2021 Guanshan Turnip Festival
Guanshan Township in Northern Taitung is full of a diverse range of ethnic groups. One of the earliest and most prominent ethnic groups to settle in Guanshan is the Hakka people. As you can see from the various types of traditional Hakka cuisine and cultural experiences, the Hakka culture thrives in the township. Guanshan is famed for having the most rice fields out of Taitung’s townships with over 2000 hectares of rice fields.
Guanshan Township in Northern Taitung is full of a diverse range of ethnic groups. One of the earliest and most prominent ethnic groups to settle in Guanshan is the Hakka people. As you can see from the various types of traditional Hakka cuisine and cultural experiences, the Hakka culture thrives in the township. Guanshan is famed for having the most rice fields out of Taitung’s townships with over 2000 hectares of rice fields. After the second rice harvest of the year, the frugal Hakka farmers, with the Guanshan Township Office’s encouragement, have started to plant rapeseed flowers and Jinjiao turnips in the fallow fields to supplement additional income. With rapeseed flowers, oil is pressed from the seeds to use as cooking oil. The local Jinjiao variety of daikon radishes are delicious eaten fresh or salted and preserved in the traditional Hakka fashion. The leaves of the radish are further used as natural compost for the fields. There is even an annual turnip picking competition held to allow visitors from Taiwan and abroad to experience first-hand the local turnips’ harvesting. For ten years running, the Guanshan Turnip Festival has allowed visitors to experience an integral part of the local Hakka culture here in Guanshan. Visitors can also take a short bike ride to the Xinpu community nearby to experience the Hakka people’s leisurely countryside lifestyle and hard-working mentality.
Besides the turnip picking experience, a variety of traditional Hakka snacks are also available at the festival. There are also musical and cultural performances. Try your hand at making traditional Hakka-style ground tea or learn a bit of the Hakka dialect. Many different fascinating activities such as making Hakka preserved turnips, DIY Aiyu jelly, and Hakka floral cloth workshops are sure to be both entertaining and educational experiences for the whole family. For more information, please feel free to check out the official Guanshan FB page *See link below.
Date：Saturday, January 30, 2021
Location：East of Degao Elementary at the nearest intersection of East County Road #7, Guanshan Elementary
Time：To Be Determined
Official Website：https://www.facebook.com/guanshan.township
