▲Red dates, taro steamed cakes, red date rice, red date steamed buns, and red date fermented tofu are all specialty items at Gongguan Zaoyuan. ■ Photo by Chen Zhidong
▲Zhuolan’s Fengshui pears are ripe and ready. The farmer’s kids help out while sneaking bites and shouting their approval. ■ Photo by Chen Zhidong
▲The Fengshui pears of Jing Shan in Zhuolan are said to burst with juice in your mouth with every bite. ■ Photo by Chen Zhidong
▲Li Xianqi, head of the Jing Shan Fengshui Pear production and sales group in Zhuolan, smiles as he looks over the ripe, crystal-clear pears, happy that a year of hard work has paid off. ■ Photo by Chen Zhidong
▲Xie Meihui from the township agriculture office says Zhuolan’s grapes are still slightly green but will be fully harvested starting July 5. ■ Photo by Chen Zhidong
▲Farmers suggest checking the “bottom” of the grape to pick the best ones—usually, if there's a white residue, it indicates pesticide residue. This one here is a prime example of a good grape. ■ Photo by Chen Zhidong

The water pears and grapes in Zhuolan are ripe for the picking this summer season. Enjoy fruit picking with your kids, soak in the cold springs at Tai’an, and have a BBQ under the starry sky—guaranteed fun for the whole family.

At the Jing Shan “Fengshui Pear Specialty Production Area” at the border of Zhuolan and Dahua in Miaoli, a fruit farmer picked up a small pear and began peeling it. I thought to myself, “How stingy, giving us such a tiny one.” But once the peel was off and I took a bite, the pear burst with juice in my mouth, making me feel like a character from a Stephen Chow movie—running along the beach in a white gown, my face smeared with sweet, blissful pear juice.

Li Xianqi, owner of Zhengxing Orchard and head of the local production and sales group, along with his wife Zeng Suzhi, looked at me with a knowing smile that seemed to say, “Now you get it, huh?” Zeng Suzhi explained that the specialty of Jing Shan’s Fengshui pears is just how juicy they are. Though they may look small—about the size of a fist—they can sometimes weigh up to half a pound, packed with moisture. The flesh is crystal clear, and if you want to try them, you’ll need to plan your visit around early July.

■ The Four Kings: A Grape and Pear Harvest

Thanks to its proximity to the Mountain ranges of Manapan and Guandao, plus the fertile plains shaped by the Dajian River sediment, Zhuolan boasts not only beautiful scenery but also ideal conditions for fruit growing, making it one of Taiwan’s most representative fruit-producing regions—with about two-thirds of the population working as fruit farmers.

Zhuolan is home to the “Four Kings” of fruit: grapes, pears, star fruit, and citrus. The peak harvest seasons for grapes and pears are July and August. Xie Meihui from the township agriculture office said Zhuolan has 491 hectares of grapevines and 980 hectares of pear orchards. Thanks to improved techniques and a younger generation of farmers, the quality of Zhuolan fruits has been getting better year after year.

Zhuolan grows a variety of high-grafted pears including Fengshui, Qiushui, and Xinxing. Li Xianqi, the head of the production group, said that while most areas only use a single layer of bagging for their pears, farmers in Jing Shan use artificial pollination, thin the fruit down to just 2 or 3 per branch, and bag each cluster in two layers. Their labor costs are more than double or triple that of others, but the result is juicy, sweet pears with a crisp texture.

■ No Admission Fee – Pick Your Own Fruit

Take grapes, for example. Although they are the common Kyoho variety, thanks to the soil, climate, and farming techniques, Zhuolan grapes have a sugar content of over 21 degrees—but they’re not cloyingly sweet. Instead, they have a mild tanginess. Their natural bloom is evenly distributed, and after a quick rinse under water, you can eat them skin and all, savoring the lingering sweet-tart aroma.

Since Zhuolan is located on the plains, transportation costs are lower than for high-mountain fruits. This summer, the average market price is NT$110 per jin for pears and NT$80 for grapes. The area is also open for fruit-picking tourism during the vacation season. Xie Meihui noted that most picking activities are concentrated in the Dongsheng area of Neiwanli. There’s no entrance fee—you pay for what you pick, at prices similar to those in the market.

Farms open for fruit picking include Songyuan Farm, Zhenxiong Farm, Bean Mom Leisure Orchard, HSBC Sightseeing Orchard, and Yuansheng Sightseeing Orchard. Some also offer home delivery. On July 24 and 25 this year, the Zhuolan Township Office will host a Fruit Tourism Festival, featuring fresh fruit sales and a variety of activities.

■ A Family of Four – A Road Trip Adventure

For a summer family fruit-picking trip to Zhuolan, driving is recommended. From the Miaoli interchange on the Zhongshan Expressway, take Highway 72 directly to Wenshui. Start by visiting the Wenshui Visitor Center of Shei-Pa National Park, then drive along Provincial Highway 3 to Yunjing Lake for some French cuisine.

After lunch, head to Zhuolan to pick grapes, buy water pears, explore the Grand Canyon, and then return to Wenshui in the evening. From there, go to Tai’an’s “Tang Wei Hot Springs” for a stargazing BBQ. The next morning, enjoy a soak in the hot springs, have lunch around noon, and then drive back to Gongguan via Highway 72. Stop by Zaoyuan, a garden café full of vintage charm with a cute animal area, to enjoy a meal of freshly harvested red dates before heading home. It’s a fantastic 2-day, 1-night family road trip.