Meilun Hill
The natural landmarks and ecological parks in Hualien City are covered with lush forests, making them ideal for walking, exercising, sightseeing, and exploring nature.
Meilun Hill is composed of conglomerate deposits. About 200,000 years ago, a major flood carried rocks down from the Central Mountain Range and formed an alluvial fan. Later, two faults created by mountain-building activity collided, uplifting part of the fan into the hill now known as Meilun Hill. Located in a subtropical lowland beside the Pacific Ocean, the area quickly developed into a lush forest and became a landmark of Hualien City.
Throughout history, Meilun Hill has been an important military site in the Hualien area. From the Qing dynasty onward, farmer-soldiers were stationed here under a system combining military and civilian duties. Near the end of the Japanese colonial period during World War II, the Japanese military built bunkers and tunnels here; Taiwan's armed forces are stationed here today. Why is Meilun Hill so popular? If it were merely a pile of rocks, it might attract a few admirers or climbers, but not such large crowds.
The beauty of Meilun Hill lies in its abundant plant life, which attracts many small animals and has created Meilun Hill Ecological Park—a place filled with birdsong, fragrant flowers, chirping insects, and fluttering butterflies. From higher ground, visitors can overlook the winding Meilun River at the foot of the hill and see the Pacific Ocean nearby. More than a landmark, it is a park where Hualien residents can walk, exercise, enjoy the scenery, relax, explore nature, and learn.