The Zhentoushan Agricultural Leisure Area

The hearty crops and captivating cultural and natural landscape fostered by the bubbling of the spring water that flows down from Xueshan can be enjoyed while visitors roam about the country fields where flowers and fruits flourish. The charisma and atmosphere of rural life can be found everywhere along with the peaceful gathering of the body, mind, and soul.

Located in Yuanshan Township of Yilan County, the broad and undulating terrain of Zhentoushan (Pillow Mountain) is just like a pillow, as described by its name. “Wang Long Pi”, denominated according to the ancient proverb, “clouds from the dragon, wind from the tiger”, is a prominent local sightseeing attraction. Being one of the first areas to develop recreational agriculture, farms, orchards, and ponds that are filled with the fragrance of flowers, fruits, and exquisite lakes can be found throughout Zhentoushan. Visitors should always observe and discover the bewitching country scene that is shaped by green hills and blue waters.
Zhentoushan is a mountain with a wide variety of diverse flowers, plants, and fruits that are cultivated throughout the year. Walking through the distinctive farms and orchards, visitors can both relish fresh fruits in season and also experience the fun of gathering fruits. Merchants tend to uphold a friendlier agricultural relationship so that the lifestyle of harmonious relationships between people and nature is established. Visitors are invited to experience the new appearance and lohas practice of the rural village.

As a result of feeling sorry for the peasants’ turning the fruits that they had meticulously cultivated into fertilizers because of being unable to sell the products for a good price in recent years, the founder of “Anan Chen Vinegar” called on the community women to establish the Anan Chen Vinegar Group where fruit vinegar is brewed using locally-grown fruits such as oval kumquat, round kumquat, and mulberries, combined with the spring water from the Snowy Mts.

Unlike regular ready-made fruit vinegar, the fermented old vinegar from the previous batch is used as the introduction for every batch of handmade vinegar to enhance the incomparable calm, fragrant, and sweet texture of the freshly fermented fruit vinegar. Yielded through gradual work and a manual method, the fruit vinegar that is stored for over a year contains a woody aroma and smooth flavor. Situated at the back of Anan Chen Handmade Vinegar, the orchard is the field where the Zhentoushan Agricultural Leisure Area promotes the “picnic in the wild” experience. The members of Ma Ma Tien have established a full set of colorful, aromatic, and tasty dishes using native ingredients according to the seasonal produce. Visitors are invited to enjoy the scrumptious feast of fruits and flowers in the wild.

Available upon reservation, the “picnic in the wild” package includes six to seven dishes that include the creative menus and signature dishes of Ma Ma Tien. A soothing bonfire and exquisite dining tables on which romantic candles are lit are placed under the kumquat and guava trees at nightfall. To provide a dining experience with flowers and fruits among the mountain forests, the table is covered with the flavors of happiness

The “Jin Pu Tourist Orchard”, where over 100 pear trees are planted, welcomes all tourists to visit for the enjoyable experience of picking fruits. The Ceng Jin Pu couple, owners of the fruit farm, will also lead visitors into the pear woods to introduce the planting patterns and agricultural technology of Chinese pears.

Instead of using herbicides to manage their pear trees, the Ceng Jin Pu couple compassionately leaves the pear trees to the wild birds and unicorn beetles so they can build nests, brood dickeys, and perch. Every December, the couple gets involved with fixing the flowers of the temperate pears such as the Kosui pears, Housi pears, and sand pears to the branches of the Hengshan pears in the orchard. It is also expected that the whole orchard will be filled with snow-white pear blossoms in the spring, said Mrs. Ceng with a smile.

Since the pulp texture of the Hengshan pear is relatively astringent and unsmooth, through manually grafting the flowers of the mid-high altitude pears, the tree can bear fruits that are larger, sweeter, and more luscious. During the harvest season from May to July yearly, Shinko pears, Kosui pears, Housi pears, and Oriental pears can be harvested consecutively in the orchard. A great variety of other fruits also include guava, oval kumquat, round kumquat, and mulberries that are produced during all seasons. Tourists are invited to visit the Jin Pu Tourist Orchard to collect these delicious fruits.

Irrigated by the crystal-clear water source from Snowy Mts., the “Country Grange B&B” orchid makes up the graceful, light purple floral scene for the sky flower corridor on the farm. The purple sky flowers that sway in the breeze are delightful and exquisite, attracting visitors who are captivated by the fine views of flowers blooming in all their beauty to visit, appreciate, and take pictures for memories.

Mainly built from wood and pottery, the quaint sky flower corridor building whose carved door plank in a table and chair pattern results from the resourcefulness of Wu Ming Yi, the owner of the farm. Emphasizing meeting the taste of the general public, the coffee sold at the shop is brewed based on the golden ratio of beans and water after undergoing repeated attempts to achieve the best ration made by him and his wife. According to Chen Yue Li, as their coffee is suitable for both young and old visitors, she welcomes all guests from 15 to 80-years-old to savor their specialty coffee. She also recommends the sweet-and-sour kumquat-flavored tea, which is particularly popular among female customers. A pavilion where one can sit to have a rest and enjoy the clear breeze blows gently is also available in the lush garden in the flower corridor. Hammocks are hung between the two aged big wax apple trees planted in the second half of the garden for visitors to relax.

The mother of Lin Ding Chun, the general manager of “Agrioz”, was previously a teacher who taught food processing at the National Ian University. She decided to put theory into practice and transformed the fruit into candied fruits. Since Yilan is rich in kumquats, she chose a location that was suitable for manufacturing, processing, and transporting products between Yuanshan and Jiaosi to establish a preserved fruit factory and launch candied products based on her own brand, “Agrioz”.

Later on, Lin Ding Chun took over his mother’s candied fruit business and transformed the factory into a tourist center through the incorporation of ancient periods into a new image. The former beams and pillars of the production plant were reserved, along with the glass coffee house that was extended to capture the warming sunlight while introducing the infinite greenery outside. An exhibition and sales space that combines spatial aesthetics with historical heritage was also established in the hope that every customer who comes to Agrioz can experience a cozy, relaxing, and casual ambiance.

Nowadays, the native fruits of Yilan are processed and made into sugar-free dried fruits by Agrioz directed at meeting the taste of contemporary people. Highly praised by the consumers, “creating a domain that is as sweet as honey” is the novel emphasis that Lin Ding Chun has found for Agrioz in response to the change in times. He expects all customers to experience the sweet ambiance that is like being in love when they relish Agrioz’s candied fruits.

“Bo’s Farm” is the only eco-theme farm specialized in growing carnivorous plants and exhibiting the life of tropical rainforests in Taiwan. The rare insectivorous plants including nepenthes, Spathulate sundew, and Venus flytrap are cultivated to present the biological cycle of nature.

Overflowing with water, the dim, dusky, and humid environment of the farm where ferns grow densely is precisely like a tropical rainforest. The immovable nepenthes that are born to devour insects are hung everywhere while arousing the curiosity of the tourists as they listen attentively to the interpretation given by the farm owner, Cheng Qing Bo, in the hopes of learning more about the principles of survival of the fittest in nature.