Introduction of the Spot
A Rice Experience You’ll Never Forget
Step out of Dongshan Railway Station and enjoy a leisurely two-minute walk along Zhongzheng Old Street to arrive at DONGSHAN EXCELLENT FOOD AGRI. PARK. The park is formed from several former grain warehouses belonging to the Dongshan Farmers’ Association. Once idle for years, these old granaries have been transformed with colorful murals depicting traditional rural life and adorable cat motifs, presenting farming culture and agricultural tools in an approachable, playful way. Today, they are among the most popular photo spots for visitors.
The Dongshan Farmers’ Association began planning agritourism early on, creatively redesigning the old granaries into themed “BAR” spaces: Buy BAR, Eat BAR, Learn BAR, Play BAR, Tea BAR, Grow BAR, and Chat BAR (housed in a former public health clinic). Fun to explore, easy to shop, and rich in experiences, the park serves as a hub that connects local farmers and drives agricul-tural development across the Dongshan area.
At Learn BAR, which focuses on rice culture, visitors can join activities such as “Mill and Remem-ber,” “Colorful Creations,” and “Love in Every Grain.” These hands-on workshops allow partici-pants to learn about rice while crafting with it. Seasonal rice-based DIY activities—such as niu-benshui, rice noodles (mitaimu), and glutinous rice dumplings—are also popular and available by reservation.
Hands-On Rice Milling
Tasting Colorful Rice Balls
Located at the source of the Dongshan River, Dongshan Township benefits from exceptionally clean irrigation water. The Farmers’ Association contracts with local farmers to grow Pandan Fra-grant Rice and Pearl Rice, harvested only once a year for superior aroma and texture. These premi-um rice varieties are available at Buy BAR, along with other local specialties such as jasmine tea, crispy mushrooms, organic wood ear mushroom drinks, and ayu fish.
Buy BAR also offers a wide range of creatively developed rice products designed with consumer preferences in mind. Fun product names include “Pomelo Temptation Crisps” (puffed rice snacks), “Yo-Mi Rice Noodles” (black rice noodles), “Mi-Mi Pop” (100% rice popcorn), and “Rice Chips”—a rice-based take on potato chips.
Beyond eating and shopping, the park emphasizes educational fun through rice experiences. Activi-ties at Learn BAR are designed especially for families. In “Colorful Creations,” children make col-orful rice balls using natural dyes such as green tea powder, turmeric, and red yeast rice. Their crea-tions—shaped like cartoon characters, cats, and dogs—are both playful and delicious. Parents often laugh and say, “My child never eats much rice at home, but here they can’t stop!”
In “Mill and Remember,” participants first learn about rice cultivation and milling through illustrat-ed panels, then operate a specially designed mini rice mill. With transparent panels, children can clearly see how rice grains are separated from husks. This activity can be paired with an old river channel boat ride or a local shopping street tour, creating a delightful Dongshan mini-journey.
Chat BAR, located in the former public health clinic, offers tea culture experiences where visitors learn about tea production and brewing while enjoying Dongshan jasmine tea paired with rice snacks, dried fruits, or traditional Japanese-style mizuyokan. It’s a relaxing, artsy space perfect for slowing down.
Sustainability in Action
Promoting Circular Agriculture
One key mission of the park’s experiences is to promote the principles and practices of circular ag-riculture. At Grow BAR, also known as the “No-Bending Farm,” raised vertical planters allow vis-itors to harvest vegetables and herbs without bending down. The area features a carbonized rice husk station, where leftover husks from milling are carbonized and mixed into soil to improve PH balance and enhance crop resilience against cold and drought. The heat generated during carboniza-tion is also reused to roast sweet potatoes, ensuring agricultural byproducts are fully utilized.
Another innovative feature is the Worm Box System, which uses kitchen scraps and discarded veg-etable leaves to raise earthworms. The worms break down organic waste, producing nutrient-rich compost tea and humus that are returned to the fields as natural fertilizer for herbs and vegetables. Through engaging hands-on activities, visitors participate in turning waste into resources, effectively learning about sustainability and resource circulation.
The park also produces and sells agricultural products certified under Taiwan’s “3 Labels, 1 QR Code” traceability system. By providing shared retail and operational space, the park supports farm-ers, local residents, returning youth, and the Farmers’ Association alike. It also serves as a hub for regional revitalization and young farmer education, working closely with Meihua Lake, Dajin, and other leisure farming areas to host workshops and farmers’ markets—integrating resources to drive local economic growth and sustainable development.
Farm-to-Table Experiences
Let Rice Take Center Stage
From the fields to the dining table, DONGSHAN EXCELLENT FOOD AGRI. PARK offers di-verse food-and-farming education programs. In 2025, the park was recognized by Taiwan’s Ministry of Agriculture and received an Honorable Mention in the Group Category at the First National Food and Agriculture Education Outstanding Contribution Awards.
For younger visitors, the park uses custom-designed teaching tools and picture books to introduce rice culture in fun ways. The “Good Food On-the-Go” worksheet uses lively illustrations to show-case Dongshan’s agricultural abundance. The “Rice Baby” plush teaching aid explains the trans-formation from rice husk to brown rice, rice bran, and polished white rice—often surprising parents with the realization that “brown rice and white rice are actually the same grain, just with or without its ‘clothes.’”
The park’s Rural Kitchen experience, themed “The Aroma of Fish and Rice,” invites visitors not only to taste Dongshan flavors but also to harvest vegetables and herbs themselves and cook two dishes by hand.
The experience begins with simple rice balls made from unseasoned leftover rice using Pandan Fra-grant Rice, allowing guests to fully appreciate the natural taste of rice. Visitors then prepare seafood pancakes and duck-and-vegetable soup before enjoying ayu fish and cherry duck dishes. Finally, a bowl of freshly steamed rice is served, topped with duck fat, fried shallots, and sakura shrimp—delivering a rich, comforting aroma. It is a journey that satisfies both mind and palate, from field to table, from knowledge to flavor.
Step out of Dongshan Railway Station and enjoy a leisurely two-minute walk along Zhongzheng Old Street to arrive at DONGSHAN EXCELLENT FOOD AGRI. PARK. The park is formed from several former grain warehouses belonging to the Dongshan Farmers’ Association. Once idle for years, these old granaries have been transformed with colorful murals depicting traditional rural life and adorable cat motifs, presenting farming culture and agricultural tools in an approachable, playful way. Today, they are among the most popular photo spots for visitors.
The Dongshan Farmers’ Association began planning agritourism early on, creatively redesigning the old granaries into themed “BAR” spaces: Buy BAR, Eat BAR, Learn BAR, Play BAR, Tea BAR, Grow BAR, and Chat BAR (housed in a former public health clinic). Fun to explore, easy to shop, and rich in experiences, the park serves as a hub that connects local farmers and drives agricul-tural development across the Dongshan area.
At Learn BAR, which focuses on rice culture, visitors can join activities such as “Mill and Remem-ber,” “Colorful Creations,” and “Love in Every Grain.” These hands-on workshops allow partici-pants to learn about rice while crafting with it. Seasonal rice-based DIY activities—such as niu-benshui, rice noodles (mitaimu), and glutinous rice dumplings—are also popular and available by reservation.
Hands-On Rice Milling
Tasting Colorful Rice Balls
Located at the source of the Dongshan River, Dongshan Township benefits from exceptionally clean irrigation water. The Farmers’ Association contracts with local farmers to grow Pandan Fra-grant Rice and Pearl Rice, harvested only once a year for superior aroma and texture. These premi-um rice varieties are available at Buy BAR, along with other local specialties such as jasmine tea, crispy mushrooms, organic wood ear mushroom drinks, and ayu fish.
Buy BAR also offers a wide range of creatively developed rice products designed with consumer preferences in mind. Fun product names include “Pomelo Temptation Crisps” (puffed rice snacks), “Yo-Mi Rice Noodles” (black rice noodles), “Mi-Mi Pop” (100% rice popcorn), and “Rice Chips”—a rice-based take on potato chips.
Beyond eating and shopping, the park emphasizes educational fun through rice experiences. Activi-ties at Learn BAR are designed especially for families. In “Colorful Creations,” children make col-orful rice balls using natural dyes such as green tea powder, turmeric, and red yeast rice. Their crea-tions—shaped like cartoon characters, cats, and dogs—are both playful and delicious. Parents often laugh and say, “My child never eats much rice at home, but here they can’t stop!”
In “Mill and Remember,” participants first learn about rice cultivation and milling through illustrat-ed panels, then operate a specially designed mini rice mill. With transparent panels, children can clearly see how rice grains are separated from husks. This activity can be paired with an old river channel boat ride or a local shopping street tour, creating a delightful Dongshan mini-journey.
Chat BAR, located in the former public health clinic, offers tea culture experiences where visitors learn about tea production and brewing while enjoying Dongshan jasmine tea paired with rice snacks, dried fruits, or traditional Japanese-style mizuyokan. It’s a relaxing, artsy space perfect for slowing down.
Sustainability in Action
Promoting Circular Agriculture
One key mission of the park’s experiences is to promote the principles and practices of circular ag-riculture. At Grow BAR, also known as the “No-Bending Farm,” raised vertical planters allow vis-itors to harvest vegetables and herbs without bending down. The area features a carbonized rice husk station, where leftover husks from milling are carbonized and mixed into soil to improve PH balance and enhance crop resilience against cold and drought. The heat generated during carboniza-tion is also reused to roast sweet potatoes, ensuring agricultural byproducts are fully utilized.
Another innovative feature is the Worm Box System, which uses kitchen scraps and discarded veg-etable leaves to raise earthworms. The worms break down organic waste, producing nutrient-rich compost tea and humus that are returned to the fields as natural fertilizer for herbs and vegetables. Through engaging hands-on activities, visitors participate in turning waste into resources, effectively learning about sustainability and resource circulation.
The park also produces and sells agricultural products certified under Taiwan’s “3 Labels, 1 QR Code” traceability system. By providing shared retail and operational space, the park supports farm-ers, local residents, returning youth, and the Farmers’ Association alike. It also serves as a hub for regional revitalization and young farmer education, working closely with Meihua Lake, Dajin, and other leisure farming areas to host workshops and farmers’ markets—integrating resources to drive local economic growth and sustainable development.
Farm-to-Table Experiences
Let Rice Take Center Stage
From the fields to the dining table, DONGSHAN EXCELLENT FOOD AGRI. PARK offers di-verse food-and-farming education programs. In 2025, the park was recognized by Taiwan’s Ministry of Agriculture and received an Honorable Mention in the Group Category at the First National Food and Agriculture Education Outstanding Contribution Awards.
For younger visitors, the park uses custom-designed teaching tools and picture books to introduce rice culture in fun ways. The “Good Food On-the-Go” worksheet uses lively illustrations to show-case Dongshan’s agricultural abundance. The “Rice Baby” plush teaching aid explains the trans-formation from rice husk to brown rice, rice bran, and polished white rice—often surprising parents with the realization that “brown rice and white rice are actually the same grain, just with or without its ‘clothes.’”
The park’s Rural Kitchen experience, themed “The Aroma of Fish and Rice,” invites visitors not only to taste Dongshan flavors but also to harvest vegetables and herbs themselves and cook two dishes by hand.
The experience begins with simple rice balls made from unseasoned leftover rice using Pandan Fra-grant Rice, allowing guests to fully appreciate the natural taste of rice. Visitors then prepare seafood pancakes and duck-and-vegetable soup before enjoying ayu fish and cherry duck dishes. Finally, a bowl of freshly steamed rice is served, topped with duck fat, fried shallots, and sakura shrimp—delivering a rich, comforting aroma. It is a journey that satisfies both mind and palate, from field to table, from knowledge to flavor.
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