On the Hunt for Rice, Trips to Yilan, Hualien and Taitung

According to statistics in 2017, the size of harvested rice paddy reached 274,677 hectares, which is ten times larger than Taipei City. Many farmer's associations strive to link rice farming activities with tour events. Hence, farming families gradually pay attention to food education and value added agriculture and design a plethora of experiential activities. In this article, we list rice related tours and interesting events in Yilan, Hualien and Taitung.

Rice production in Yuli Township and Fuli Township ranks the top 2 in Hualien. And Yuli is the largest rice warehouse in Hualien County. In this big warehouse, Dongfon Rice Farm adopts group farming and cultivates organic rice in Changliang area of 48.5 hectares.
The farm would like the visitors to have more chance to find the benefits of organic rice, so they exert their location advantages and design the farming experiences in the beautiful rift valley. Farming activities rely heavily on the weather, and the experiential activities vary according to the farming stages. In times of seedling, visitors will try to mow with bare feet on the soil, and in November, they can harvest the rice with a sickle.
The purpose of these farming experiences is not to make the visitors understand the hard works farmers have put into, but to make personal efforts in the process of harvest. In the meantime, visitors will learn what sacrifices come along with organic farming, and if food related issues are their concern, they will find the cause for participation.

Dongfon Rice Farm also grows wheat, and they feature wheat and come up with an activity, “Brewing with Organic Mixed Grains”. Few people have brewed their own beer, so this is a very popular activity. Many details in the brewing process are to be attended, and each of them will influence the flavor of the final product. If you want to know more about beer or do some unique and fun activities, don’t miss “Brewing with Organic Mixed Grains” in Yuli.

The rice production in Dongshan Township, Yilan County is not the most in the county, but the quality is praiseworthy. It is irrigated by the source water of Dongshan River, whose underground and fountain water is outstanding so that the rice in Dongshan was rated the National Top 10 in 2010 and 2011.
In order to promote the quality rice in Donghsan, the farmer's association especially ordered a small rice mill so that visitors can make the edible white rice. The husks and bran layers are removed, and the rice is milled. The milling activity and the guided tour takes 90 minutes. If visitors want to have extensive experiences, they can also make the popular snack, pop rice, with the white rice kernels.
Making “The Creative 5 Color Rice Ball” is children's favorite. They formed the rice of 5 colors into shapes they like by hand, then added some food materials on top of it. This activity is greatly enjoyed by parents and children, a signature activity held by Dongshan Farmer's Association.

The Rice School is renovated from an old milling factory. The huge rice mill stands right in front of the visitors, who can also take part in the guided tour and bring home a small package of Guanshan rice packed by themselves. On the other side is the “Story Hall of the Farming Objects”, which showcases the rarely seen objects used in the farming village by four seasons. It is a good idea to bring children here to savor the lifestyle in the generation of our grandparents.
The following activities are included in the environmental friendly rice mill tour-
1. Looks of the white rice before husked
2. How much rice is for one “to” (sound “dou”)/ pecks? How to get it?
3. How to tell the sound to get a bag of white rice?

In the Golden Harvest Museum within the tourism factory of Chishang Farmers’ Association, it shows the secret of making the rice in Chishang, so that visitors can witness behind the scenes of making the champion rice, and there are also a showroom of farming machines and a classroom for sightseeing of professional milling, DIY rice activities, DIY pop rice, farming in Chishang as well as the gift shop. So that the Golden Harvest Museum of Chishang Farmers’ Association is the only tourism factory integrating rice milling and processing and food education.
Rice Milling Fun by Using Traditional Tool, Tulong, made of bamboos, soils and wood logs, is to separate the husks from the rice. In days without machines, pushing the Tulong is the traditional way to rid the husks and get the edible brown rice. The materials of Tulong and how it is made are worth a look; how can we push Tulong smoothly or as we wish? This is where to experience the fun of traditional rice milling.

Fuli is located in the most southern part of Hualien with the top 2 produce, rice and daylily. In 2018, the organic rice production area in Fuli Township, Hualien was certified by Japan and presented two new kinds of rice, Ugly Beauty in Fulin and Milk Queen. The farmers’ association has presented many rice related snacks, such as the pop rice, rice bran, and rice biscuits, which are all available here.
The organic rice is the material making pop rice; in the old days, the poor quality rice was used. Hence, the quality of pop rice here is guaranteed.

The rice paddy is hidden in the rift valley of Taitung and there are many monkeys in the paddy and the valley. The young famer couple, Zhongwen HUANG and his wife, Liwei TSAI, named their brand “Monkey Rice” as a token of living harmoniously with local animals.
The couple grow many kinds of rice, white rice, black rice and red rice. So they have an activity, “Packing Rice of 5 Colors.”
From selection to filling and packing, visitors can make colorful layers of rice as they like. Asides from the beautiful package, they can bring the rice home and taste the flavor of Monkey Rice.
Coming to Monkey Rice, visitors can drink the healthy beverages and enjoy the summer dishes as well as cook the local rice and make indigenous cuisines. It is the happiness composed of 5 senses.