In 1717 (the 56th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign in the Qing dynasty), a district named Daqiutian was established in Zhuluo County, which is where today's Huwei and Tuku are situated. Due to the undulating hills in the area, the name "Dalunjiao" (literally "foot of the big mountain") was given. However, the area remained undeveloped until 1759 (the 24th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign in the Qing dynasty), when Guo Liucai from Fujian, China, immigrated here and built five straw huts in northeastern Dalunjiao, which was known as “Houwei” among the locals. The area where the five huts were built was known as "Wujiancuo" ("five houses"). Unfortunately, these structures are no more than heaps of ashes now, as they were destroyed during the Zeng Guijiao Incident in 1830 (the 10th year of Emperor Daoguang's reign in the Qing dynasty), when officials and rogues feuded on the streets.
During the early Japanese Colonial Period, only two small villages, Wujiancuo and Qingpuzi, existed in the area. In 1896 (the 10th year of Emperor Guangxu's reign in the Qing dynasty), the “Dainippon Sugar stock company” set up a sugar factory in Wujiancuo, thus making the village the center of sugar production in Taiwan. It was then that Houwei, with a name that sounds similar to Huwei, the name of a river that runs by the region, was renamed “Huwei.”
On October 1, 1920, the Huwei District Office of Huwei District, Tainan Prefecture was established. It was later upgraded to become Huwei Street of Huwei District, Tainan Prefecture in 1933.
After the Retrocession of Taiwan, the Tainan County Government was established in 1946, with "street villages" renamed villages or townships. Therefore, Huwei Street became Huwei Township of Tainan County, with a township office and an office for regional affairs. In 1950, the local self-government system was implemented, and the administrative districts in counties and cities were re-zoned. Yunlin County and Chiayi County were thus added, and Huwei Township became part of Yunlin County.
On the alluvial plains of the Zhuoshui River, there stands a small town with an adorable and intriguing name: Huwei, literally "tiger tail" in Chinese. While the town isn't exactly a habitat for tigers, a legend concerning tigers is still passed down through generations by elders, whose storytelling skills continue to make the tale even more vivid and riveting.