A Complete History of Modern Wheat Cultivation in Taiwan, China
Text and photos / WONG JUN-FA; lead image / Munch
In recent years I have been living in Kaohsiung, and I have noticed that the new bakeries springing up always like to emphasise local ingredients, such as Dongshan longan or Fangshan mango. But when it comes to the flour used for making bread, I have never heard of it being produced locally. Perhaps some people will wonder: Taiwanese people often eat bread and noodles, so why are they so unfamiliar with wheat, the raw material? Could it be that hot Taiwan really cannot accommodate wheat?
In March 2010, Daya in Taichung held a "Wheat Festival," and many Taiwanese people suddenly discovered, oh, so Taiwan, situated in the tropics and subtropics, also grows wheat? In most people's minds, wheat is a very "Western" crop, or at least a "temperate" or "northern" one. Yet no one ever imagined that in fact, on the hot southern island of Taiwan, wheat cultivation already has a history of more than a hundred years, and waves of wheat could once be seen across the north, centre and south. This technological epic, begun by the agricultural experimental stations of the Japanese colonial government together with local farmers, is full of ups and downs, just like the modern history of Taiwan.
Wheat seed improvement in the Japanese era
The earliest local wheat varieties were numerous and were collectively called "native varieties." They are said to have been introduced by early settlers who crossed to Taiwan from southern China, but the exact period can no longer be verified. Most native wheat varieties were late-maturing and had the advantage of drought tolerance. Before wheat seed improvement was carried out during the Japanese era, they had been grown on the dry coastal lands of Tainan, Chiayi and Yunlin. However, their drawbacks were low yields and a long growing period, and combined with farmers' rough cultivation methods, quality was poor. The area of native varieties in the south once reached as much as more than 7,000 jia, but because the Japanese colonial government strongly promoted the sugar industry, and because between 1920 and 1930 the Jianan Grand Canal was under construction and the pond-and-canal irrigation system became increasingly complete, farmers switched one after another to sugarcane or other miscellaneous crops in pursuit of higher economic returns. The area of native wheat fields gradually declined from 1922 (the 11th year of Taisho), and by 1931 (the 6th year of Showa), the planted area had shrunk to 500 hectares, only 1/16 of its peak.
Looking back at the history of wheat cultivation in Taiwan, varieties evolved from the broadcast-sown native varieties of a hundred years ago to improved varieties bred in experimental stations through the joint efforts of the agricultural experimental stations and wheat farmers in the fields. The growing regions shifted from the barren dry lands by the sea in the centre and south to Taichung as the main area. The use of wheat also showed changes in multiple purposes, including flour, bread, winemaking and even the production of monosodium glutamate. Exploring this technological history of wheat's "localisation" in Taiwan through the yellowed pages of forgotten agricultural documents is truly a twisting, extraordinary and endlessly fascinating tale!
At present, people in various parts of Taiwan are gradually trying their hand at wheat cultivation. Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, when we eat the fragrant, freshly baked bread from the bakery on the corner, it will boast that the raw-material wheat is Made In Taiwan!
Note: The Taichung Prefecture Farmers' Association Experimental Station is the predecessor of today's Taichung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station. It was founded in 1920, initially formed by merging the Taichung Prefecture Farmers' Association Experimental Station and the Nantou Prefecture Farmers' Association Experimental Station into the Taichung Prefecture Farmers' Association Experimental Station, and in 1924 it was renamed the Taichung Prefecture Agricultural Experimental Station. After subsequent changes in affiliation and name, it was given the name Taichung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station in 1960.
Further reading
Taiwan wheat, long time no see! Special topic guide