Jhutian Township is adjacent to “Lanlanzhuang” (present-day Siwei Village in Wandan Township), one of the earliest Hakka settlements in the Liudui region of Kaohsiung and Pingtung. As one of the first-developed townships in the Liudui area, large-scale land reclamation and settlement by Liudui ancestors had already begun before 1689.

The early settlers first reclaimed land in Tiaodizhuang and subsequently established the settlements of Toulun, Erlun, Zhonglun, and Meilun. Eventually, Erlun became the administrative center of the area. Owing to its favorable location, Tiaodizhuang also developed into the principal rice trading center of the Liudui region.

In the past, rice exported from Tiaodizhuang was transported by small boats along the river to Donggang, where it was transferred to larger vessels for shipment. However, during the summer rainy season, when the Donggang River frequently flooded, cargo boats were often forced to temporarily store their goods near present-day Jhutian until the water levels receded and transportation could resume. As a result, the Liudui settlers referred to the area as “Dunwu” (meaning “a place where goods were temporarily stored”), a name that later became the former name of Jhutian Township.