Hualian

The city of Hualian (Chinese: 花蓮) is located on the east coast of Taiwan and has a population of 110000 inhabitants. Hualian is the main access gateway to the nearby Taroko national park. The area was initially settled by the Spaniards in 1622 who came looking for gold, and was permanently settled in the second half of the 19th century. Hualien is relatively unimpressive, but has a small, but interesting night market.