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Hengchun Three Treasures

2025-09-02
886-8-8898112
屏東縣恆春鎮天文路1號
In the past, Hengchun's three treasures were known as "Henequen, Onions, and Port Tea," but they are now recognized as "Henequen, Onions, and Watermelons." Over time, the watermelon and onion remain the largest agricultural products in the Hengchun Peninsula, while Henequen gradually declined with Taiwan's industrial changes. Today, only the "Henequen Industrial History Exhibition" remains, allowing visitors to understand its development and decline, preserving the legacy of this once-thriving industry. **Henequen**: Among Hengchun's three treasures, Henequen is the most famous and historically significant. The introduction of Henequen to Taiwan can be traced back to Consul DeWison from the U.S., initially planted in the Taipei Agricultural Experimental Station. A few years later, several plants were transplanted to the Tropic Agricultural Breeding Station in Hengchun. With promising initial results, large-scale planting began. In 1918, machinery for production was imported, marking the mechanization of Henequen production. The uses of the fiber diversified, serving purposes beyond ropes, such as hammocks, sacks, shoes, floor coverings, brushes, and even paper-making. In some cases, farms and factories used it for packaging materials. Encouraged by the profitable prices, Hengchun residents flocked to the mountains and forests, clearing land to plant as many Henequen saplings as possible. At peak production, it reached 200 tons per month, earning the title "The Light of the East." When Henequen prices were at their highest, a single catty could fetch NT$12. Hengchun locals subsequently became wealthy, giving rise to the saying, "From Henequen threads arise high-rises," establishing Henequen as a symbol of Hengchun. Later, with the rise of industry, international market competition caused prices to plummet, reducing the profit margins of Henequen planting. The Hengchun Henequen industry gradually declined until the emergence of tourism revitalized interest, shifting the local community's focus from Henequen to the tourism industry. **Onions**: The infertile sandy soil and strong winter Lushan winds on the Hengchun Peninsula are ideal for onion growth, with stronger Lushan winds producing better quality onions. After introducing over 30 varieties from the U.S. in the 1950s, Hengchun became the main onion producer in Taiwan. By the 1970s, its output accounted for 80% of Japan's onion imports. During the peak harvest season in March and April, golden piles of onions shimmer under the sunlight, visible along roadside areas. To promote the onions, the Carriage Town Farmers Association combined tourism with events such as the "Hengchun Onion Festival / Carnival" and developed various onion-related by-products, transforming it into a representative specialty of Pingtung County. **Port Tea**: Port Tea is produced in Gangkou Village, Mazhou Township, located at the estuary of Gangkou Creek. It is said that during the Qing Guangxu era, a county official enjoyed tea but found it unavailable on the Hengchun Peninsula due to the absence of tea plantations. Thus, he imported tea seeds from Anxi, Fujian, for trial planting in Hengchun and Mazhou. Eventually, Gangkou Village in Mazhou Township successfully cultivated it. The village's terrain faces southwest while sheltered from the northeast monsoon, and the abundant rainfall creates ideal conditions for tea cultivation, hence the name "Port Tea." Port Tea is extensively grown on sloped land in terraced gardens and is harvested year-round. However, due to its limited cultivation area, annual production is approximately 600 kg, making it expensive, particularly in spring and winter when harvests are priciest. It is mostly available in local tea houses within Hengchun. Influenced by the climate and soil, Port Tea is characterized by its strong bitter taste, high concentration, and resistance to repeated steeping, offering a lingering floral fragrance and a unique, incomparable tea flavor. Drinking it with rock sugar is said to alleviate coughs and colds, earning it recognition as a specialty of Kenting National Park. **Watermelon**: In the past few years, Hengchun Peninsula has become a winter watermelon producer, exploiting the Lushan wind during the winter season on riverbeds of Sichong Stream and Fenggang Stream. It is the only region in Taiwan cultivating watermelons in winter. The crimson red flesh symbolizes the fiery sun over the Hengchun Peninsula. Locally grown watermelons are sweet, crisp, juicy, and have an excellent texture. As a result, some people gradually replace the Port Tea with watermelon as the newer representation in Hengchun's three treasures.
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