Miaoli

Miáolì (苗栗) is part of north-central Taiwan known for its vibrant Hakka culture and scenic mountain towns. Sandwiched between Hsinchu and Taichung, it was heavily affected by the 1935 Hsinchu-Taichung Earthquake, which had its epicenter in Sanyi. That township is now known for its woodcarving industry and its Old Mountain Line railway heritage, including the iconic Longteng Broken Bridge.

The county’s interior developed around extractive industries during the Japanese colonial era, with coal mines and forestry operations in Nanzhuang and Gongguan, which is also home to Chuhuangkeng, site of East Asia’s first modern oil well. The mountainous Tai’an Township is Miaoli’s only Indigenous district, home to Tayal communities in the upper reaches of the Xueshan Range (雪山山脈).