Xingang Township in Chiayi County is charactered in the local identity and the unity. The Hsin Kang Foundation of Culture and Education, initiated by Mr. Lin Hwai-min, the founder of Cloud Gate Dance Theater, is one of the cultural indicators and the Nanbangong Agri-Tourism Area established in 2016, is another one. To promote the development of leisure agriculture in the Nanbangong area and to create more tourism and cultural values for the traditional villages, Bantou, Nangang, and Gonghe villages in Xingang Township have jointly established the Nanbangong Agri-Tourism Area.

The Key Developments Include Tourism and Leisure Agriculture
Bangong is the ancient township name and Xingang is the new one, which was named at the end of the Qing Dynasty. The area includes Beigang Township of Yunlin County and Nangang Village of Xingang Township of Chiayi County. In 1750, the flood of the Bangong River (now known as the Beignag River) divided the Bangang area into the Nanbangang (South) area and the Beibangang (North) area. The Nanbangong Agri-Tourism Area covers three villages with a total area of 309 hectares, and each village has its characteristics and developing points.

In the area, Bantou village has a tourism resource, Crafts Studio of Jiao-Zhi Pottery & Chien-Nien, which has been established for about 20 years. The Chinaberry Tree Art on the embankment wall has become a popular spot for tourists' photo check-in. Nangang Village is one of the earliest development harbors in Taiwan, with the nationally recognized Grade II monument, Bangong Shuixian Temple. Historically, due to the frequent maritime trading with China, the residents not only worshipped Mazu (a traditional sea goddess) but also worshipped Shuixian Zunwang—Yu the Great. Gonghe village is known for its flowers and exquisite agricultural products, such as Lisianthus, muskmelon, cherry tomatoes, water spinach, etc.

The chairman of Nanbangong Tourism Agri-Tourism Area, Mrs. Chen-Hsieh Qiu-duan, expressed that the Area has combined those advantages from the three villages (Nangang, Gonghe, and Bantou) with the key developments in tourism and leisure agriculture, assisting the farmers to develop the products of local industries. For example, the Sesame Oli Ginger Sauce is the best for the instant noodle and vegetable dishes which are made by the local smallholders grown black sesame seed and old gingers. In addition, the Salt-fried Peanuts made by Taiwan's No. 9 Peanuts are small but hard and crunchy in flavor. These two local specialties are the must-buy souvenirs for tourists.

The Multi-Experiencing Tours Connect Community Resources
"There are many excellent agri-specialty products in the Area that are very suitable for planning A Food and Agricultural Education Experience." Mrs. Chen-Hsieh said. The tourists deeply know those agri-specialty products through the tours that the staff designed. The tourists can try the characteristic cuisines and take the souvenirs back home. The tours not only bring good feedback to the Area but also obtain many awards. For example, the Area obtained the "Special Agro-tourism Spots Certified, SAS" from 2022 to 2025, the "Rural Good Products" in 2022, the "CHIAYUM, Chiayi County Select" certified, and won the excellent award in the "National Innovative Food and Agricultural Education Experience" as a frequency winner in competitions.

Apart from product development, the Area is also committed to recycling agricultural waste. Mr. He Ming-qi, the executive officer of the Area, has cooperated with Dr. candidate He Sheng-wei of National Taiwan University. They use blowers to improve the smell of the compost through lime water and accelerate the fermentation time. They further utilized the neighboring pigsties to build an odorless system, effectively improving the environmental odor and shortening the composting time. Those composts will be provided to the local smallholders and local tree planting to promote friendly farming. So far, the friendly farming area has reached 10 hectares.

To let the tourists have a deeper experience in Xingang Township, Mr. He said, "We created a small train-shaped park car and set many guided routes in the recreation area, such as cultural monuments, craft experiences, good and agriculture education, low-carbon tourism, etc. All of which can easily be reached by biking along the trails in the fields." So far, he also actively combined those travel destinations in Xingang, such as Pei Gui Hall (培桂堂), LIN GUO-ZHI Art Museum (林國治美術館), and Miau-Miau Art & Coffee (妙妙學棠), to promote new guided small tours.

The "1750 Nanbangong Ancient House Cultural Festival," which was held during the COVID-19 period, is the integrated marketing masterpiece of the Agri-Tourism Area. The tourists can enjoy the special rural cuisine inside the hundred-year-old house. There is also a Local Walking Trip to introduce local crafts, historical sites, rural farm life, and local industries. Those activities not only enhance the popularity of the Nanbangong area but also provide multi-level cultural tourism experiences.

Double the Number of Tourists and Be Confident in Self-Sufficiency
Talking about the challenges that the Area faces, Mrs. Chen-Hsieh expressed that the Area needs to be evaluated by the Ministry of Agriculture every two years. The first evaluation of the Area only obtained a B grade because of the insufficient self-sustaining revenue. Therefore, the Area has applied the Multi-Employment Promotion Program (MEPP) of the Ministry of Labor (MOL) in 2021. Through the subsident manpower from MOL, Mrs. Chen-Hsieh hopes to raise up the total revenue of the Area by promoting friendly farming and introducing an agri-tourism element.

The Area met COVID-19 when executing the Program, so it established an online ordering system and group-buying network to gain a good response from the customers. So far, the Area's products have been sold in Zhongpu Granary Agricultural Innovation Park, First Super, Gukeng Service Area, Green Tunnel Rest Stop, etc.

Mrs. Chen-Hsieh stated that over the past two program-executing years, she connected the business operators in the Area to promote cultural tourism, creating more than 6 million dollars in sales revenue. The participants of the annual "1750 Nanbangong Ancient House Cultural Festival" table project have doubled year to year. Mr. He Ming-qi pointed out that it is the third year of executing the "Multi-Employment Promotion Program (MEPP)". So far, the Area has hired 4 staff and needs a better marketing strategy to raise up the sales number to reach the goal of self-sufficiency.
Chiayi Nanbangong Agri-Tourism Area Official Website

▲The night fireworks were so romantic at the "1750 Nanbangong Ancient House Cultural Festival" in 2023.

▲Many people joined the "1750 Nanbangong Ancient House Cultural Festival" and had great success in 2023. (Photo provided: Nanbangong Agri-Tourism Area)

▲The well-designed Nanbangong Agri-Tourism Area not only provides a leisure place, but people also experience Jiao-Zhi Pottery culture in it.

▲The Chairman, Mrs. Chen-Hsieh Qiu-duan (left) and Executive Officer, Mr. He Ming-qi (right), are committed to developing local products and promoting local industries and tourism. (Photo by Lin Ying-cheng)

Case Story: Multi-Employment Promotion Program
Interviewee: Chiayi Nanbangong Agri-Tourism Area

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 

Please attribute this article to “Workforce Development Agency, Ministry of Labor.”