Colorful Rice Fields in Shiny Black Gold Edition Redefine the Most Beautiful County Road

Text by MOOK Scenic Spots Christopher | Photos provided by Big Girl’s Floral Tales

Hualien’s County Highway 193 is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful roads in all of Taiwan. Stretching narrowly from Xincheng Township to Yuli Town, it spans approximately 110 kilometers, making it the longest county road in Taiwan to date. Cruising along County Highway 193, you’ll occasionally be greeted by breathtaking scenery that changes its charm with the seasons. Around the 98K mark, amidst a sea of lush green rice paddies, you’ll be amazed to find a field of black rice that shimmers like black obsidian gold under the blazing sun, adding an extraordinary touch to this already stunning county road.

This black rice paddy is of the Hualien No. 23 variety, officially named “Hualien No. 23 Rice.” Initially, the leaves are green, then turn a rich deep purple, but the rice ears remain green when they flower. Unlike other commonly cultivated varieties in Taiwan, Hualien No. 23 is the country’s first rice variety specifically named for the purpose of paddy field art. This allows rice cultivation to serve not only as a traditional food source but also as a means of landscape beautification, further integrating the rice industry with tourism.

Along Hualien’s County Highway 193, you’ll encounter ever-changing seasonal landscapes and flower seas. In summer, you’ll see golden shower trees, flame trees, lilies, and daylilies, all set against an open horizon where the vast fields stretch as far as the eye can see. Cycling under the shade of the trees, you can almost feel nature’s vitality conversing with you.