Measuring 2850m in elevation, Houlong River, a major river that rises between Lujhang Great Mountain and Mount Jiali. It flows through 8 townships that comprise of Tai-an, Dahu, Shihtan, Gongguan, Tongluo, Miaoli, Touwu and Houlong. Measuring 58km in length, the main flow of the river provides a luxuriant source of water for irrigation. Thus creating a lot of paddy granary around the vicinities. The wide expanse of the river valley also breeds a luxuriant species of fauna and plants. Within the area, it nurtures human lives and their culture. So exuberant is its resources that somebody regarded the Houlong River as the“Maternal River?of Miaoli County. The Houlong River overflows during the rainy season in summer and dries up during the winter, forming the distinctive phenomenon of rain and drought.

The most renowned mountain in the mountainous area is Jiangjiun Mountain (Mount General). It was so named by the Japanese in the 21st year of the reign of Emperor Guangsiyu. The Japanese had built a Shintoshrine here to look afar towards Tokyo in Japan. Below this shrine, the West Mountain Line Railway passes through. This mountain is 119m in elevation. The local appointed gentry, in commemorating the hero, Luo Fu Shing in the rebellion against the Japanese had once renamed the mountain as Fushing Mountain. In 1997, again it was renamed as Maoli Mountain in coordination with the historical changes of Miaoli. A martyr shrine is found in the park within Maoli Mountain. Historic buildings available here include the commemorative monuments of Chiou Tsang Hai, who was also known as Chiou Feng Jia, and The Lai's Chastity Stone Arch. In recent years, the Miaoli City Hall had established the Elderly Cultural and Recreational Center. Upon the addition of recreational and sports facilities, this has been one of the major recreational and sports site for the city residents during dawns and dusks.