During Qing rule, the headquarters of Taitung Prefecture was located in modern-day Ruisui, known then as Tsui-be,[2] or Tsui-boe[3] (Chinese: 水尾; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chúi-bóe).

[4] This written form was retained after the Kuomintang takeover of Taiwan in 1945; the characters are pronounced Sūi-sūi and Ruìsuì in Taiwanese and Mandarin Chinese, respectively.

[citation needed] The township lies in an alluvial plain which located midway up the Huadong Valley between the Central Mountain Range, Coastal Mountain Range and Wuhe Terrace.

Rafting activity on the Xiuguluan River often starts from the Ruisui Bridge.

[citation needed] The township comprises 11 villages: Fumin, Fuxing, Fuyuan, Hegang, Jimei, Ruibei, Ruiliang, Ruimei, Ruisui, Ruixiang and Wuhe.