Wulai District (Atayal: Ulay; ) is a mountain indigenous district in southern New Taipei City in northern Taiwan. It sits near the border with Taipei and is famous for its hot springs. It is the largest district in New Taipei, as well as the most mountainous, and is home to the indigenous Atayal people.

Name

The name of the town derives from the Atayal phrase kilux ulay meaning "hot and poisonous" when an Atayal hunter hunting by a stream saw mist coming from it.

History

Formerly classified as an "Aboriginal area" under Taihoku Prefecture during Japanese rule, Wulai was organized as a rural township of Taipei County after the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China in 1945.

On June 22, 2001, President Chen Shui-bian visited a local school and hosted a graduation ceremony there.

On December 25, 2010, Taipei County was upgraded to the special municipality of New Taipei City and Wulai was upgraded to a district.

In August 2015, Wulai was devastated by Typhoon Soudelor, wiping out several hotels and destroying hot springs in the region. The course of the Nanshi River that passes through the district has since changed, with the riverbank eroded heavily by surging water.

Geography

left|thumb|Map including Wulai area (1944)

left|thumb|Map including Wulai (labeled as Urai-sha) (1954)

  • Elevation: (average)
  • Area:
  • Population: 6,300 people (March 2023)

Administrative divisions

Wulai District is divided into five urban villages:/Jhongjhih (), Wulai/Siaoyi (), Xinxian/Sinsian () and Fushan

The 9A branch line of the Provincial Highway 9 passes through the district.

Rail

The district also has the Wulai Scenic Train, a converted mine train built during the Japanese era that takes visitors from downtown Wulai to the attractions at the base of Wulai Waterfall.

Notable people

  • Tony Coolidge (1970-), Atayal-American filmmaker

<gallery>

File:Wulai IMG 0291.JPG|Children playing in the Wulai River

File:Wulai IMG 0310.JPG|Wulai Falls as seen from above from the Gondola

File:Wulai IMG 0315.JPG|Wulai Gorge as seen from the Gondola

File:Wulai IMG 0276.JPG|Aboriginal Shops on the main street

File:Dreamland Park, Wulai.jpg|Yun Hsien Resort

File:Tonghou River in Wulai.jpg|A view of the buildings around the Tonghou River.

File:Wulai Suspension Bridge.jpg|Wulai Suspension Bridge over Nanshi River with incoming storm

</gallery>

See also

  • New Taipei

References

  • 台北縣烏來鄉簡介 - 烏來四季1 ('Introduction to Wulai Township, Taipei County - The Four Seasons in Wulai, Part 1')