Gold mining began in the area in the 17th century. It happened when the Dutch ruled Taiwan, during the Qing Dynasty, and when the Japanese ruled Taiwan. When the Japanese ruled Taiwan, they began mining the gold in the Liwu River. It began in 1918. There were plans to mine more gold in a shorter time, but World War II started and it didn't happen. Soon, when the Kuomintang ruled over Taiwan, they banned gold mining.