Under Qing rule, entry to the mountains was barred, and so few Han Chinese ventured to Hualien. It is said that during the Jiaqing Emperor’s rule in the late 18th century, development on Taiwan’s west coast was approaching saturation, which led a first wave of immigrants to travel through Kavalan (Yilan) and reach the mouth of Hualien River. When these Han Chinese immigrants saw the surging waters of Hualien River rolling into the ocean, mixing with the Pacific Kuroshio Current, and clashing against the coastal terrain, they named the area “Huilan, churning waves”.