The Dian Song Pi Agriculture Leisure Area

The history of lumbering encircles the fragrant scallions and red cat-tail willows while the green fields along the Lanyang River shore diffuse the relaxing atmosphere of a peaceful and tranquil life.

Rushing down in a torrent from the Central Mountain Range, the gurgling water of the Yilan River finally slows down and begins to precipitate and pile up the sands that it has brought from the mountains into fertile fields when it reaches Dian Song Pi. Being the “water head” of the Lanyang Plain, Dian Song Pi is particularly suitable for planting scallions due to its clean water and misty, moist environment that is surrounded by mountain barriers on the southwest side. Amidst the farmlands, the orderly Sanshing scallion fields stand upright and reach for the sky while proudly displaying the strengths of the “long stalk, tender texture, and strong taste of the scallions”.

The Sanshing scallion has enabled the retired and returning Zhang Zheng Xiong to open a whole new business. In addition to growing rice and spring onions, he has also started a scallion field guided tour accompanied by food and agricultural programs such as scallion harvesting, scallion washing, and a scallion-flavored pie DIY program on his self-run “Sinbow Scallion Experience Farm” in the hopes of leading tourists into the fields to understand the planting of Sanshing scallion. Standing on the farmland, the participants exert all their efforts to pull out the green and white Sanshing scallions before returning to the farm to wash the scallions and rub the soil off the roots. The pungent and spicy flavor given by the shallot leaves begins to drift in the air at this time while pleasing the senses of all visitors. The strong scallion taste that provokes the gustatory nerve has become the most highly anticipated aroma for both adults and children who participate in the scallion pie DIY program. Zhang Zheng Xiong also teaches the recipe of scallion pie to the public and instructs visitors on how to roll out the dough, wrap the spring onions, and fry luscious and crispy scallion pie in oil. The delicacy is so appetizing that it is almost impossible for visitors to give up this aromatic snack. This food and agricultural experience of “from the farm to the table” allows all visitors to recognize that good food is “not easy to come by”.

During the Japanese ruling period, the residents of Dian Song Pi mainly engaged in lumbering in the neighboring Taiping Mountain forestry center. Since the Taiping Mountain Forest Railway ran through the area to transport wood and forest trees, the Dian Song Pi railway station was built. Along with the forestry center’s ban on logging, both the railway and the Dian Song Pi railways station became important constructions in history. Since the fragments and cultural relics of cutting and chopping timber in previous years float in the flow of history, Dian Song Pi is still a hospitable and heartwarming place that consists of calm and peace. The native elders donated their felling tools to establish the “Dian Song Pi History Exhibit Room” and erected three stone haystacks piled up by colorfully painted brook rocks to display the ancestors’ technique in constructing embankments by laying bricks and stones. The Dian Song Pi History Exhibit Room, thus, became a distinguishing landmark in the area. The Dian Song Pi History Exhibit Room was renamed the “Dian Song Pi Story House” by the promotion and management committee of the Dian Song Pi Agriculture Leisure Area later on. The function of the tourist service center is also involved in the happenings of this area along with the sale of native agricultural specialties produced by young farmers. Visitors are welcome to book for the logging experience program or guided activity, “Kui Zai Lie (the ballad sung by lumbermen as they strenuously moved logs)”, for NTD50 per person.

The end of June in early summer is the time when Dian Song Pi’s general peers become ripe! Though Asian pears are a type of temperate crop, the Housi pears cultured by Sanshing orchardists upon grafting the flowers of the Japanese Housi pears on the branches of the Lindley's Pear trees on the plains are snow-white in their pulp, small in their kernel, crunchy in texture, and also highly-praised by consumers. As a result of these characteristics, the orchardists nominated the fruit as the “general pear” by deriving the “general” court rank in the army based on the name, Sanshing. Having won the grand prize in an evaluation contest, Xu Xian Ming and Hong Xiu Lian, the owner of the “Lianshou Orchard”, exert a lot of time, effort, and energy into cultivating the best general pears. According to Hong Xiu Lian, when the flowers grafted on pear trees grow into white buds, the area happens to also encounter spring rains. It is required that she unfolds small umbrellas for each clump of buds for protection or the rain may affect pollination and flower bloom. Consequently, an amusing scene of pear trees’ holding umbrellas is formed. From the 25th of June each year, the Xu Xian Ming couple harvest their general pears. Visitors are invited to visit for savoring the sweet and luscious general pears when traveling to the Sanshing Township.

Dian Song Pi is radiant with red colors and festive joy during the winter season. Since the pronunciation of goat willow, the well-known ornamental crop that blooms in the spirit of Chinese New Year is similar to “silver currency” in Minnan dialect, “harvesting goat willows and catching silver currency” has become a “luck finding” experience tour that visitors can participate in when traveling to Dian Song Pi in winter.
Previously the operator of a tavern business, Li Hong Chang, left the glorious and colorful urban life and returned to his hometown, Dian Song Pi, to become a young farmer that plants Sanshing scallions and great willows. Next to the Cong Zai Lao Farm, an experienced farm run by his uncle, Li Hong Chang renovated the old rice mill house left by his grandfather, painted the external walls, sketched great willow patterns in a hipster style, and created the “Pussy Willow Hall”. From December to February each year, the Pussy Willow Hall offers limited winter experience programs including “great willow harvesting”, “a great willow field guided tour”, and a potted plant DIY program. Visitors are welcome to go into the fields and discover some good fortune.

In Dian Song Pi, the pig-themed farm experience activity that is rarely seen in Taiwan often makes children burst out in laughter. In 1997, when the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease crippled the hog industry, Huang Zheng De, the owner of the “Tian Shan Leisure Farm” and expert in pig farming, downsized the scale of pig farming and transformed the business into the development of an ecological leisure farm where packaged tours allow visitors to understand and experience Taiwanese pig raising culture, firefly ecology, environmental education and DIY activities, river climbing, butterfly viewing, and Annong River rafting are intricately designed and offered. Among all, the program that introduces pig and human cultures and customs, pig hugging and “piggy’s adventure – herding the pigs to graze”, are the most popular programs for families. Since the participants hold the newborn piglets, it is often the first experience that they have including the direct contact with baby pigs while it is also fun and exciting to herd a group of pigs that run wild on the grass.