The name Miaoli was coined by matching Hakka Chinese sound for the characters 貓貍 to the phonetically approximate Pali (Bari) from the Taokas language.

Many archaeological artifacts have been found showing that during the prehistoric era, people lived in the river terrace.

They mainly led an agriculture life and engaged in hunting and fishing for their extra food source.

In the mid-17th century, Han Chinese began to migrate into the area, beginning a gradual process of deforestation and establishment of permanent settlement sites.

Most inhabitants of Miaoli assimilated into the dominant Han population or migrated deeper into the mountainous range.

After several hundred years, Miaoli had become the home of people from different origins, such as Hakka, Hoklo, Atayal and Saisiyat.

[2] After Koxinga took over Taiwan from the Netherlands, he placed Miaoli in Tian-Sing County (天興縣) and started an immigration plan to develop this area.

At the end of the 19th century, thousands of acres of high-quality fertile fields had been reclaimed in the area of Nanzhuang, Shitan, Dahu and Zhuolan.

Public and private schools were also established all over Miaoli which made the area a place of gathering intellectuals and elites in northern Taiwan.

The Taiwanese aborigines constitute about 1.9% of the total population where the rural areas is where the Hokkiens are the main group in western urban areas of Miaoli, while the Hakkas comprise the main group of Han Chinese in the rural southern and central parts of Miaoli county The Saisiat currently reside in the Wufeng Township of Hsinchu County and the Nanzhuang Township of Miaoli County.

The traditions and culture of the Saisiat is greatly impacted by the Atayal aborigines and Hakka people in the region.

During the Qing Dynasty, Miaoli was inhabited by Hokkiens in the coast and Hakka in the rural peasant mountainous areas.

In Taiwan National Athletic Games of 2011, Miaoli is ranked 21 out of 22 teams with 1 gold, 1 silver, and 8 bronze.

Popular regional agriculture, food production and culture promoted by the government include strawberries from Dahu Township, Hakka zongzi, Sanwan Chinese pears, Touwu Daikons, Sanyi wood sculptures, Tai’an persimmons, and many more.