Yuanshan

Yuanshan (員山) is a suburban township immediately adjacent to Yilan City, historically significant as the site of Yilan Shinto Shrine (1906), which was later converted into a Chinese martyrs’ shrine. During World War 2 the Imperial Japanese Army constructed an extensive underground command center beneath a local cemetery, intended as part of a contingency plan for an Allied landing on the shores of Yilan. The area also features well-preserved Qing dynasty era traditional residences and is recognized as the birthplace of Taiwanese opera (歌仔戲).