Taichung Smiling Dawn Organic Farmers' Market Origin Tour, Session 3, sign up for two people

At the Guanyin Creek Farm, located in the Shuangqi tribe of Heping, Taichung, lives Brother Lai Bing-huang. Brother Lai's fields sit on steep, rugged mountain slopes (part of the route even requires ropes). Although the certified organic area is about 0.5 hectares, the actual cultivated area is far less than that figure because the land lies on a mountainside. The current crops are mainly cabbage, Makino bamboo shoots, and a limited-edition batch of sweet peaches. Brother Lai's persimmons on the mountain have been growing for 15 years, with no fertilizer and no girdling (the main purpose of girdling is to inhibit plant growth so that water does not move too quickly; if it moves too quickly, the persimmons become overripe and easily fall from the tree). However, Brother Lai insists on growing fruit trees in a more natural way, so he chose not to girdle.
During the conversation, Brother Lai was casually asked why he wanted to set up a stall at the market. Brother Lai said that he now sells less than ten thousand NT dollars' worth of vegetables and fruit from his farm each month, and he knows the volume from his farm is not enough to sell to channels like Taichung's Yumaowu or organic stores. It was only through a friend's introduction that he joined the Liming Market, and that is how this farm trip came about.

(ps: When Brother Lai heard that someone was coming to visit the farm this time, he was very excited and said he absolutely had to put it in the afternoon schedule; in the morning he would simmer herbal tea, and in the afternoon he would treat everyone to a drink.)

Retired Police Officer Turned Organic Farmer – Lin Zhi-ming

The farm is located in Dongshan Village, Beitun District, Taichung City, beside the Hengken Lane creek. Its water comes from zero-pollution mountain spring water, the soil is fertile, and sunlight is abundant, so the vegetables and fruit produced are of excellent quality. That is why it is named ”Haoshanshui Organic Farm”.

A. Time: 2015.5.23 (Sat) 8:00, tour bus departs

B. Meeting point: No. 503, Sec. 2, Liming Rd., Nantun District, Taichung City

C. Farms to visit: Haoshanshui Organic Farm, Guanyin Creek Organic Farm

D. Fee: $900 per person (for the tour bus, lunch at Yu Shu Fang, and insurance)

E. Quota: 20 people, until full.

H. How to register

1. Leave a message on the Taichung Smileing Dawn Organic Farmers Market FACEBOOK (leave your name, date of birth, ID number, and mobile phone)

2. Send a text message to 0953-517-888 (leave your name, date of birth, ID number, and mobile phone)

3. Contact directly: Xu Yi-hao 0953-517-888

I. After registration is complete

A. Please transfer the fee to

Post office code: 700

Account number: 0121054-0628140

Notify by text message or phone of the last 5 digits together with your name

Event contact: Xu Yi-hao 0953-517-888

B. Come in person to the service desk at Taichung Smileing Dawn Market and hand the fee to

Event contact: Xu Yi-hao 0953-517-888