Written by Shad Kelly / Translated by: 王建平

It seemed to good to be true. A text message asking if we’d like to go on a half day guided tour of Amis culture in a natural setting. We’d learn how to catch fish and shrimp in the traditional way, and we’d get to make our own mochi. The tour would be in English and included a meal. Best of all it would cost us nothing. The answer was a no-brainer. We accepted.

My wife and I rendezvoused on Saturday morning with a group of keen foreigners in a parking lot at the south end of Hualien. From there, we’d make a 45 minute drive south along highway 9 to the Mataian wetlands in Guangfu township, the site of our tour.

Guang Fu is an agricultural region situated on the flats of Taiwan’s narrow East Rift Valley. Entering the township, we were flanked by the Coastal Mountain Range to the east and the Central Mountain Range to the west. These are steep slopes that transition directly from the farmland of the valley floor. A short jaunt west off the highway brought us to the foot of Mt. Maxi of the Central Range. In the shadow of this mountain lie the Mataian wetlands. Here, water has been welling up from underground streams for millennia, naturally irrigating this part of the valley. The Fudeng River, which winds through the area, also feeds the wetlands.

The aboriginal name for these wetlands is Fataan, the Amis word for pigeon pea. As a highly nutritious and easy-to-store food, pigeon peas were traditionally a valuable staple of the Amis. When the Amis people first came across these wetlands they were impressed by the density of pigeon pea trees growing there and so named the region Fataan.

Nowadays, the once plentiful pigeon pea trees have been replaced by rice, taro and vegetable crops, but through foresight on the part of local farmers, the 12 square hectare Mataian wetlands have remained mostly undeveloped. Roads and bridges skirt around and over the marshes, creeks, ponds and grasslands here, but for Taiwan, at least, the area feels sparsely populated. Many bike and walking trails wind through the wetlands. Some trails have boardwalks that allow visitors to get right in the middle of the plant and animal life that populate this unique riparian ecosystem.

When we arrived at Shin-liu recreational farm in the Mataian Wetland Ecological Park, I discovered that our group was to be guinea pigs for the inaugural English language tour of the facilities. Shin-liu was looking for feedback, from a foreign perspective, on their new tour program.

For Shin-liu, our tour was the culmination of a year’s worth of preparations. In conjunction with the Environmental Policy Institute at Donghwa University, the recreational farm has been developing an English language tour program that is both ecological and cultural in scope. Richard, our soft spoken, slightly nervous yet entirely capable guide had been hired from the local community. Over the past year he has learned enough English to be able to explain the flora, fauna and history of the area to foreign guests. According to Megan Hsu, a university student that worked on the program and accompanied us on the tour, the aim of the project is “to introduce foreigners to the local community,” and “show tourists that there’s more to Hualien than Taroko Park.”

The Mataian Wetland Ecological Park Area is owned by the Hualien County Farmer’s Association. Shin-liu recreational farm is the tourist showpiece for the Area. Modest in size, the farm complex is set in a lush and scenic location in the heart of the Mataian wetlands. The property is surrounded by lotus-filled ponds and has a stream running through it. Many walking paths and a boardwalk that extends out into the wetland are ideal for strolling and bird watching. The onsite facilities include a restaurant, bathrooms and a combination coffee and gift shop.

Our tour was well thought out and organized. With one stroke, it showcased local ecology and brought to life the ancient day-to-day existence of aboriginal people from the area. The tour provided several hands-on activities that related to Amis food gathering and cooking. Each of these projects was useful, fun and instructive.

Making my own mochi was definitely a highlight of the half-day tour. Mochi is a subtly-flavored, chewy snack food -- something like a rice cake -- that is quite popular in Taiwan. It is made by pounding steamed rice or millet into a glutinous blob, then served in bite-sized portions with sweet or savory fillings.

To make the traditional rice mochi, our tour group was presented with a large mortar and pestle. The bowl of the mortar held a steaming blob of sticky rice about the size of a large pomelo. Lifting the meter-long pestle to smash the rice ball required two hands because the tool was solid rock, with an elegantly-fashioned wooden grip. As I sweated taking my turn with the pestle, the Amis woman who had brought us the rice laughed at me. She said a man who makes good mochi makes a good husband -- on account of his strength. I don’t think she was impressed by mine. Eventually, the heavy pestle turned the rice in the mortar into a gooey, white lump. We pulled still-warm, bite-sized chunks from the lump and dipped them in a peanut and sugar mixture. Very tasty.

The smell of wood smoke from a cooking fire wafted through the grounds of Shin-liu lending the place a rustic, out-of-time feel. This fit with the day’s activities that showcased village life of long-ago. We all got to wade into a streambed to check on traditional fish and shrimp traps that had been placed earlier. In a neat twist, our catch from the traps was later used to feed us. After a walking tour of the wetland, it was time for a simple yet tasty fish soup. This was prepared with fiddleheads and our own shrimp, in a pot made from a bin lang leaf. Like the Amis of old, we transferred hot rocks from the fire into the pot to boil the soup.

The sheaths of bin lang leaves are sturdy and waterproof and can be folded into functional water-tight vessels. Everyone in the group got a kick out of making and using their own bin lang spoons and bowls.

To our surprise, the fish soup turned out to be just an appetizer. The tour concluded with a multi-course meal, featuring many local ingredients, followed by quality tea and coffee. From the looks of contentment on their faces, it was clear the group had enjoyed their day at the Fataan wetlands.

Sitting at a hand-hewn wooden dining table I gazed out across a vista boasting over one hundred species of water plants. Dragonflies and butterflies flitted this way and that as the sun glinted off the open water. Frogs croaked while grasses and cattails swayed in the gentle breeze. As I scooped up hand-caught shrimp from my homemade bowl using a spoon that I’d fashioned myself from vines and a bin lang leaf, I had to agree with Megan. There is certainly more for tourists to do around Hualien than just visit Taroko.