country provincial highway 72 
Houlong Township is an urban township in western Miaoli County , ___MASK70___ . It is surrounded by the ___MASK70___ Strait on the west and Zaoqiao Township on the east . ___MASK70___ , officially the Republic of China ( ROC ), is a state in East Asia . Neighbors include China ( officially the People ' s Republic of China , abbreviated as PRC ) to the west , Japan to the northeast , and the Philippines to the south . ___MASK70___ is the most populous state that is not a member of the United Nations , and the one with the largest economy . Miaoli County is a county in western ___MASK70___ . Miaoli is contiguous with Hsinchu County and Hsinchu City to the north , Taichung to the south , and borders the ___MASK70___ Strait to the west . The Council for Economic Planning and Development of ___MASK70___ classifies Miaoli as a county of Central ___MASK70___ , while the ___MASK70___ Central Weather Bureau classifies Miaoli as a county of the North . Miaoli City is the capital of the county , and is also known as " Mountain Town ", owing to the number of mountains nearby , making it a destination for hiking . The ___MASK70___ Strait , or Formosa Strait , is a wide strait separating the island of ___MASK70___ ( of the Republic of China ) from mainland China ( People ' s Republic of China ). The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north . The narrowest part is wide . Shitan Township is a rural township in Miaoli County , ___MASK70___ . It is located in a mountainous area with a mild , sub - tropical climate . Its rainy season is from May to September . Shitan is short on medical resources . It does not have a hospital or clinic , so people often have to travel to Miaoli City to get health care services . Provincial Highway 72 ( Chinese : 72 ) is an expressway , which begins in Houlong , Miaoli on Guanghua Road ( Provincial Highway No . 1 ) and ends in Shitan , Miaoli on the Provincial Highway No . 3 .