Village Exploration: Tainan Houbi Jingiao Wumile

Jingiao Dowry Old Street
Jingiao Old Street was once the most prosperous street in all of Houbi, developing shops of various trades such as taverns, furniture stores, fabric shops, bicycle shops, and traditional Chinese medicine stores, attracting many passing travelers. Visitors strolling here feel as if they've traveled back several decades, appreciating the architecture and street atmosphere of earlier rural society.

On Beishi Street in Jingiao, many merchants once gathered to provide items needed for dowries, such as gold jewelry stores, wedding cake shops, Western suit stores, fabric shops, quilt stores, formal dress shops, leather shoe stores, and furniture shops - everything one could need. Therefore, people called it "Dowry Street," allowing families preparing for weddings to gather all necessary items in one place.

To recreate the early wedding customs of Tainan, the Jingiao Wumile Community initiated community development and promoted the "Dowry on an Ox Cart" experience activity. This activity is grandly held on Jingiao Old Street, with visitors participating in the performance, playing different roles in the wedding procession such as the matchmaker, groom, bride, and musicians beating gongs and drums along the way, personally immersing themselves in the lively atmosphere (interested group visitors can contact the community to reserve time slots).


"Dowry on an Ox Cart" activity (Photo provided by Jingiao Wumile Community)


Jingiao Old Street

Getting to Know Jingiao Through Film and Television
The TV drama series "The Making of an Ordinary Woman" and "The Making of an Ordinary Woman 2," which aired in 2019 and 2021 respectively, had many scenes filmed in Jingiao. The Jinde Xing Chinese Medicine Store, the old family home of protagonist Chen Jialing in the drama, was actually a pharmacy of the same name in real life (also known as the Ruan Family Old House). The building is over 200 years old and has now become an important attraction on Jingiao Old Street.


The Jinde Xing Chinese Medicine Store in the drama - the actual building is over 200 years old

Additionally, the documentary "Wumile" (Happy Without Rice) released in 2004 also brought fame to Houbi. Through the innocent and contented stories of four elderly rice farmers, the film helped the public better understand traditional rice farming. Houbi has long been an important rice-producing area on the Chianan Plain, known as "Taiwan's Granary." Kunbin Bo, a main figure in the film, later won the national rice quality competition championship in 2006 with his cultivated "Yiquan Fragrant Rice" (Tainong No. 71 variety), making Houbi Wumile's reputation even more renowned.

Today, visitors to Houbi can purchase "Wumile - Yiquan Fragrant Rice" from Fangrong Rice Mill, which has nearly a hundred years of history, and taste the flavor of quality rice from the Chianan Plain. Fangrong Rice Mill started as a rice milling factory and has been passed down for four generations. Now they are also actively helping farmers promote eco-friendly farming methods such as duck-rice farming and AI drone fertilization, hoping to make the environment, crops, and consumers healthier. The public can purchase related products at their simple on-site store or website.


Fangrong Rice Mill's "Wumile - Yiquan Fragrant Rice" and other products (Photo provided by Fangrong Rice Mill)

The Houbi District Farmers' Association also has "Lanli Fragrant Rice" grown from Tainong No. 71 seedlings. The association renovated existing Food Bureau dormitories into a food and agriculture education center, outdoor leisure area, and an agricultural specialty sales center called "Bugu Agricultural Innovation Hall," making it more convenient for the public to purchase local agricultural products. Besides Lanli Fragrant Rice and Lanli Koshihikari Rice, rice milk tea, muskmelon, fresh guava, and processed guava jelly are all popular products. Bugu Agricultural Innovation Hall also plans seasonal food and agriculture experience activities, such as guava picking from September to February, and muskmelon from March to April and October to November.


The exterior of Houbi District Farmers' Association incorporates a rice jar design


Visitors can purchase various local agricultural products at "Bugu Agricultural Innovation Hall"

Traditional Yet Innovative Kaji Bags
When visitors come to Jingiao in Houbi, there is another eye-catching souvenir - the traditional shopping bag "Kaji Bag," nicknamed "Taiwan's LV." At the "Kaji Workshop" next to the Wumile Tourist Service Center, and at the Houbi Good Goods Direct Sales Shop on the old street, there are bags of various sizes, as well as coin purses, pencil cases, and drink carrier bags made based on the "Kaji Bag" concept, blending tradition with innovation and definitely worth browsing.


Traditional yet innovative Kaji bags (photographed at Houbi Good Goods Direct Sales Shop)


Jingiao Wumile Community
Phone: 06-6623703
Website: Link 


Fangrong Rice Mill
Address: No. 1, Neighborhood 8, Changduanshu Village, Houbi District, Tainan City
Hours: 08:30-18:00
Phone: 06-6622749
Website: Link 


Bugu Agricultural Innovation Hall
Address: No. 346, Jingiao Village, Houbi District, Tainan City
Hours: 09:00-17:30
Phone: 06-6622088
Website: Link 


Kaji Workshop
Address: No. 73, Jingiao Village, Houbi District, Tainan City
Hours: 09:00-18:00
Phone: 06-6623703
Website: Link 


This content was translated by AI. Please refer to the original text if you have any concerns.