In November 2024, an American ethnobiologist traveled to Taiwan to attend a wetlands conference. Following the conference, a four-day itinerary was planned for her for eastern Taiwan (Hualien and Taitung counties) with emphasis on indigenous wild greens and wetlands knowledge. This tour was led by Cheryl Robbins, a Taiwan Tourism Administration-licensed tour guide specializing in sustainable tourism to Taiwan’s indigenous areas.

Day 1

Having arrived the night before in Hualien City, we stayed at the Butterfly Lovers Bed & Breakfast (BNB). The hosts of this BNB are friendly and speak English and it is clean, cozy, and comfortable. After a wonderful and filling breakfast, we set out with our driver Joshua You to the Hualien Indigenous Wild Greens School to meet its founder, Dongi Kacaw, also known by her Chinese name Wu Xue-Yue. She is considered a national treasure for her knowledge of edible wild greens of the Amis people (in the Hualien area, the Amis prefer to be called Pangcah) and published a book in Mandarin, which has been translated into English by Cheryl Robbins.

The afternoon was spent exploring Hualien City and surroundings with Joshua who is both a licensed driver and English-language tour guide based in Hualien. We visited Liyu Lake in neighboring Shoufeng Township. In good weather, this is a great place for cycling. Due to the inclement weather, we climbed the stairs to an observation deck and looked out over the lake. Then, Joshua took us to the nearby Tongmen Community, an indigenous Truku community, known for its traditional knife making. We visited the workshop and showroom of one knife maker, who learned this craft from his father. Both his and his father’s works are on display. The day ended with dinner at a restaurant in Hualien City, located within a recently renovated area of wooden dormitories built during the Japanese colonial era (1895-1945). Then, we spent another wonderful night at the Butterfly Lovers BNB

Day 2

We said our goodbyes to our lovely BNB hosts and headed south along a highway that hugs the Pacific coastline to Maogong, an Amis community. For a long time, there were very few young people in this community, as they had lived elsewhere to study and work. The head of the community’s development association looked for ways to involve the community’s elderly residents and give them a sense of dignity and an income. He encouraged them to share traditional handicrafts techniques, wild greens knowledge, and sticky rice wine making techniques with tourists. This led to increased interest in tourism to this community, encouraging some young people to return. Upon our arrival, we were met with one of these young people, our local guide, named Kumay, who speaks some English. After introducing the community’s meeting/activity center, we walked to what the locals refer to as “Happy Farm.” There, he introduced the wild greens that are cultivated by the community’s elders. He then led us to the home of an elder who weaves mats using the stalks of the umbrella sedge plant. We spoke with her briefly and viewed some of her works before she had to leave. Outside her home, we enjoyed what can only be described as a gourmet meal based on indigenous cuisine. It was made with local ingredients including sea snails, wild greens, and pork.

After lunch, another elder who is known for her traditional cloth weaving skills joined us. We were shown the ramie plant, from which fibers for weaving are obtained. Then, this elder demonstrated how to prepare the fibers, twisting them together by rolling them across bare skin (usually on the thigh).

This was followed by a tour of the community including a sticky rice wine workshop and replicas of traditional buildings. While visiting these replicas, we saw some residents creating a roof using traditional methods and were invited to join in.

In the late afternoon, we headed to our accommodation for the night, a beautiful BNB called Chocolate Solo, located in Changbin Township in the northern part of Taitung County. The name refers to its only room type, a single room with a single bed. Some of the rooms offer beautiful ocean views. After a short break, we had a dinner of fresh seafood in a local hillside restaurant before ending the day.

Day 3

From Changbin Township, it is a 90-minute drive southward to Taitung City where we met up with the Wild Veggies Queen at her shop in the old Taitung Sugar Refinery. The warehouses and grounds of this refinery have been renovated and converted into artisan workshops, restaurants, and shops. The Wild Veggies Queen is also known by her indigenous name, Nanu, or her Chinese name, Mei-Shan. She is from the Paiwan and Pinuyumayan tribes and has long been studying wild greens and their benefits. In her shop, she makes and sells soaps from the wild greens that she harvests. After arriving, she served us lunch that included a traditional Paiwan dish, known as ah vai, which is made from pork and millet wrapped in leaves and then steamed or boiled. This was accompanied by a soup that included 10 kinds of wild greens. After lunch, we went to a nearby trail that leads to the Balan Site, which are the ruins of an old indigenous Paiwan community. We walked part of the trail as Nanu introduced the wild greens that she saw and we helped her to harvest some for a class she was to teach the next day.

At the trailhead is the Jiu Niao Pottery Studio where the works of a Paiwan potter and his son can be viewed and purchased. From there, we visited the home of a Pinuyumayan elder. In her backyard, we saw where she grows wild greens which were used to make the soup that we had enjoyed earlier.

That night, we stayed at Ita Taiwan Indigenous Cultural Resort and ate dinner at Mibanai Restaurant, which serves innovative dishes that are a fusion of Chinese, Western, and Taiwan indigenous cuisines.

Day 4

On our last day, we visited Lalan’s House in the Amis community of Mataian in Guangfu Township of Hualien County. It was a long drive from Taitung City (more than two hours) to this unique destination within the Mataian Wetlands. Most Amis communities are found along the coast or a river. As this community is within a wetlands area, it developed distinctive and ecologically-friendly fishing methods. This is the only place in Taiwan to experience the palakaw, a three-tiered fish trap. On the bottom tier are bamboo tubes where eels can hide. The center tier is made up of bundles of sticks and is preferred by freshwater shrimp. The top tier is where the fish that the Amis people like to eat gather. This creates a thriving ecosystem for all these wetland creatures, with the eels eating the dead fish and fish feces and the fish feeding on the shrimp. Lalan is a local Amis who provides a lively introduction to and a demonstration of these fishing methods. If you have time, you can even head into the wetlands to experience these fishing methods firsthand.

If interested in a similar experience, please contact us at specialtytourstaiwan@gmail.com