko Gorge (¤Ó¾| »Õ). Certainly, this natural marvel is one of Asia's most spectacula sights and should not be missed; but of the millions of tourists who flock to Taroko every year, too few take the time to explore Hualien itself. This is a shame, as the city has a lot to offer and displays a subtle but unique charm of its own.
For much of its existence, Hualien was connected to the rest of the island only by the perilous highway that clings to the coastal cliffs all the way from Suao 110 kilometers to the north. This highway was little more than a path before a wider road was carved out of the towering rock by the occupying Japanese during the 1920s.
Hualien's only other major road link with the outside world is the narrow and tortuous Central Cross-Island Highway. This remarkable feat of engineering, blasted and hacked through the mountains by demobilized soldiers, was completed in 1959 at the cost of 490 lives.
Even now these roads are often closed by landslides and rock falls, many of them prompted by the frequent minor earthquakes that shake Hualien. The city sits very close to where the Philippine oceanic and the Eurasian continental tectonic plates meet.
Civil air transport to the city was established only in 1962, while the railway line that carves through the coastal mountains from the north was not completed until 1980.
Due to this isolation, Hualien and its environs have largely escaped the manic development evident in the rest of Taiwan. Lacking the industry of the west or the business centers of the north, the city has turned to blasting its wealth out of the surrounding mountains. Locally quarried limestone makes Hualien the cement capital of Taiwan, and it is also the center of the island's jade and marble trade.
Marble features prominently in most of the large hotels and public buildings in the city, and even sections of sidewalk are paved with slabs of it. To show local gratitude for the naturally occurring abundance of the valuable stone, Hualien even has a temple built almost exclusively of marble: the opulent Temple of Eastern Purity, just off Kungyuan Road.
Another good place to bry locally made products is the Central Tourist Night Market on Chungshan Road. This is a veritable cornucopia of marble, jade, and wooden artifacts, all produced locally. The market is sponsored and supervised by the local tourist authority, so prices are reasonable and rip-offs rare.
Hualien has other night markets, notably at the intersection of Kungcheng and Chungshan roads, and on Nanping Beach. The former is an ideal place to eat, having many stalls selling the area's famous seafood dishes and Hualien's specialty, a sweet, sticky, chewy substance made from white rice called mashu (³ÂÁ¦).
Visitors who fancy a swim from Hualien's seafront park will be disappointed--the pebble beach shelves sharply and is too dangerous for bathing. Instead, a popular local pastime seems to be collecting interesting rocks there. Swimming is possible at a small beach just outside of Hualien, reached by traveling south on Haian Road.
Another favorite relaxation spot for Hualien residents is Liyu (Carp) Lake (ÃU³½¼æ). About 30 minutes by car outside the city, this reservoir is the area's main spot for boating and fishing. Various types of water craft are available for rent; and in June, during the Dragon Boat Festival, the lake hosts the area's spectacular Dragon Boat races.
Hualien--the City
With no major manufacturing districts and with its main industry situated outside the city, Hualien retains a relaxed and pleasant character that contrasts sharply with the rest of Taiwan. Traffic in the city flows lazily along and the people seem in no great hurry to get anywhere-- refreshing indeed for anyone used to Taipei's frenetic pace of life.
Not that Hualien is an undeveloped backwater; the commercial area around the intersection of Chunghua and Chungshan roads bustles with shoppers visiting the large Far Eastern Department Store and other smart shopping locations.
For those looking for the soul of Hualien, the oldest part of the city is situated along Mingli Road, close to the Meilun River. Here, on the site of Hualien's first settlement, a few old Japanese colonial-era buildings still remain.
Home to the Ami and Atayal Tribes
One of the defining factors of Hualien's character is its large population of aborigines. Over 80,000 members of the Ami and Atayal tribe live in Hualien county and their influence still subtly pervades the area. On the slopes surrounding the city, numerous small Atayal aborigine villages still exist. Most Ami, however, live near the coast.
Aboriginal culture is regarded by the government as an integral part of the island's heritage. Numerous Ami song and dance performances are held by groups around Hualien, and the Ami Cultural Village outside the city has become a popular tourist attraction.
In August the Ami celebrate their harvest festival, known locally as the "Good Year" Festival, during which the various aborigine villages compete to hold the most magnificent celebrations. This is the most significant of the Ami festivals, as their traditional culture is based mainly on agriculture. Despite many of the tribesmen having been lured away from farming by high-paying jobs in the local cement industry, enough of them still work the land that Hualien boasts a thriving export business in commodities such as seedless watermelons, sugar cane, mulberry leaves, and tea through its small but busy international seaport.
Although Hualien is usually seen only as a transit point or a
convenient overnight stop when visiting nearby Taroko Gorge, the city
itself deserves exploration. With its clean air, spectacular scenery,
and relaxed pace, Hualien is possibly the most pleasant of all of
Taiwan's cities.
Copyright 1995 Vision International Publishing Co.