Early history Since early ages, many people have traveled from far places to Yilan.
Indigenous tribes that have settled in Yilan are
Kavalan people and
Atayal people. The Kavalan people came by the sea and lived by the river at
Yilan Plain since around 1,000 years ago. They mostly speak the
Austronesian languages. Their settlements consisted of small villages along rivers with around 40–50 communities scattered around the area with a total population of approximately 10,000 people. The Atayal people came by crossing the Xiyuan Pass and settled in the mountain areas. The Atayal people arrived in Yilan around 250 years ago and settled along the upper Dazhuoshui River. Later, the tribes crossed the
Siyuan Pass to reach the valley upstream of the
Zhuoshui River. These people are the current residents of
Datong Township. Other parts of the Atayal people headed east to enter and settle along the Nan'ao North River and Heping North River. These groups are now settled in
Nan-ao Township. Around 200 years ago, at the end of the 18th century, the
Han Chinese traversed the mountain range and settled in Yilan. Large populations began taming the wilderness, cultivating the fields and building irrigation channels. They used various means to seize lands from the Kavalans. Some Kavalans left their homes while some others migrated southwards to
Hualien and
Taitung coastlines and established settlements.
Spanish Formosa The
Spaniards began arriving in
Taiwan in the 17th century. In 1626, the Spaniards led an invasion under the pretext of ship crews having been slain by Taiwanese barbarians. They then torched harbors and surrounding villages, and even went as far as taking over
Su'ao Town and established a city called Saint Lorenzo.
Dutch Formosa The Spaniards were subsequently ousted by the
Dutch who had taken over the southern part of Taiwan and established
Dutch Formosa. In 1640, the Dutch began contacting Han Chinese merchants for trade and levying taxes on various commercial goods. The merchants had to pay all company taxes but also enjoyed the right to monopolize trade.
Kingdom of Tungning During the
Kingdom of Tungning era, the previous economy monopoly system developed during the
Dutch Formosa continued to be practiced.
Qing dynasty When the Qing dynasty annexed Taiwan, they established the
Kavalan sub-prefecture in Yilan. In 1806, armed conflicts broke out among various ethnic immigrants, followed by pillaging by pirates. The
Qing dynasty government subsequently realized that if they continued to disregard the Kavalan people and did not establish rule of law and a system of defense, Yilan would become a haven for criminals and outlaws, a thorn in the side for Taiwan. In 1809,
Jiaqing Emperor incorporated Kavalan into the domain of the
empire. Troops were dispatched to quell pirate attacks and chart local territory. Local government systems in Taiwan underwent many changes during the Qing dynasty period. But with regards to administrative levels lower than the county, including local villages, there were no major changes. The earliest organization and planning of Yilan consisted of seven citadels. In 1835, the seven citadels were further divided into 12 citadels based on the needs of the changing population and environment. This arrangement remained unchanged until the end of Qing dynasty rule. After the
Mudan Incident in 1874, Qing rulers changed their passive attitude and took a more ambitious approach in ruling Taiwan. The original aboriginal term
Kavalan district was renamed with a more Han-centric
Yilan name and the administrative system was also changed accordingly from the original temporary "district" to a formally governed "county". In 1875, the newly created
Taipeh Prefecture included modern-day Yilan County.
Empire of Japan After the
First Sino-Japanese War in 1894, the Qing government handed over Taiwan to
Japan in accordance with the
Treaty of Shimonoseki. Modern-day Yilan County covers , , and as they existed from 1920 to 1945, all under
Taihoku Prefecture, during
Japanese rule.
Republic of China After the
handover of Taiwan from Japan to the
Republic of China in October 1945, the present-day area of Yilan County was incorporated under
Taipei County. On 10 October 1950,
Yilan County was established as a
county of
Taiwan Province with
Yilan City as the
county seat. In 1998, the government streamlined Taiwan Province and Yilan County became administered by the Executive Yuan while the remaining institutions of this province have been dissolved in 2018. ==Geography==