Get in
Keelung is about a thirty minute ride from Taipei by either freeway bus or train. Both means of transport are very frequent, and stops for Keelung bound buses are located all across the city.
By train
Probably the easiest way to get to Keelung from Taipei is by commuter train, which ply the route every 15 to 20 minutes. Travelers heading to Keelung should be aware that although the city lies on the extreme north end of the main Western Line it is not accessible on all trains running north, many of which are bound for the east coast and will not pass through Keelung. Only take trains with Keelung as their final destination or you may accidentally find yourself in Taitung - a six hour journey from Keelung!
By bus
Several companies operate buses between Keelung and Taipei,and the journey can range from between 30 minutes to two hours depending upon the route taken and traffic conditions. Because of the large number of bus routes and stops, the high potential for delay, and the limited English ability of most drivers, taking a bus from Taipei to Keelung is probably not a good idea. Unless you are familiar with Taiwan and can speak some Chinese, it is wiser to take a train.
By boat
Keelung is one of the world's largest ports. A ferry takes passengers between Keelung and Okinawa, Japan. Regular ferries to the outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu are also available, though they are used mostly by military personnel.
Get around
The down town area is small enough to cover on foot.
See
Do
Eat
Drink
Sleep
Budget
Mid range
Splurge
Get out
Keelung City (; POJ: Ke-lâng) is a provincial city of Taiwan, Republic of China. Located in the northeastern of the island and bordering Taipei County, it is Taiwan's second largest seaport (after Kaohsiung). Keelung is nicknamed "The Rainy Port" (雨港). It is administered as a provincial city of Taiwan Province and is considered part of the Taipei-Keelung metropolitan area.
History
Keelung was first inhabited by the Ketagalan, a tribe of Taiwanese aborigine.
"Keelung" used to be written in the homophonous characters meaning "Rooster Cage" (雞籠), named after a local mountain of such a shape. Another theory suggests that the characters were transcription of a Ketagalan placename. The characters were changed in 1875 (Qing Dynasty) to mean "The Base that Prospers". The spelling "Keelung" does not belong to any standard romanization system.
From 1642 to 1661 and 1663-1668 Keelung was under Dutch control. The Dutch East India Company attacked the Spanish (who came to Keelung a few years before) and after a short successful siege took over their Fort San Salvador at Santissima Trinidad. They reduced its size and renamed it Fort Noort-Holland. The Dutch had three more minor fortifications in Keelung and also a little school and a preacher. When Ming Dynasty loyalist Koxinga (Cheng Ch'en-Kung) successfully attacked the Dutch in the South of Taiwan, the crew of the Keelung forts fled to the Dutch trading post in Japan. The Dutch came back in 1663 and re-occupied and strengthened their earlier forts. However, trade with China through Keelung was not what they hoped it would be and in 1668 they left voluntarily.
In 1863, the Qing Empire opened up Keelung as a trading port.
From 1 October 1884 to July 1885, the French occupied Keelung (from 29 March 1885 the Pescadores too); the military governor was Admiral Amédée Courbet (b. 1827 - d. 1885).
A systematic city development started during the Japanese Era, after the 8 May 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki, which handed all Taiwan over to Japan, in force.
Keelung became a town in Keelung District, Taipei Prefecture in 1920 and was upgraded to a city of Taipei Prefecture in 1924. Coal mining peaked in 1968.
Administration
Keelung administers seven districts:
Population growth
Sister cities
Sources and external links
