Keelung facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Keelung 基隆市 Kīrun, Ke-lung, Chilung
City
Keelung City
Top: Keelung's city view Second left: Dawulun Fort Second right: Keelung at night Third left: Colorful houses at Zhengbin Fishing Port Third right: Keelung Maritime Plaza and Main Station Bottom left: Keelung Outer Harbor and Keelung Islet Bottom right: Heping Island Park
Flag Logo
Nickname(s):  The Rainy Port (雨港)
Location in Taiwan
Country	Republic of China (Taiwan)
Province	Taiwan Province (streamlined)
Region	Northern Taiwan
Districts	7
Founded as La Santisima Trinidad	1626
Part of Taihoku Prefecture	17 April 1895
Provincial city status	11 November 1945
City seat	Zhongzheng District
Government
• Body	Keelung City Government Keelung City Council
Area
• Total	132.7589 km2 (51.2585 sq mi)
Area rank	18 of 22
Population  (October 2023)
• Total	362,487
• Rank	16 of 22
• Density	2,730.416/km2 (7,071.744/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (National Standard Time)
Postal code	200–206
Area code(s)	(0)32
ISO 3166 code	TW-KEE
– Bird	Eagle
– Flower	Common crepe myrtle
– Tree	Formosan Sweet-gum
English	Keelung/KLC
Chinese	基隆/基市

Above: Central Keelung and its port. Second left: Chung Cheng Park gate. Second right: Sun Yat-sen Freeway start. Third left: Keelung's north coast. Third right: Keelung Port. Bottom left: A windmill and a squid. Right: Keelung Island.

Keelung (pronounced kee-LUUNG), also called Chilung or Jilong (pronounced jee-LUUNG), is a big port city in the northeast of Taiwan. It's part of the wider Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, which includes New Taipei City and Taipei. Keelung is known as the Rainy Port because it often rains there and it's a very important harbor. It's Taiwan's second-largest seaport after Kaohsiung. In 1984, it was the 7th biggest port in the world!

The city has a long history. In 1626, the Spanish built a fort here. Later, the area was controlled by the Qing dynasty from China. There were battles between China and European countries in the 1800s, like during the First Opium War and the Sino-French War. In 1895, Taiwan became part of Japan after the First Sino-Japanese War, and Keelung was called Kirun. After 1945, Taiwan returned to the Republic of China, and Keelung became a city in Taiwan Province.

About the Name Keelung

The name Keelung has changed over time. Long ago, Chinese people called this northern coastal area Pak-kang. In the early 1900s, people in the West knew it as Kelung or similar names.

However, the local Taiwanese people have always called the city Kelang. This name might come from a nearby mountain that looks like a "rooster cage." But it's more likely that the name came from the very first people who lived here, the Ketagalan people. Early Chinese settlers probably tried to say "Ketagalan" and it sounded like Ke-lâng to them.

In 1875, during the Qing era, the city got a new official name: Jīlóng, which means "base prosperous." Both the old and new names probably sounded like Gīlóng in Mandarin Chinese.

When Japan ruled Taiwan (1895–1945), the city was also known as Kīrun in Japanese. Today, in Taiwanese Hokkien, the local language, the city is still called Ke-lâng. In Hanyu Pinyin, a system for Mandarin Chinese, it's written as Jīlóng.

History of Keelung

Early Times

A map of Keelung from 1626, drawn by the Spanish.

Native Taiwanese people in Keelung around 1590.

The first people to live in Keelung were the Ketagalan people, a group of Taiwanese Indigenous people. In the early 1600s, the Spanish arrived and built a fort called San Salvador de Quelung in Keelung. This fort was an outpost of the Spanish East Indies from Manila. The Spanish ruled this area as part of Spanish Formosa.

Besides the native people, the Spanish brought others to North Taiwan. These included Chinese traders, Christian Japanese, and people from the Philippines. They also brought soldiers and workers from Mexico, and a few Spanish leaders and missionaries.

From 1642 to 1661, and again from 1663 to 1668, Keelung was controlled by the Dutch. The Dutch East India Company took over the Spanish fort and made it smaller, renaming it Fort Noort-Hollant. The Dutch also had other small forts, a school, and a preacher in Keelung.

When a Chinese loyalist named Koxinga attacked the Dutch in southern Taiwan, the Dutch in Keelung left. They came back in 1663 and made their forts stronger. But trade wasn't as good as they hoped, and they left for good in 1668 after being bothered by the local people.

Qing Dynasty Rule

A map of Keelung from 1856.

Sino-French War

French soldiers landing in Keelung on October 1, 1884.

During the Sino-French War (1884–1885), the French tried to invade Taiwan. This was known as the Keelung Campaign. Liu Mingchuan, who was in charge of Taiwan's defense, asked Indigenous people to fight alongside Chinese soldiers against the French. The French were defeated in a battle near Tamsui. The Chinese forces then kept the French stuck in Keelung for eight months before the French finally left.

Japanese Rule

After the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895, Taiwan was given to Japan. The Japanese started to develop Keelung systematically. They began a big project to build up Keelung Harbor. By 1916, Keelung Harbor became one of Taiwan's most important trading ports, even bigger than Tamsui and Kaohsiung.

Keelung was first a town in Taihoku Prefecture in 1920, and then it became a city in 1924. When World War II started in 1941, Keelung was one of the first places bombed by Allied planes. The city was almost completely destroyed.

Republic of China Rule

After Taiwan was returned from Japan to the Republic of China in October 1945, Keelung became a provincial city of Taiwan Province. The Keelung City Government worked hard to rebuild the city and its harbor. By 1984, the harbor was the 7th largest container port in the world. In 2018, Keelung became directly managed by the central government.

Geography of Keelung

Map of the Keelung area from 1950.

Map of Keelung and nearby areas from the 1950s.

Keelung City is located in the northern part of Taiwan Island. It covers an area of about 132.76 square kilometers. Mountains surround the city to the east, west, and south. The northern part of the city faces the ocean and has a great deep-water harbor that has been used for a long time. Keelung also controls nearby islands like Keelung Islet, Pengjia Islet, Mianhua Islet, and Huaping Islet.

Climate and Weather

Keelung has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has warm, short winters and long, hot summers. It's known as one of the wettest cities in the world, with over 3,700 mm of rain each year. This is partly because of the Kuroshio Current.

Even though it's one of the coolest cities in Taiwan, winter days can still be warm, sometimes above 26 °C. In summer, rainy days can be cooler, below 27 °C. Because of its location on northern mountain slopes, Keelung gets more rain in the fall and winter. During summer, there's a bit less rain. Fog is very common in winter and spring when the air is most humid.

City Government and Districts

Keelung City Hall in Zhongzheng District.

George Hsieh, the current Mayor of Keelung City.

The main government offices for Keelung City are in Zhongzheng District. This is where the Keelung City Government and Keelung City Council are located. The current mayor of Keelung is George Hsieh.

City Areas

Keelung is divided into seven (7) main areas called districts:

Map	Name		Chinese	Taiwanese	Hakka	Population (October 2023)	Area (km²)
		Zhongzheng	中正區	Tiong-chèng	Tsûng-tsang	50,693	10.2118
		Zhongshan	中山區	Tiong-san	Tsûng-sân	45,523	10.5238
		Ren-ai	仁愛區	Jîn-ài	Yìn-oi	41,159	4.2335
		Xinyi (Sinyi)	信義區	Sìn-gī	Sin-ngi	53,399	10.6706
		Anle	安樂區	An-lo̍k	Ôn-lo̍k	80,452	18.0250
		Nuannuan	暖暖區	Loán-loán	Nôn-nôn	38,455	22.8283
		Qidu	七堵區	Chhit-tó͘	Tshit-tù	52,806	56.2659

People and Culture

Festivals

One of Taiwan's most famous festivals is the mid-summer Ghost Festival. The Keelung Ghost Festival is very old, starting in 1851. It began after some serious fights between different groups of people, which caused many lives to be lost. Later, people stepped in to help make peace.

Economy and Industry

Coal mining was a very important industry in Keelung, reaching its highest point in 1968. The city grew quickly, and by 1984, its harbor became the 7th largest container harbor in the world.

Education in Keelung

The main gate of National Taiwan Ocean University.

The Department of Education of Keelung City Government manages schools and learning in Keelung City.

Universities and Colleges

Keelung City is home to several universities and colleges, including the National Taiwan Ocean University, Ching Kuo Institute of Management and Health, and Chungyu Institute of Technology.

High Schools

• National Keelung Maritime Vocational High School
• Keelung Fu Jen Sacred Heart Senior High School

Energy Production

The Hsieh-ho Power Plant.

Keelung City has the only power plant in Taiwan that runs completely on oil. It's called the Hsieh-ho Power Plant and is located in Zhongshan District. This power plant can produce 2,000 megawatts of electricity.

Places to Visit

The Keelung Cultural Center.

Ports and Harbors

• Badouzi Fishing Port
• Bisha Fishing Port
• Port of Keelung
• Zhengbin Fishing Port

Parks and Nature

• Zhongzheng Park
• Heping Island Park

Cultural Spots

• Embrace Cultural and Creative Park
• Keelung Cultural Center
• Keelung City Indigenous Cultural Hall

Museums

• National Museum of Marine Science and Technology

Historical Sites

You can visit many old forts and temples in Keelung, such as Baimiweng Fort, Dawulun Fort, Gongzi Liao Fort, Keelung Fort Commander's Official Residence, Nuannuan Ande Temple, Pengjia Lighthouse, Uhrshawan Battery, and Xian Dong Yan.

Getting Around Keelung

Keelung Station at night.

The Superstar Libra cruise ship at Port of Keelung.

Train Travel

The Taiwan Railways Administration has several stations in Keelung: Keelung, Sankeng, Badu, Qidu, Baifu, and Nuannuan.

• The Shen'ao line also has stations like Haikeguan and Badouzi.

Water Travel

The Port of Keelung is Taiwan's second-largest port. You can take ferries from here to the Matsu Islands, Xiamen in China, and Okinawa in Japan.

Sister Cities

Keelung has "sister city" relationships with many cities around the world. This means they share cultural and economic ties.

• Bacolod and Davao City, Philippines
• Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands
• Campbell, California, U.S.
• Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.
• East London, South Africa
• Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia
• Miyakojima, Okinawa, Japan
• Rosemead, California, U.S.
• Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
• Sangju, North Gyeongsang, South Korea
• Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
• Yakima, Washington, U.S.

Famous People from Keelung

Many well-known people come from Keelung, including:

• Chen Ti, a tennis player
• Zero Chou, a film director
• Jiang Yi-huah, a former Premier of the Republic of China
• Show Lo, a singer and entertainer
• Danson Tang, a Mandopop singer
• Yi Huan, a comic creator and animator
• Feng-hsuing Hsu, a computer scientist
• Hsie Zhen-Wu, a TV presenter and lawyer
• Jaw Shaw-kong, a politician

Images for kids

• 

  Keelung Port in 1894.

• 

  The Keelung Landmark.

• 

  Keelung City and Harbor, between 1860 and 1880.

• 

  A wide view of central Keelung and the harbor area.

See also

In Spanish: Keelung para niños