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Keelung is located in the northern tip of Taiwan. In the Japanese ruling period, the Port of Keelung played an important role as it was the gateway for Taiwanese people going overseas and for foreigners coming to Taiwan. In spite of inconvenient access to other areas of Taiwan, the Port of Keelung was exceptionally outstanding both for military and commercial purposes. In 1908 (the 41st year of the rule of Japanese Emperor Meiji), the Taiwan Western Railway was put into operation, with Keelung as the starting point of the railway. In 1921 (the 1st year of the rule of Japanese Emperor Taisho), in response to the increasing freight transport amount between Taiwan and Japan, Keelung Pier was modified to replace the Port of Danshui. In 1978, Sun Yat-sen Freeway (National Highway No. 1) was opened to traffic. The 374.3-kilometer highway connected the two major ports of Keelung and Kaohsiung. The convenience provided by the highway and railway therefore significantly improved the traffic of Keelung.