Something different to do in Taiwan: farm stay gives glimpse of tribal life, from planting crops to making local crafts
- Roughly 1,000 guests so far have experienced the one-of-a-kind farm stay at Xianglan Village on Taiwan’s southeast coast
- The stay debunks stereotypes depicting indigenous people as being drunk and lazy, says Sakinu Tepiq, who launched the programme two years
The crew of seven crouching over to plant red quinoa for half a Sunday in February aren’t villagers. They aren’t hired hands. They won’t make money from the crop four months from now, when it ripens into red metre-high stalks known worldwide for their nutrition. These labourers have paid to plant hundreds of quinoa seedlings and in the process help nearby Xianglan Village.
Most of the 150 people in this village on the tropical, palm-studded Pacific coast of Taiwan are indigenous, a tiny ethnic minority that struggles economically compared with the majority Han Chinese.
Landowner Sakinu Tepiq, of the Paiwan tribe, launched the work programme two years ago, as villagers were growing too old for farm work. Most of the young from rundown Xianglan have moved away to cities for lack of local jobs. Tepiq realised tourists would cherish the chance to pitch in while learning about tribal culture.
“Those who come think it’s a bit of play as well as a bit of labour, so that’s why we’re willing to pay,” says Lin Da-yi, 45, part of the February quinoa-planting crew and founder of I’m Here Boutique Travel Services. He doesn’t mind getting muddy in the freshly irrigated field. “Through labour, we’ll get a deeper understanding [of the culture].”
Roughly 1,000 guests have experienced Taiwan’s one-of-a-kind farm stay. The fee of NT$7,000 (US$250) per person covers three nights in a guest room at the village’s Christian church and nine meals.