Hongjiou Aiyu Yuan is located at Banqiao Road, Douliu City, Yunlin County. Driving from East-West Expressway of Provincial Highway 78, exit at Douliu/Gukeng, go toward Gukeng and you will arrive at the farm in approximately five minutes. As it is only a five-minute drive away from Gukeng Green Tunnel Park, you can also swing by for a visit.
Introduction
First-generation farm owner Mr. Liu Che-cheng was an assistant researcher at the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute. In the wild, aiyu is a creeping fig that often attaches itself to the top of big trees, making it dangerous to obtain. Mr. Liu was tasked to search for a variety that is suitable for cultivation. Several years passed before he finally found a variety with the highest gelatinous content – Red Nine. Hongjiu, which literally means “red nine”, is where the name of the aiyu yuan comes from.
In 1990, he began full-scale cultivation of aiyu and his effort was recognized and supported by wholesalers. Second-generation Mr. Liu Meng-yu returned to his hometown to take over the business in June 2015 due to his ageing parents. Having worked in marketing and sales, he leveraged his strength to develop more diverse sales channels and allow more people to know about the characteristics of aiyu, achieving great success.
The main crop grown at Hongjiou Aiyu Yuan is the Red Nine aiyu, which gets its name from being the No.9 variety obtained from Red Stone Tribe in Haiduan Township, Taitung County. The variety Red Nine has the highest gelatinous content and stronger resistance against diseases and pests, and the shape of its fruit also makes it easier for subsequent processing. The evergreen vine is one of Taiwan’s most precious agricultural produce because aiyu can only be found in Taiwan.
The achenes of the aiyu, commonly known as “aiyuzi”, develop after the female aiyu fruit has been pollinated by female aiyu wasps burrowing into a little hole at the bottom of the syconium fruit to lay eggs.
Aiyu is the most refreshing beverage in summer. Upon entering the farm, visitors will see a pot of original-flavor aiyu jelly thoughtfully prepared by the owner for the enjoyment of the visitors. Consuming one to two bowls of the water-soluble dietary fiber regularly helps to lower blood cholesterol. Visitors also can experience rubbing aiyu achenes, and learn how they turn to aiyu jelly and their characteristics.
Features of Agricultural Tourism
Fruits
Second-generation owner Mr. Liu said, “Both aiyuzi (aiyu achenes) and aiyu wasps are unique to Taiwan. As the pollination of aiyu is entirely dependent on aiyu wasps, other countries hoping to cultivate aiyu cannot mass produce successfully without the aiyu wasps. This is why aiyuzi is considered a treasure of Taiwan.”
Hongjiou Aiyu Yuan hopes that agrifood education will provide more ways to spread knowledge about aiyu, allowing more people to know about aiyu and distinguish the difference between real and fake aiyu in the market. The key difference is that real aiyu does not melt when cooked in a pot.
Mr. Liu’s own mission is to continue developing different types of aiyu dishes so that aiyu is not just a cooling beverage for summer but also a winter warmer. To break from tradition and enable the aiyu industry to develop differently, he has actively applied for various government certifications, including Yunlin Goods, primary processing farm, special agro-tourism spots certification, and quality rural trips evaluation, and has received positive feedback.
Since aiyu is unique to Taiwan, Mr. Liu hopes to promote aiyu internationally and let the world know about aiyu. In fact, this is Hongjiou Aiyu Yuan’s business philosophy and ultimate goal for sustainability.
