Chilung, formerly Kirun, city in northern Taiwan, on the East China Sea. The chief port for imports to the city of Taipei, it also has shipbuilding and fish-processing industries. Coal, gold, and silver deposits are nearby. The community was occupied by the Spanish in 1626 and by the Dutch in 1642 before passing to the Chinese Qing (Manchu) dynasty in 1683. Chilung was opened to foreign trade in 1860 as a treaty port, and its main growth began during the Japanese control of Taiwan (1895-1945). Population (1997 estimate) 374,199.
