Theme Site─ Chihshang Township, Taitung County
A Rice Village in Taiwan
Chihshang Rice Presidential Rice National Champion Rice
Both the paddy fields and rice are fragrant, and the great beauty of farmland can be seen everywhere! |
With the fame of national champion rice, the Chihshang rice can be said to be widely known and renowned throughout Taiwan. Such rice is mainly gathered from the Chihshang Township of Taitung County where there is a non-contaminated environment of beautiful mountains and rivers. Irrigated by the water of the Hsiuwulu River, the soil of this place can be replete with the organic matters and minerals that have eventually nurtured the Chihshang rice which is savory and palatable, sparkling and transparently clear, as well as of full granules.
Being contiguous to the Fuli Township of Hualien County, the Chihshang Township of Taitung County was formerly called as Xinkaiyuan ( A newly built garden) in the Kuang-hsu period of the Tsing Dynasty, and was later named as Chihshang as the clans here had converged on the Dapo Pond of plentiful water resource and fertile land in the Japanese Occupation period. Finally, this place was denominated as the Chihshang Township after the recovery of Taiwan.
The typical Chihshang Messtins are the favorite foods of tourists coming here. |
A typical rural township, Chihshang has continually planted the paddy rice as its most important crops, while the irrigation of cropland here is mainly dependent on the water from the Wanchao canal and Hsinwulu Canal. Such places as Wan’an, Jinyuan, Fuxing and Zhenxing are the important rice barns of Chihshang as the paddy field is rich in the clay soil and is bestowed with independent sources of water. Recent years have seen the great facilitation of organic rice plantation by way of the natural farming, while such rice species has gained the verification of the MOA International Foundation of Natural Ecology.
The Elegant landscape of Dapo Pond The excellent historical sites of humanism and culture.
The clean and non-contaminated Dapo Pond of a widely spread reputation is the favorite scenic site of tourists! |
The most renowned tourism site in Chihshang would be the Dapo Pond, which is the principal pond on the plain of the Huadong Longitudinal Valley. Extensively famous due to the dainty sceneries would not only be the Dapo Pond of the elegant water landscape, but also be the historical sites of humanism and culture here, as well as the plentiful natural resources. The Dapo Pond was previously teemed with fishes and shrimps, where most civilians living along its banks used to live on the capture of fishes growing in this pond. The water plants can attract several dozen species of wild birds to inhabit at this place where there is a natural and elegant wooden pallet walkway as well.
The ancient Wan’an Brick Kiln can reminisce people of the ancient tranquility once available here! |
The Wan-an Brick Kiln covering an area of 1.5 acre was a Dutch-style Muk-a-Yo (Eye Kiln) whose production was totally dependent on labor power. It is the oldest brick kiln built in 1954 to produce the red bricks mainly. Later, as the brick earth used as the raw material was depleted, and as the automatic kilns appeared, this old kiln was eventually displaced. At current, the Wan’an community has integrated the education with its leisure industries to develop its feature recreational businesses out of the existent culture here, thereby creating more business opportunities for this traditional village.
The bamboo fenced rice barn. |
Presenting a broad vision, the Chihshang Silkworm Leisure Farm situated in the Wan’an Village of Chihshang Township has mainly specialized in the breeding of silkworms and in the plantation of grapefruits, so that it has become the core part of the silkworm industry in Chihshang The Silkworm Woven Flat Cocoon Fiber Quilt, which is commended as the No 1 Quilt for five thousand years, is just made of the Flat Cocoons developed by the Chihshang Silkworm Leisure Farm, where tourists can not only enjoy the surrounding landscape, but also perceive the historical senses of this place!
Chihshang abounds in special products, while civil accommodations are full of wild funs
The unvarnished but elegant Rice Village Museum is emanating the light flavor of antiqueness… |
The most famous special products in Chihshang would be both the Chihshang Rice and Silkworm Woven Flat Cocoon Fiber Quilts, and would be the plum products and mountain chickens as well. The Rice Village Museum rebuilt from an old warehouse of the Wan’an Peasant Association was constructed in a simple and unsophisticated architectural style and now functions as the display and showing base of this community. The interior furnishings of this building are of a very antique flavor, while the tourist consulting and bike rental services are also provided here.
Sitting idly at an outdoor coffee seat of the Yu Chan Garden can allow you to enjoy the wonderful landscape of Dapo Pond. |
Recent years have viewed the great performance of Wan’an in the development of natural farming, while the Soil and Water Conservation Bureau has further worked with the local units to enhance the popularity of natural ecology leisure tourism. In the Yu Chan Garden covering a broad area, the freshly green grassland is ubiquitous and such green cover is flourishing. In the spring, you can appreciate the fireflies, have a night view of star groups and enjoy the night landscape of Chihshang here. Besides, a lot of wild funs arising from the leisure tourism can be likewise available in the Chan Yuan Villa in which flowers and grasses, as well as such fruits as peaches and plums are broadly planted! In such areas as Wan’an and Jinyuan, there are a lot of civil accommodations exhibiting various styles so that tourists can have multiple choices of diversified experience. |
2006