Liouguei District, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency ( Taivoan: ''Lakuri''; ) is a rural

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

Kaohsiung City Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsiung City has a population of ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. It is the third largest district in Kaohsiung City after

Tauyuan District Taoyuan District ( Bunun: Ngani; ) is a mountain indigenous district of Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. It is the largest district in Kaohsiung City by area and the least densely populated district in Taiwan. The population is mainly the indigenous B ...

and

Namasia District Namasia District ( Kanakanavu language, Bunun language: ''Namasia''; ), formerly Sanmin Township (), is a mountain indigenous district located in the northeastern part of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It is the second largest district in Kaohsiung after T ...

. The place-name is derived from the name of a Taivoan community ''Lakuri'' or ''Lakkuli'', which emigrated from Vogavon in

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and commonly called the "Taiwan Prefecture, ...

, driven to Kaohsiung by the invasion of Han immigrants and Siraya in the late 17th century. The residents of this district are mainly

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka-speaking Chinese, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas, are a southern Han Chinese subgroup whose principal settlements and ancestral homes are dispersed widely across the provinces of southern China ...

(about 44% ) and

Hoklo Taiwanese Hoklo Taiwanese or Holo people ( zh, t=河洛人/鶴老人/福佬人, poj=Ho̍h-ló-lâng) are a major ethnic group in Taiwan whose ancestry is wholly or partially Hoklo. Being Taiwanese of Han origin, their mother tongue is Taiwanese ( or ), ...

, as well as

indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

and immigrants from other China provinces. The entire region has been included in the

Maolin National Scenic Area The Maolin National Scenic Area () is a national scenic area in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County of Taiwan. Geology The scenic area is located at the western side of Central Mountain Range foothill which covers three rivers. It is located within t ...

. In recent years, the tourism industry has flourished.

History

Due to the invasion of Han in the 17th century, Siraya that originally lived in the plains of

was forced to migrate to

Yuchin Basin Yujing District () is a District (Taiwan), rural district in eastern Tainan, Taiwan. It is famous for its cultivation of mangoes. After a 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit southern Taiwan in March 2010, pillars were severely damaged at Yujing Juni ...

, which in turn drove Taivoan from Vogavon to Pangliao,

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsiung City has a population of approximately 2.73 million p ...

in 1781, reaching nowadays Liouguei in 1799, founding community Lakkuli (), also spelled ''Lakuri'' or ''La-ko-li''. In 1902, during early Japanese rule, the area was administered as "Lakkuli Village" (). In 1910, it was reorganized as , . In 1920, it became , under ,

Takao Prefecture was one of the administrative divisions of Taiwan during the Taiwan under Japanese rule, Japanese rule. The prefecture consisted of modern-day Kaohsiung City and Pingtung County. Population Administrative divisions Cities and district ...

. In 1932, Rokuki was annexed into under Takao Prefecture. After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

in 1945, Liouguei was incorporated into

Kaohsiung County Kaohsiung County was a county in southern Taiwan between 1945 and 2010. The county seat was located in Fongshan City. History Kaohsiung County was established on 6 December 1945 on the territory of Takao Prefecture () shortly after the end ...

as a rural township. On 25 December 2010, the township became a district of

. In 1964, Baptist educator and preacher Yang Hsu and his wife Lin Feng-ying formally established the Liouguei Mountain Children's Home for orphans. In August 2019, some residents living in high-risk areas of Liouguei District were evacuated from their homes after heavy rain and flash flooding.

Geology

The district resembles the shape of long gourd with a vertical length of 36 km and a horizontal width of 5 km. The

Laonong River The Laonong River, also spelled Laonung River (), is a tributary of the Gaoping River in Taiwan; it is the main course of the river system above the Gaoping River. It flows through Kaohsiung City Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a ...

passes from north to south through the center of the township.

Administrative divisions

The district consists of Sinwei/Xinwei, Xinxing, Xinliao, Xinfa, Laonong, Liouguei, Yibao, Xinglong, Zhongxing, Baolai, Wenwu and Dajin Villages.

Economy

During Japanese rule, the district was known for the production of

Camphor Camphor () is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel (''Cinnamomum camphora''), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the kapu ...

oil. The Japanese government constructed a route and tunnels to facilitate the transportation of the product.

Culture

Liouguei comprises mainly

, Chinese mainlanders, plain indigenous people, and mountain indigenous people. The Hakka community is primarily located in the areas of Xinliao, Xinwei, and Xinxing near the Liouguei Tunnel, with most of them originating from the Meinong area and maintaining close connections and intermarriages with neighboring regions. The population of Chinese mainlanders mostly consists of retired soldiers and their descendants who stayed behind after the construction of the

Southern Cross-Island Highway The Southern Cross-Island Highway (), also known as Provincial Highway No. 20, links Tainan City on the west coast to Taitung City on the east coast, on the southern section of the island of Taiwan. The road is long. From west to east, the road ...

, mainly residing in the areas of Zhongxing and Wenwu. The plain indigenous group Taivoan is scattered across several villages, and the mountain indigenous people have migrated from nearby mountainous areas.

Taivoan

The Night Ceremony and the Public Hall ''

Kong-kài A Kong-kài (Taiwanese Hokkien, Taiwanese: ''kong-kài''; Siraya language, Siraya: ''Kuwa''; Taivoan language, Taivoan: ''Kuba'', ''Kuva''), literally "the Public Hall" in Taiwanese Hokkien, is a temple or shrine where indigenous peoples like th ...

'' in Liouguei and Laonong are signigicant markers of the Taivoan people's culture in the district. According to local records, thousands of years ago, when the ancestors of the indigenous people encountered a typhoon during their sea voyage to Taiwan, it was the highest ancestral spirit, ''Hagan,'' who appeared and led them to land safely on the island. This was the beginning of the people's worship of the spirit in Kong-kài.

Tourist attractions

* Baolai Spring Park * Bulao Hot Spring * Jinlongshan Cihui Temple (金龍山慈惠堂) * Liouguei Tunnels *

* 18 Arhats Mountain * Sinwei Forest Ecological Park * Taivoan Night Ceremony

Agricultural Products

* "Black Diamond" Wax Jambu (''

Syzygium samarangense ''Syzygium'' () is a genus of flowering plants that belongs to the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. The genus comprises about 1200 species, and has a native range that extends from Africa and Madagascar through southern Asia east through the Pacific. I ...

'') * Jinhuang Mango * Jinxuan Oolong Tea *

Jujube Jujube (UK ; US or ), sometimes jujuba, scientific name ''Ziziphus jujuba'', and also called red date, Chinese date, and Chinese jujube, is a species in the genus '' Ziziphus'' in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. It is often confused wit ...

Transportation

* Liouguei Bus Station

References

{{Authority control Districts of Kaohsiung Taivoan people