The Xinnan Agricultural Tourism Area

Roll up your sleeves and hold on tight to the vine to pick cantaloupes and relish the sweetness and pleasant taste of the ripe melon. Savoring the genuine flavor of dishes made with native ingredients are also great experiences to enjoy in this region. With only a one-day trip to life in the countryside, visitors can re-experience all kinds of simplicities and charm of rural life.

A tremendous gift was bestowed upon Yilan Jhuangwei by Heaven. The confluence of the Lanyang River and the Pacific Ocean has provided salty water that is rich in microelements. Along with the existence of sandy soil that is favorable for drainage and vast temperature differences between day and night in spring and summer that is offered by Snowy Mts., the area is particularly suitable for the growth of melon fruits and, thus, providing the area with the reputation, “the hometown of cantaloupes”. Located in the south of Jhuangwei, the Xinnan Agricultural Tourism Area provides agricultural programs such as fruit picking and understanding aquatic resources by taking advantage of fruit and melon bounties and the emerald, picturesque landscape of fields and water in the local area. Tourists are invited to visit the down-to-earth rural village of Xinnan to experience its natural environment, the richness of agricultural produce, and the heartwarming hospitality of the peasant families.

Originating from the Hami area in Xinjiang, the football-shaped cantaloupe has great popularity among Taiwanese consumers due to its white and brown lines on the rind and its crunchy texture. Rooted in Xinnan, the cantaloupe is the star fruit of the local area. For those who wish to harvest cantaloupe fruits, the “Xinnan Plantation” provides a fruit-picking program that allows visitors to return home happy after thoroughly enjoying themselves on the farm. Guan Han Mei, the owner of the Xinnan Plantation, produces first-rate, sweet, and ripe cantaloupes whose texture is crunchier than Chinese pears based on an elaborate cultivation method through which one stem per plant is cultivated on A-shaped trestles.
The harvest season of cantaloupes, muskmelons, and pumpkins occur from April to June yearly, followed by the growing season of tomatoes from January to May. Visitors are recommended to visit the Xinnan Plantation and enjoy the fun of harvesting melons with their families according to the changing of the seasons and upon reservations in advance.

As the harvest season of cantaloupes during midsummer approaches an end, pumpkins become the specialty products of the region. Visitors can walk into the “Wangshan Leisure Farm” and be overwhelmed by the oncoming pumpkin tunnels along with pumpkins as if they were walking into the kingdom of pumpkins in a fairytale. For over 30 years, Lin Wang Shan has collected over 450 varieties of pumpkins and cucurbits to establish his pumpkin kingdom. The gourds and melons are planted in a melon shed according to the changing seasons. Not only are the tourists able to view and admire the farm, but the gourds are also able to grow in an environment with full sunlight. A guided tour is available upon reservation. Souvenirs such as pumpkin-shaped candlesticks and brush pot color painting DIY activities are also available in the farm tour garden area where visitors can “go on a spring outing under the trellis, see and enjoy melons and flowers in summer, explore the bewitching breeze in the melon-shed in autumn, and harvest gourds in winter” throughout the year.

In addition to participating in fruit farming and melon harvesting programs when visiting Xinnan, visitors can also experience the simple loveliness of the rural village. Originally the paddy field for rice cultivation, the ecological pool created by Huang Guo Tian, the founder of “Lotus and Fishpond”, has become a paradise where wild birds and teals inhabit. The pool of the Lotus and Fishpond flourishes in species including algae, fish, etc., and the aquatic plants that grow on the side of the pond are regarded as the treasures of the farm. These plants include buttonbush, the dike-protecting plant vigorously restored by the Yilan County Government, “Limnophila”, and “weeping willow trees” that have the aroma of anise and the sweetness of licorice. Apart from selling homegrown agricultural products in the area, the waterweeds DIY experience program is also offered in the hopes of inviting visitors to enjoy the cozy rustic moments provided in this region. In the local area of Xinnan, the “Ancestor’s Wooden Rice Mill” of the Xu family is the last of its kind. With a history of over 70 years, the rice million room still retains rice milling appliances and tools of the former times so that the newer generations can understand the operation of a traditional rice mill. Xu Chao Kui, now 88 years of age, is still busy with milling paddies in the rice mill. The brown rice tea stir-fried by Xu Chao Kui and his family using firewood and the rice brans made by slowly pushing the old stone mortar upon following the manual practice are the typical farmhouse gifts that reintroduce the traditional taste.

The paddy field of Xinnan is the home where waterfowls survived winter seasons in the past. Since the birdcall, “dong, dong, and dong” is always heard across the fields when the rarely seen water cocks appear in the area, the name, “Tendong (the sound of the field), was given by the old farmers. Along with the quick disappearance of the paddy fields in Xinnan in recent years, the number of aquatic birds has significantly decreased. Having set his mind on protecting the paddy fields, Lin Zhen An, a Yilan child who enjoys bird watching, began to convince the old farmers to grow rice without applying pesticides and chemical fertilizers. The self-produced rice that was marketed by him is named, “Xinnan Tendong Rice”. The purpose was to allow people, the land, and birds to have better health and to give the profits gained from rice sales back to the local farmers and communities so that a righteous cycle could be established. The products produced and sold by Tendong Rice include the freshly milled and vacuum-packed rice, multi-grain brans, fried brown rice, and the rice pancake mix. The general public is also invited to operate the paddy fields or become rice shareholders. By doing so, it is expected that the environment of the rice fields and the paradise of the water birds in Xinnan can be supported and encouraged by nationals.

Regarding the use of cantaloupes to make special dishes and delicacies, the “Master Guan’s Leisure Farm” is definitely a popular choice. Being one of Ma Ma Tien’s restaurants assisted by the Council of Agriculture, the Jinyi Country Food Square is skilled at developing exquisite flavorful dishes using locally grown cantaloupes. Some of these delicious meals include pickled (sliced) cucumber in soy sauce made with unripe cantaloupes and chicken soup with cantaloupes made with mushrooms, pumpkins, broccoli, and chicken meat. The endless aftertaste of other aromatic, tasty, and colorful dishes like cantaloupe-flavored steamed fish and cantaloupes stir-fried with king oyster mushrooms is truly remarkable.