A school that had to move for its own safety.
Yuli Elementary was established on April 1, 1920 under Japanese rule as "玉里公學校," following a petition submitted to the Governor-General in 1919. For most of its history, the campus sat directly atop the Yuli Fault, an active geological fault line running through the town — a fact that led Taiwan's Ministry of Education to designate the original campus as one of the country's most seismically dangerous school sites. In response, the school relocated to a new, safer site in May 2009, and the original campus was converted into a public park known as "玉里鎮民廣場" (Yuli Township Citizens' Plaza).
玉里國小創立於日治時期民國9年(1920年)4月1日,原名「玉里公學校」,是回應民國8年(1919年)向總督府提出的請願而設立。學校歷史上大部分時間,校舍直接座落於貫穿玉里鎮的活動斷層「玉里斷層」之上——這使得教育部將原校址列為全台灣地震風險最高的校園之一。因此,學校於民國98年(2009年)5月遷至更安全的新址,原校地則改建為公共空間「玉里鎮民廣場」。
What makes this school worth knowing.
🌍 A Move Driven by Seismic Risk
因斷層風險而遷校
The Ministry of Education designated Yuli Elementary's original campus as one of Taiwan's most seismically dangerous school sites, prompting a full relocation in 2009.
🏞️ An Old Campus Turned Public Plaza
原校地改建為市民廣場
The school's original grounds were converted into "玉里鎮民廣場," a public plaza that now serves the whole community rather than just students.
🏛️ A Century of History, Continued Elsewhere
歷史逾百年,遷至新址延續
Founded in 1920, the school's identity and community carried forward intact through its 2009 move, preserving over a century of institutional continuity on new, safer ground.
Living with the valley's shifting ground.
Yuli Elementary sits within Yuli Township 玉里鎮, a rice-farming and hot-springs town in Hualien's Hua-Tung Valley — a region that sits directly on the boundary between the Philippine Sea and Eurasian tectonic plates. The school's 2009 relocation off the active Yuli Fault is a vivid, practical reminder of the seismic realities that shape daily life and infrastructure planning throughout this part of Taiwan.
Find the school.
No. 43, Zhongzhi Rd., Yuli Township, Hualien County, Taiwan
花蓮縣玉里鎮忠智路43號
School's Official Website (Chinese) ↗
Last updated: July 2026 · Content adapted and condensed from the school's official Chinese-language website by the Taiwan Bilingual Hub team, not yet reviewed by the school. If you're from Yuli Elementary and would like to correct or expand this page, please contact us.