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Creating a Traditional Taiwanese Rice Culture Heritage Site - "Tao-Mi Su" Educational Center A brick-built, red-tile-roofed house, "Tao-Mi Su" Educational Center has been quietly situated in the Tao-Mi community for nearly sixty years. Chen Guo-Ming, who has been running the Li-Lai-Ju handmade udon noodle restaurant in Taichung City for twenty years, was appointed as a part-time assistant professor in the Department of Tourism, Recreation, and Hospitality Management at National Chi-Nan University in 2011. He fell in love with the beautiful scenery of Puli and, in December 2012, stumbled upon this dilapidated old house at No. 1, Kind-Gua Road, Tao-Mi Village, with the guidance of local villagers. Recalling the situation at that time, Guo-Ming said: "The old house was in a state of severe disrepair. There were no doors or windows, and the interior was cluttered with debris. Due to the severe roof leakage, weeds and small trees were scattered everywhere. The cement floor in the courtyard was covered with mud and overgrown with weeds. The low brick wall in the backyard had collapsed, making it impossible to enter or exit. The rain棚 in the side yard had also collapsed. At that time, my friends advised me to demolish it and rebuild, which would be the best option!" At present, standing in front of the old house, it's hard to relate to Guo-Ming's memories. It's clear that Guo-Ming must have put tremendous effort into restoring the old house. Dedicated to Being the First Person to Pass on the Traditional Taiwanese Handmade Udon Noodle Technique Apart from providing daily reservation-based experience services, Guo-Ming is also the first person to publicly teach the traditional Taiwanese handmade udon noodle-making technique. Over the past decade, he has conducted numerous free udon noodle-making workshops across Taiwan, including two trips to the "Gong- Zi-Ren-Yi-Dian" (Five Flavors House) outside the Feng-Tian train station in Hualien. The Brick-Built Low House Becomes a Traditional Rice Culture Heritage and Education Base What does a rural scene look like? A brick-built low house, a red-tile roof, an open courtyard, a burning wood stove, and the fragrance of flowers from all four seasons, accompanied by the non-stop chatter of residents - this is the daily life of Tao-Mi Su. In front of Tao-Mi Su, a small rice drying yard is set up; "When I was a child, the rice drying yard in front of my house was the most lively place! It was not only a playground for my six siblings but also a place where we would dry rice grains during the spring and autumn seasons, dry melons in midsummer, and dry radishes before Chinese New Year..." This is Guo-Ming's fond childhood memory. Since 2014, Tao-Mi Su has frequently invited community partners to set up dining tables and hold market events on this small rice drying yard and has brought students from Chi-Nan University to share his expertise and joy on the rice drying yard. Born and raised in a traditional rural three-in-one courtyard house, Guo-Ming has a deep affection for old houses. Various traditional rice-based food preparations during festivals, such as red tortoise cakes, taro cakes, radish cakes, zongzi, and making steamed buns and bread, are all happy memories from his childhood, spent alongside his mother. These are the essential reasons that nurtured the establishment of Tao-Mi Su. Guo-Ming said with a smile: "These traditional snacks often seen during Taiwanese festivals will one day become a world heritage (a forgotten treasure) if they are not passed down and recorded! It's become my crucial mission in life to create a learning site for traditional Taiwanese rice culture!" Handmade Udon Noodle-Making Experience and the Courtyard Dining Table In addition to traditional Taiwanese rice-based food preparation, continuing the twenty-year operation of Li-Lai-Ju restaurant, a two-hour handmade udon noodle-making experience is a primary service offered by Tao-Mi Su. Using brewing Puli Shaoxing wine's Ai-Lan spring water and flour, through dough mixing, foot-stomping, rolling, and cutting, a new, fresh, and elastic noodle is created, combining time, memory, and effort. The texture and flavor will refresh your understanding of noodles. If you have sufficient time, you can stay in the old house overnight and take a 15-hour noodle-making experience to gain a deeper understanding. The current experience activities offered by "Tao-Mi Su" Educational Center also include traditional rice-based food (rice cakes), taro and sweet potato balls-making, and coffee bean roasting experiences. Seasonal tours include sweet bamboo shoots, hibiscus flowers, and coffee farm travel, among other agricultural experiences. Guests are welcome to gather friends and make reservations for the "Courtyard Dining Table" program. The "Courtyard Dining Table" is a hands-on cooking activity and an excellent choice for experiencing Puli's local flavors. This four-hour experience includes handmade udon noodle-making, paper church area tour, ecological village coffee farm travel, hibiscus flower steamed bread-making, and old-stove cooking, which is highly praised by tourists.