Located far from the coast, the township is regarded as a gateway to Taiwan's Central Mountain Range.During the reign of Qianlong Emperor of Qing Dynasty, there was a person named Jiasian who came to the area to develop the land.Local and legislative offices were established including village chief and committee members.[9] After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China in 1945, Jiasian was organized as a rural township of Kaohsiung County.In August 2019, some residents living in high-risk areas of Jiasian District were evacuated from their homes after heavy rain and flash flooding.
Map of the region including Jiasian (labeled as Chia-hsien (Kōsen)
甲仙
) (1951)