Evidence of settlement in Miaoli dates back a thousand years. Many archaeological artifacts have been found showing that during the prehistoric era, people lived in the
river terrace. They mainly led an agriculture life and engaged in hunting and fishing for extra food. About a thousand years ago, an indigenous group of
Taokas people settled here. In the mid-17th century,
Han Chinese began to migrate into the area, beginning a gradual process of deforestation and establishment of permanent settlement sites. Most inhabitants of Miaoli assimilated into the dominant Han population or migrated deeper into the mountainous areas. After several hundred years, Miaoli had become the home of people from different origins, such as the
Hakka,
Hoklo,
Atayal and
Saisiat peoples.
Kingdom of Tungning After
Koxinga took over Taiwan from the
Netherlands, he placed Miaoli in () and started an immigration plan to develop the area.
Qing Dynasty After the last
Tungning ruler
Zheng Keshuang surrendered to the
Qing Dynasty, Tian-sing County was renamed
Zhuluo County. In 1889, () was established as an independent county under
Taiwan Prefecture. At the end of the 19th century, thousands of acres of high-quality fertile fields had been reclaimed in the area of
Nanzhuang,
Shitan,
Dahu and
Zhuolan. Public and private schools were also established all over Miaoli which made the area a place of gathering intellectuals and elites in northern Taiwan.
Empire of Japan The county was at first eliminated under
Japanese Imperial rule. existed from c. 1901 to 1908, but was split over and in 1909. From 1920 to 1945, , and six villages were under the jurisdiction of Byōritsu District, under
Shinchiku Prefecture.
Republic of China After the
handover of Taiwan from Japan to the
Republic of China on 25 October 1945, the present day area of Miaoli County was incorporated to
Hsinchu County. On 16 August 1950, the government re-established Miaoli County with
Miaoli Township as the
county seat. On 25 December 1981, Miaoli Township was upgraded from a
township to a
county-administered city. ==Geography==