Taimali Township

Located in the southeastern part of Taitung County, Taimali Township is known as the “Land of the Rising Sun” due to its sunrise-facing location. In the Paiwan language, its traditional name “Ja.Bau.Li” means “fertile land touched by sunlight,” reflecting the deep connection between the people and nature. The township’s landscape stretches from mountains to coastline, providing abundant agricultural and tourism resources. The Jinzhen Mountain highland farms are famous for daylilies and scenic hiking, while towards the coast are the renowned Jinlun Hot Springs. Local specialties such as roselle and sugar apples mark the change of seasons, showcasing a lifestyle in harmony with the land.

Land of the First Dawn, Built by Many Peoples

According to Qing dynasty records, Taimali was once called Damaowei, a name that gradually evolved into its modern pronunciation. Another interpretation traces its origin to the Paiwan word Ja.Bau.Li, meaning “the place where the sun rises,” reflecting the breathtaking sunrise that emerges over the Pacific Ocean.

About a thousand years ago, Cinayago, the ancestral leader of the Paiwan (from the Buyuma clan), led his people to settle here, becoming the earliest developers of Taimali. During the Qing period, Han settlers from western Taiwan arrived to cultivate the land, followed by immigrants from the Jianan Plain and central mountain areas during the Japanese era.

(Photo credit: @fishcancer2020)

Over time, migrations and cultural blending shaped Taimali into a rare cultural microcosm of Taiwan, where six ethnic groups — Paiwan, Amis, Rukai, Hoklo, Hakka, and Mainland Chinese settlers — have built their lives together between the mountains and the sea. Religion, settlement evolution, and linguistic heritage all bear witness to the township’s rich transformation. Since the Millennium, when Taimali became the first place in Taiwan to greet the dawn, its name has come to symbolize hope, new beginnings, and the harmony of diversity.

(Photo credit: @nacl2018)