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Tour for Ruesuei
We woke up early in the morning and leave the Rice School at 7:30 a.m. toward Ruesuei Dairy by bus. We pick up
some friends in the neighbor towns and then we arrived around 9:00 a.m. in Wuhe Villages Leisure farm. Ruesuei
Dairy is located on the lower reaches of the Siouguluan River, where clear water from other streams come
together to swell its flow. In Rueisuei Dairy farm we could breathe the clear air and feed the healthy cows that
produce milk for a variety of dairy products that are acclaimed for their purity and quality. They have a milk shop
where you can savor the rich taste of fresh milk and other products made of milk like candies and milk pudding.
Other famous agricultural products of the area include pomelos and tea. Rueisuei Dairy farm was a top high
profile farm in Taiwan about 10 years ago. As the number of visitors gradually increased, the fields have gone
from merely grazing cows and providing dairy products, developing into a diversified tourist dairy farm; adding a
visitor center and outdoor coffee shop. You can also you can try the piping-hot steamed milk buns and the
flavorful milk candy, a top-seller and popular gift as well as cheesecake, iced dairy treats, and other deserts.
Ruesuei Farm also has ostriches that visitor can feed, making it a fun and exciting destination for the whole family.
View for the main entrance of the Farm,
a very peaceful place with an natural environment
Coffee Shop offering a wide variety of milky flavored candies in Rueisuei Dairy
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Xiomara feeding the cows of the farm
One of the two Osteriches in the farm
After having a rest for almost an hour and a half we went directly to the next visit, which was the Soil and Water
Conservation Bureau in Wuhe Township. There, we met the high qualified personnel who explained us some
technical details and part of the history of the place. The agricultural development of Wuhe started since the
Japanesse colony era in Taiwan as a coffee plantation company. Then during 1950 s Citronella was a rising star but
it briskly disappeared from Wuhe to reflect the fall in market value. Pineapple took over the market in 1960`s by a
group of farmers from Changhua county. The investment in pineapple failed.
The plantation took over the platform in 1973, under the promotion from government agencies. The tea business
finally, improved the living quality. It also brought wealth to the farming community. Various slopeland
conservation projects carried out by Soil and Water Conservation Bureau were there launched at Wuhe in 1984
followed by Rural Community Development Project in 1989 that lead Wuhe to a modernized village.
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This Government farm has a very big extension, about 120 hectares, and has a very beautiful and traditional
entrance with gardens and ponds with many colorful fishes where we could breathe the clean and fresh air of the
country side again. We visited with the technicians of the area the Tea Specimen Yard, where we saw a wide
variety of tea trees, as the famous Oolong Tea produced through a unique process including withering under the
strong sun and oxidation before curling and twisting. The taste of oolong ranges hugely amongst various
subvarieties. According to the specialists it can be sweet and fruity with honey aromas, or woody and thick with
roasted aromas, or green and fresh with bouquet aromas, all depending on the horticulture and style of
production. Also they show us the green tea, which is not fermented and the Black Tea with a darker color red
fermented.
This Tea Yard contains some varieties of Tea which are not commercialized anymore but still very useful to create
new blends and high yield varieties that keep the ancient flavor of the original Chinese leaves. Then in their
experimental plots they explained the demonstration of simulation rainfall, which shows soil erosion run offs
plots clearly demonstrate the effect of vegetation in soil and water conservation.
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Gardens in Soil and Water conservation Bureau in Wuhe
Specialists explaining the different types of tea plantations in Wuhe
Simulation of Experiental camp in Wuhe
After having an interesting trip in the Soil and Water conservation farm we went toward a Coffee farm where we
met Mr. Zong, a friendly farmer from Wuhe, who invited us to experience the collecting of coffee beans directly
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from the trees. There he explained us the coffee breeding process; then he invited us to his house where we had
great moments with him sharing a real coffee cup, making jokes and having fun while experiencing by ourselves
the washed coffee process with the beans we collected before in the plantation, that was amazing!!!
Collecting coffee beans in Wuhe
Coffee farmer in Wuhe explaining the washed coffee process
Photo group with the Coffee farmer in Wuhe
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Sharing friendly moments in Mr. Zhongs house
After the unforgettable visit to the home of Mr. Jong, we headed to one of the main centers of tea- making, Wuhe
town, where we met some of the most famous tea tasting centers of Taiwan. We had a wonderful experience
there savoring the different aromas and flavors of the different varieties of tea grown in Wuhe, for example green
tea, oolong tea, we learnt that black tea is actually red, and taste great. Testing different varieties, flavors and
aromas of tea grown in Taiwan, has been one of the most wonderful discoveries in my life, because in my home
country El Salvador, this drink is not widely known and it is less consumed than coffee. The variety of delicious
flavors and complexity are worth experiencing!
DIY Tasting many varieties of Tea grown in Wuhe
Finally we had the experience of preparing a tea dessert with one of the hosts. The dessert was again a treat for
our palates; and we enjoyed learning to make it.
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DIY in Wuhe making a dessert prepared with Tea
This first visit was an enjoyable introduction to the tea culture, flavors and ideas to drink it.
Visiting Fuli
We were looking forward to this visit; we have heard nice things about the area and its farmers association. We
were taken to the visitor information center, an impressive one we must say, big, new looking. It was shown a
video about the East Rift Valley. The images shown were outstanding; the whole idea of a country side living that
gets along with environmental protection as well as with growing a variety of crops is really appealing. The
journey pictured in the video makes you feel like wanting to know east Taiwan a lot better, and experience living
in harmony with nature.
According with the video thanks to its fertile land and abundant production of rice, the area has been known as
the granary of eastern Taiwan. The rice grown here is known throughout Taiwan for its top quality, and it is even
exported to Japan.
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Visitors center in Fuli at the beginning of the trip
Our second stop led us to have and amazing glance of the valley as we went to the Mud Volcano. Mud volcano
tofu is specially food the Yanping area in Luoshan. Its history traces back to the end of the Japanese occupation
period, when farming was largely manual and neighbors often helped each other with the work. At that time,
transportation in the mountains environment was difficult, making it hard to reach markets to buy food. The
farmers therefore used to make their own tofu. As a result, tofu making became a specially skill of this area. It is
no longer known when the locals first starting using mud volcano water to congeal the tofu, but the tradition
today survives in mud volcano tofu.
View of the Mud volcano area
What we found particularly interesting about this site is that local people actually use its gases to cook, as we
found out this was the first site in Hualien that did this. Ideas like this show that people can live in a sustainable
and rational manner without exhausting natural resources.
Then we visit the beautiful Luoshan Big Fish Pond, called Dapitang by locals, which is a silted lake formed by
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water slurry oozed from fault zone of the mud volcano with an area of a about 1 hectare. It was very interesting
to know that nearby residents in early days used the water of the pond for irrigation. However, nowadays, the
pond is used only for recreational purposes.
Luoshan Big Fish Pond, called Dapitang by the locals
Our third stop: Lou Shan Organic Village; it is the first organic farming village in Taiwan.
We stopped at this village to make Mud Volcano Tofu. What an interesting process!! They showed us the
traditional way of grinding soy beans, get soy milk, and finally tofu. We all participated making tofu and also
eating it! The village owners pay special attention to detail and they have ready a nice table for their guest to try
the DIY tofu. Very nice experience and very kind hosts. The traditional milling process of the soybean was a very
interesting way to know more about the Taiwanese rural living in the past, which has been almost forgotten in
recent years with last decades of more industrialization and urban areas growth in the country.
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Milling the soybeans in a traditional stone
Boiling the soybean milk in a traditional stove
Filtering the tofu in a traditional way
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The group, finally eating the tofu traditionally handmade
Then we went for lunch at the farmers association. They have big facilities with a restaurant with nice view to the
flower fields; it made the lunch experience enjoyable in beautiful lunch boxes, traditionally made in the area with
colorful food inside, so cool!!! Besides that it also had a show figures by the flower fields that seem to attract
more visitors. According with the visitor s center, years ago, Fuli Township Farmer s Association imported
advanced milling equipment to process embryo rice into a type of organic white germ rice that retains all of the
nutritional essence of organic rice. Since the level of milling is higher than that of most embryo rice on the market,
the rice has a lighter color, lower yield, and better taste. The precision milling process preserves all of the dietary
fiber of the rice germ, without sacrificing the sticky and chewy texture of the rice. For consumers unaccustomed
to eating brown rice, the result is delightfully surprising.
Having lunch in a beautiful lunch boxes in the farmers association
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Bamboo lunch boxes in Farmers Association in Fuli
In the backyard of the Farmer s association we took some pictures with nice figures like dragons, big birds and
aborigine houses made of straw. We had enjoyable moments with the figures which formed part of the
harmonious and attractive landscape of the flower fields that surround the area.
Figures made of straw in backyard of the Farmers Association building in Fuli
For the afternoon we went to bake our own bread! Interesting experience because we got to give our own design
to a loaf of bread and the eating part was the best, the bread was warm and crunchy in the outside and soft in
the inside so good!
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The bread dough after kneading and ready to bake
The bread was baked and ready to eat. It was so delicious!
To close the day, we went to see Loushan Waterfall. The view was amazing even though it was raining, and the
sky was cloudy. We could see the huge rocks, the clean water of the small ponds created by the waterfall and the
impressive view of the mountains!!! What a beautiful landscape! So impressive, because you feel surrounded by
unpolluted nature. It was nice to see such a place and share it with the group. The nearby Loushan Waterfall,
located in Loushan Village in the coastal mountain range is visible from the highway, as it presents an imposing
sight as it plunges downward in 2 tiers. Below the waterfall, mud volcanoes erupt all year round from a number of
small hills as we checked at the beginning of the trip in the morning.
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Loushan Waterfall near Fuli Muds volcano
Bridge in the Loushans Waterfall in Fuli
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Beautiful view from the Bridge in Loushan Waterfall
The group taking pictures of the beautiful landscape
The day came to an end and left with the feeling of amazing landscapes and rational use of natural resources.
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Visit to Guanshan
All the group of the project was very excited at the beginning of the trip in Guanshan when the bus arrived to the
Guanshan Farmers Association at 8:30 a.m. The group in charge of this town was Michelle, Winny, Xiomara and
Gabriel, the last two from El Salvador, Central America.
Taking the bus to start the trip in Guanshan Township
We went directly to the downtown in Guanshan experiencing the Old Style houses from the Japanese rule time,
where we could see now how the time has change and these houses has been adjusted to the modern needs, but
always keeping the same spirit and old design. We went also to the Old train station where many years ago there
were probably many people waiting for the train, now is it has been arranged as bike selling place because
nowadays there is a new train station. In front of the old train station there was a hotel where the visitors could
take a shower and sleep while they waited for the train. Now you just can see the building which should be
improved in the future. Then we continue with the tour and we also visit nearby this place an old store where you
can see still old people selling some clothes. There we chat a little with its owner, who was drinking a special kind
of tea.
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Old style house in Guanshan
Old train Station in Guanshan
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Old store in Guanshan
After walking through Guanshan downtown we went directly to the Police Station, and we took a guided tour to
the Guanshan Police Museum. There we saw some sculptures of aborigine workers made of wood carrying logs to
their homes. All of us were interested in the quantities of logs, and the guiding person explained their secret
meaning, which was related with the quantity of responsibilities of the worker. Then we went behind the police
office and we enter to the museum built with a Japanese design made of wood, as intact as decades ago. Inside
was a very interesting place! With many tools used in the Japanese rule era. For instance, there was an old typing
machine with hundreds of keys with old Chinese and Japanese words, it looked so complicated!!! I couldn t
imagine using those typing machines today! But actually they really existed before the computers! Also we could
see many interesting old weapons and shields used in the past by the Japanese police, and we had some funny
moments playing these old things and learning more about history.
Visit to Guanshan Police Station
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Japanese style building in Police Station
Guanshan Police Station Museum
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Tour in Guanshan Police Museum
Playing with a old shield inside the Guanshan Police Museum
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Garden inside Guanshan Police Station
During the afternoon we had lunch together and rested for a while. Then we continued with another interested
DIY (Do it Yourself) activity where we could learn more about the honeybee production process in the Rice
Farmers Association. Honey bees transform nectar into honey by a process of regurgitation and evaporation. They
store it as a primary food source in wax honeycombs inside the beehive. The worker bees raise larvae and collect
the nectar that will become honey in the hive. In Guanshan rice farmers association you can see many hectares of
beautiful flowers were the bees can pick up the nectar needed for the beehive. Leaving the hive, they collect
sugar-rich flower nectar and return.
Beautiful flowers grown in Rice School backyard
Colorful Flowers where the bees can collect nectar
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Beekeeper explaining techniques of extracting
honeybee in Guanshan Rice School
Collecting honey is typically achieved by using smoke to pacify the bees; the smoke causes the bees to attempt to
save the resources of the hive from a possible forest fire, and makes them far less aggressive. The honeycomb is
removed from the hive and the honey is extracted from that, often using a honey extractor. The honey is then
filtered. The beekeeper in this activity removed some frames from the beehive, so we could see inside how the
bees live and take care of the larvae that would become in new working bees.
A beekeeper removing frames from the hive
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The farmer showing a frame with a lot of bees
Then the beekeeper gave us some wax extracted from some useless beehive frames for the next activity. In this
activity we melted these frames and obtained the liquid wax and everybody poured the hot liquid wax in a small
crystal little cups so we got beautiful candles at the end!!!. The bad part is that the bees were still restless
because of our presence in the place and bite a couple of classmates!! Fortunately it was not serious but I think it
hurts a lot!!!!.
It is important to say that many different products can be obtained from the beekeeping besides honey, as we
could see in the place. For instance, delicious candies, rolls and cookies made of flower powder collected by the
beehive, royal jelly which is highly nutritious for the bees and the human beings, some kind of natural medicine
and lip balm, among other products.
Cooking the beewax to making an DIY with the team
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Cooking the beewax in a DIY
Making candles with the beewax
Final product of the DIY activity and flower powder picked by the bees
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All products made from the bee hives
Afterwards, we went directly to a traditional store where we made another DIY so we had the opportunity of
polishing a cup and chopsticks made of bamboo. Everybody was very entertained with this activity, but it took at
least an hour to finally have the products finished. At the end we could write our names in the cup giving a
personal touch to our handicraft creations. Finally we used our souvenirs to eat a delicious soup traditionally
made by the owner of the store. One special thing I can also tell is my surprise when I saw the paddy field in front
of the store and I could also capture a funny image of a dog joining his owner while the farmer was driving his
truck in the paddy field!! What a beautiful example of loyalty! Wow, I couldnt believe what my eyes were
watching at that moment!!
DIY making bamboo aboriginal products
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Writing our names in the beizi cup
Funny and cute dog joining his owner at work in the paddy fields
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The whole group and the end of the bamboo DIY
Finally, we went to visit Chishangs Farm, we arrived to a beautiful farm connected to the bike road. At this farm
there were explained the interesting changes on the crops as the seasons revolve, where the farmers are idle,
flowers and butterflies dance in the fields like paintings appearing one after another. Also, there are some others
crops grown in this area as we checked in the lovely Chichang s farm. There we had the experience of planting
strawberries in some pots, and learn more about the manure used in this crop, which is made of coconut.
Visit to Chishang farm in Guanshan countryside
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DIY picking up some strawberry plantings
Planting the strawberry plantings in the pots
Afterwards, we could harvest some radishes directly from the field. This was a nice activity directly connected
with the farmers way of living; so we got to learn more about the agricultural activities, which we usually forget
when we taste a delicious food served on a table and cultivated by our farmers all around the world. So even
when life has changed over the decades, being linked with nature in a respectful manner has to be central in our
minds.
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Collecting radishes in the plantation in Chishan farm