From Takow to Kaohsiung

Xincheng Township (新城鄉), Hualien County



Xincheng (新城; “New City”) was earlier known in Hoklo-Taiwanese as Toloboan (哆囉滿 Mdn. Duoluoman, 大魯宛 Mdn. Daluwan &c.), derived from the Truku name.

During the Jiaqing (嘉慶; 1796-1820) reign period of the Qing Dynasty, Wu Quan (吳全) from Tamsui, led tenant farmers to cultivate land here, but due to attacks and head-hunting by Truku Aborigines, they firstly built fortifications, leading to the name of New City (城; cheng specifies a walled city), and then abandoned the city and moved south to today’s Hualien City.

In 1875, In order to bring the east coast under Qing dynasty control, a road was started to connect Su’ao with Hualien, which led to the re-establishment of Xincheng.

Xincheng is historically famous for the Xincheng Incident (新城事件) of 1896, just one year into the Period of Japanese Rule. Facing attempts to appropriate their lands and traditional hunting grounds in order to exploit natural resources, and sexual harrassment of indigenous women by Japanese soldiers, Holok Naowi, Chief of the Truku, led 20 warriors against the Japanese forces, killing 13 soldiers, before going to hide in the mountains. This was the first of several conflicts in the Truku War, which ended with Japanese victory in 1914 (see Truku/Taroko).



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