The name of the town derives from the Atayal phrase kilux ulay meaning "hot and poisonous" when an Atayal hunter hunting by a stream saw mist coming from it.[4]
In August 2015, Wulai was devastated by Typhoon Soudelor, wiping out several hotels and destroying hot springs in the region. The course of the Nanshi River that passes through the district has since changed, with the riverbank eroded heavily by surging water.[3] Heavy landslides were attributed to the overdevelopment of the mountain areas around the river which damaged the soil and watershed along the slope lands.[6]
Wulai is a tourist town most renowned for its hot springs, sightseeing, and aboriginal culture. Other activities include hiking, camping, swimming, fishing, and birdwatching. During the spring, visitors come see the cherry trees bloom. According to locals, bathing in the odorless hot springs can cure skin diseases (such as ringworm, eczema, and herpes).
The district also has the Wulai Scenic Train, a converted mine train built during the Japanese era that takes visitors from downtown Wulai to the attractions at the base of Wulai Waterfall.
^烏來鄉志烏來大事記(PDF). Wulai District Office, New Taipei City Government 烏來區公所 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). p. 302. Retrieved 8 October 2019. 06月22日,陳水扁總統蒞臨烏來國民中小學,主持學生畢業典禮。
^鄰里介紹. Wulai District Office, New Taipei City Government 烏來區公所 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 7 October 2019.
^ abcdefJessa Rogers (18 June 2019). "Wulai, Taiwan". Wandering Wiradjuri – A Churchill Fellowship Journey. Retrieved 8 October 2019. Wulai consists of five villages: Jhongjhih, Wulai, Sinsian, Siaoyi and Fushan, the last being where I plan to visit a school on my Churchill.
^ abcde詞彙 翻譯 資料大類 經濟部水利署臺北水源特定區管理局 Taipei (in Chinese (Taiwan) and English). p. 4. 烏來鄉 Wulai Township 地名 烏來村 Wulai Village 地名 孝義村 Siaoyi Village 地名 信賢村 Sinsian Village 地名 福山村 Fushan Village 地名
^ abZin Kao (11 July 2019). "New Taipei City lays new pipelines to provide running water to remote Wulai District". Taiwan News. Retrieved 9 October 2019. Owing to the limitations posed by the mountain terrain, residents in Wulai Village (烏來里) and Zhongzhi Village (忠治里) have had to rely on spring water or water trucks to make up for the insufficient running-water system, which was severely damaged by Typhoon Soudelor in 2015, UDN reports.
^Lun-Wei Wei 魏倫瑋; Wei-Kai Huang 黃韋凱; Chuen-Ming Huang 黃春銘; Ching-Fang Lee 李璟芳; Sheng-Chi Lin 林聖琪; Chung-Chi Chi 紀宗吉 (2015). 蘇迪勒颱風於臺灣北部之山崩致災機制初探 [The Mechanism of Landslides Caused by Typhoon Soudelor in Northern Taiwan] (PDF). Journal of Chinese Soil and Water Conservation (in Chinese (Taiwan) and English). 46 (4): 226. Retrieved 8 October 2019. 圖 4 忠治里及台 9 甲線 10.2K 岩屑崩滑空照圖與地貌判釋成果 Fig.4 Aerial photo and landslide micro-topography interpretation result at Jhongjhih Village and 10.2 K of Provincial Highway 9 A
^Sunrise Huang; Wang Hung-kuo; Elizabeth Hsu (9 August 2015). "Wulai residents trapped after traffic cut, 100 unaccounted for". Focus Taiwan. Retrieved 9 October 2019. A search for the residents in the Xiaoyi village has been launched, with a rescue team organized by National Airborne Service Corps, National Fire Agency and New Taipei City government having been flown to the mountain for the mission, according to the city government. Update: New Taipei police has established contact with the Xiaoyi village Sunday night.