Although the Tainan County town of Paiho has always been blessed with natural scenery, not much went on there until city leaders decided to promote the area's prized crop, the lotus.
The lotus, Nelumbo nucifera, has a kind of Jekyll-and- Hyde reputation. It is an ornamental and versatile plant, edible in parts and a beguiling addition to any flower arrangement. But a lotus-eater is defined as someone given over to pleasure and luxury--a devotee of warm, southern climes where day filters into night through the lens of a golden tropical sunset.
Paiho, in northwest Tainan County, can certainly claim to be a place in the sun. The reason why this town, with a population of some 37,000, grows most of the island's lotuses is a happy combination of an ideally hot climate and aggressive planning on the part of the local authorities. Over the years, these exotic plants, often known as water lilies, have brought prosperity to the area. Few of the local farmers would describe their lives as pleasurable or luxurious, however. The lotus demands hard work from those who seek to profit by it.
Part of the plant's allure lies in its versatility. When its leaves are dried, they can be infused as tea. The seeds in its cupule (the bowl-shaped container at the top of the stem) are sold as a snack food. Taiwanese chefs serve up the plant's rootstalk (or underground stem) sliced raw, stir-fried, or in soups. The stalk's airways are sometimes stuffed with sticky rice and then sliced and cooked in a mild, sugary sauce. The plant is also an important ingredient in Chinese medicine--preparations made from it are said to strengthen the lungs and cool the body, among other benefits.
With so much going for it, Paiho would seem to be ideally placed to make a killing, but until quite recently, this small town never achieved the respect it deserved. Then somebody had a brain wave. In 1995, the town decided to hold the first Tainan Paiho Lotus Carnival, using the event as a catalyst to organize the farming community and give it a much-needed economic boost during the summer harvesting season.
The carnival title is a little deceiving, however, as the event is more of an invitation to drive around lush farms and sample lotus products than a traveling sideshow. Visitors determined to see everything the area has to offer must rely on public maps, street signs (some official and helpful, others neither), and trying to spot which lotus restaurants have the longest lines, and thus the best lotus dishes. Think of a giant country fair spread across a whole town, but substitute a handful of health-giving lotus seeds for the cotton candy.
The first records of lotuses harvested in Paiho date back at least ninety years. Five of the town's boroughs--Lien-tan, Yu -feng, Kuang-an, Chao-an, and Ta-chu--contain most of the plantations. The ponds fan out over about 410 hectares of land, constituting two-thirds of the island's lotus fields. Local farmers like to brag they coddle their crop with the best fertilizers and equipment money can buy. Nothing is wasted: The plants are harvested for their stems, roots, and cupules. The area's cultivators frown on dehydrating, soaking, or bleaching the lotus root, techniques used by unscrupulous importers and smug glers from mainland China and Southeast Asia to extend its one-week shelf life. In order to maintain efficient quality control, the town opted not to expand its lily fields but decided instead to concentrate on building up their reputation.
The town's carnival was thought up by the Paiho Farmers' Association five years ago as a June to August event. The first year, most visitors were from neighboring villages, but the association's work did attract the attention of the ROC's Council for Cultural Affairs (CCA). Each year, the council chooses one cultural festival and gives it full sponsorship as part of the National Festival of Culture and Arts program. It decided to give Paiho its big break in 1996 by offering the town a NT$20 million (US$645,161) promotional grant.
The CCA's assistance did not end there, however. It also funded the Lotus Explorer Museum in the nearby community of Tapaichu. Although the museum is housed in a permanent structure, it is only open during the festival's three-month run, when it serves as a showcase for the lotus's significant role in art, music, religion, and poetry. "The purpose of the museum is to thoroughly immerse visitors in the ecology of the lotus," says Su Kuo-liang, the museum's director. "We want to bring everyone that one step closer to nature." The CCA-funded attraction has become an essential port of call for educational trips and individual students who need to find out everything they have ever wanted to learn about the lotus, and then some. Nearly 5,000 people came to visit the museum on each day of last year's festival, although this year saw a dip in the average number of daily visitors to approximately 4,000.
The Tainan Paiho Lotus Carnival continues to pick up momentum. The Tainan County Government, which pro vided the township with additional help in 1996, has been an enthusiastic sponsor ever since. Presidential candidate Chen Shui-bian made a campaign whistle stop in Paiho to cut the ribbon for a formal opening ceremony on July 3, 1999, even though by then the event had already been in full swing for a month. He praised Paiho as a model for local agriculture, especially given the impending arrival of World Trade Organization (WTO) membership and the negative impact it could have on farming communities that are slow to react to the changing environment.
The numbers of visitors to the area, whether they come to tour the farms, walk through the museum, or enjoy lotus-based delicacies, have gone on increasing every year since the carnival was first held. "Last year, at least 200,000 tourists came to Paiho for the festival. This year, we look like surpassing 300,000," says Wu Chung-ming, secretary-general of the Paiho Township Office.
A typical day trip involves driving around the town and its outskirts, with occasional stops to admire the numerous water-lily farms. Visitors are welcome at designated farms at all hours of the day, and it is this freedom from a formal itinerary that makes the Paiho experience so appealing. After an afternoon spent in the humid countryside, most tourists round off their visit with a hearty meal. Restaurants offer every lotus-based recipe under the sun, with a twelve-dish dinner, enough to feed a group of six, usually costing around NT$3,500 (US$113). "Coming to Paiho is a great way to spend the weekend," says Cheng Chih-hsiang, a resident of Yungho, Taipei County, who feels that the four-hour journey to Paiho is well worth the effort. "I like to bring my family here just for the relaxing drive around the area and then a reasonably priced feast."
Despite the visitors and the money they bring, Paiho has its fair share of the headaches that can hit any sleepy town suddenly struck with fame and fortune. The streets in the summer look more like Taipei's during rush hour, and finding a place to park can be a nightmare at weekends. Even if a parking spot is found, visitors are more likely to step out of their vehicles onto a piece of litter than a water-lily leaf that has been blown down the lane. Illegal lotus-product vendors have swarmed in to cash in on the carnival and are now roadside eyesores. Lastly, the sharp increase in the number of educational tours means that the Lotus Explorer Museum can be uncomfortably crowded at times.
Moreover, it is not entirely clear how far the carnival has actually helped the people who grow the celebrated plants. "Local farmers haven't really benefited, but the street vendors from outside of town sure have," says Li Jung-tien, director of the Tien-A-Ko Cultural and Educational Association. "It's really just an artificial sense of prosperity that lasts from June to August. The farmers should get their act together and do some comprehensive planning to make the most of the carnival."
Positive sales figures, on the other hand, tell a very different story. Processed lotus foods now make a big contribution to Paiho's economy. Last year's sales of locally harvested lotus seeds and lotus-root powder amounted to NT$300 million (US$9.7 million). According to Yu Shun-ta, director of the Paiho Farmers' Association, the price of a 600-gram package of lotus seeds has risen from NT$160 to $250 (US$5.16 to $8.06) since 1995. Lotus farmer Huang Wen-chun is undoubtedly a beneficiary, but he continues to worry about unsettling trends. "Of course I've seen my income jump since the festival started--it's been really good for us," he says. "It's the smuggled and imported lotus products that hit us hard, not the carni val."
Huang has good reason to be wary. A 600-gram bag of Taiwanese lotus-root powder retails for about NT$350 (US$11.29). The powder is mixed with cold or hot water for a beverage that is reputed to cool the body. The version that is smuggled over from mainland China, on the other hand, usually fetches approximately NT$500 (US$16.13) for three bags. That said, the most serious threat to Paiho's farmers is undoubtedly posed by the WTO. The island's current tariff for agricultural imports is 20 percent. If it joins the WTO, which it is scheduled to do later this year or in early 2001, its average tariff on agricultural imports will initially fall to 14.1 percent, sinking to 12 percent six years after entry. This is obviously going to make imported lotus products even cheaper than they are now.
The Tainan County Bureau of Culture has promised to take action on at least one of the farmers' problems. It intends to cooperate with the Paiho Township Office to weed out illegal vendors of lotus products. "We'll always be happy to help out the Paiho festival," says Yeh Chia-hsiung, head of the Tainan County Bureau of Culture. "This festival is important to us, because it serves as a model for the rest of Tainan County."
Another positive step is being taken by the Paiho Township Office and the Paiho Farmers' Association, which are working together to develop a standardized label for Paiho's lotus products in the hope of stimulating brand awareness. "I totally support what the association is doing," says farmer Huang Wen-chun. "It's important for consumers to know that our lotuses are the best and that there's a means of distinguishing them on the shelves."
Although the carnival is now into its fifth year, township officials admit to being a little overwhelmed by the business aspects of running a long annual festival. Chang Shih-hsien, head of the Paiho Township Office, points out that as the carnival has expanded, funding and manpower problems have become more evident. Secretary-General Wu Chung-ming adds that ever since the festival began, the township office and the Paiho Farmers' Association have been barely able to cover expenses between them. "We're getting tired of not having enough money or people to help during the festival," he says. "I wish that government higher-ups would give us some pointers on how to coordinate everything."
The higher-ups are aware of the problems, but are still no nearer providing comprehensive organizational machinery. Council of Agriculture and CCA officials do monitor the festival's affairs, but only from their respective--and limited- -viewpoints. The Construction and Planning Administration of the Ministry of the Interior has offered assistance, but only in the shape of a promise to clear out the numerous illegally placed road signs pointing out tourist attractions. "In the end, nothing gets done, because these different government bodies don't work with each other," Wu Chung-ming says. "We just feel powerless."
Tainan County Bureau of Culture chief Yeh Chia-hsiung acknowledges the criticisms, but is adamant that Paiho has become better off. "Farmers' incomes have really increased," he says. "Just look at the prices that people are getting for a bag of lotus seeds. Look at the new paved roads all across town. That should tell you the carnival's done a lot of good for the community."
In truth, the somewhat haphazard and disorganized nature of the carnival may be one of its main attractions. The success of the rules-free mishmash of a summer event has even spawned copycat industries in a few other towns. Taoyuan County's Kuan-yin Village and Hualien County's Kuang-fu Village have recently started to tout themselves as water-lily paradises, pointedly noting that they are located conveniently close to Taipei. Paiho fought back this summer by adding one-day bicycle trips, homestays, and a lotus photography contest to the carnival's attractions. Non-lotus attractions, such as nearby Tahsien Temple, a local landmark, and the Liuhsi Water Park, where elegant water fountains are a big plus with frolicking children, are also being promoted as "add-ons."
But as Chang Shih-hsien points out, Paiho is first and foremost "the home of the water lily." "This plant is the most precious thing here," he says. Just as precious is the work the town has done to give its community a new lease on life. Years later, as people read the history of the lotus, the plant will still be associated with art, literature, and fine cuisine--and the town of Paiho.