The Ruanbi Zhenjun Cultural Festival in Hualien is approaching, with Dachen cuisine heritage warming up the event first

▲The first batch of cooking classes at the Ruanbi Zhenjun Cultural Festival in Hualien City was held at Ruanbi Zhenjun Temple, where Yuanchun You, the neighborhood chief of Minzhong Li, and others taught students from Taiwan Hospitality & Tourism College how to make pork rice and ginger tea noodles, preserving Dachen’s unique culinary heritage. (Photo / Provided by Hualien City Government, same below)

Reported by Wang Zhaolin / Hualien

The Ruanbi Zhenjun Cultural Festival in Hualien City will kick off on November 29, allowing the public to learn about the unique faith culture and lifestyle of Dachen through religious activities. Before the festival begins, a warm-up session on Dachen culinary heritage has started. On the afternoon of the 21st, the first batch of cooking classes was held at Ruanbi Zhenjun Temple, where Yuanchun You, the neighborhood chief of Minzhong Li, and others taught students from Taiwan Hospitality & Tourism College how to make pork rice and ginger tea noodles, ensuring that Dachen’s distinctive cuisine is not lost to time.

This cooking class invited Yuanchun You, the neighborhood chief of Minzhong Li, along with community residents Qu Guifeng and Xu Guiying to provide guidance. The first session focused on teaching how to make pork rice and ginger tea noodles. Fang Junsheng, deputy convener of the culinary arts field at the Admissions Affairs Center of Taiwan Hospitality & Tourism College, brought 12 fourth-year culinary students to learn. Weng Meihua, the secretary-general of Hualien City Government, along with Song Yuhua, director of the Culture and Tourism Development Office, also attended to observe and witness the preparation of Dachen cuisine.

Secretary-General Weng Meihua stated that there are not many restaurants in Taiwan serving Dachen-style cuisine, as it is mostly passed down as a family recipe from elders to their children. To prevent this unique cuisine from disappearing, Hualien City Government organized a culinary heritage learning event before the Ruanbi Zhenjun Cultural Festival. They collaborated specifically with Taiwan Hospitality & Tourism College and opened spots for Hualien residents to observe, hoping to deepen everyone’s understanding of Dachen food culture. She expressed gratitude to Liang Kaifu, chairman of the Dachen Yi Village Community Development Association, for his support, which helped Dachen residents rediscover fading memories through taste and sight. Local children from the Children’s Welfare League tutoring class were also invited to taste the delicious and unique Dachen dishes.

For the Dachen people, pork rice is a dish that showcases warm hospitality to guests. Chief You explained that Dachen Island had scarce resources, making pork hard to come by, so opportunities to eat it were rare. However, when honored guests visited, the host would prepare this dish, which takes over an hour to cook, to express their warmth and generosity.

Chief You demonstrated the cooking process, noting that traditional pork rice used pork belly, preferably fattier, but since modern diners prefer less greasy food, he opted for pork shoulder instead. As for seafood, he originally planned to use cuttlefish but couldn’t find any at the market, so he substituted it with tender squid. While chopping vegetables, Chief You reminded the students to take careful notes on every step, as this session revealed all his treasured techniques, hoping they would showcase their skills during the Ruanbi Zhenjun Cultural Festival.

Ginger tea noodles are a dish traditionally prepared by Dachen women for postpartum recovery. Qu Guifeng and Xu Guiying, who taught this dish, shared that this was their first time teaching and they were honored to contribute to the Ruanbi Zhenjun Cultural Festival, hoping everyone could benefit. Although called ginger tea noodles, the main component is actually rice vermicelli. Qu Guifeng first pan-fried egg sheets and sliced them, while preparing ingredients such as pork, squid, water bamboo, button mushrooms, dried shrimp, and daylily. She emphasized that the most special part of ginger tea noodles is the broth—made by slicing old ginger, drying it, and simmering it into a soup that warms the body and enriches blood. A drizzle of aged Dachen liquor adds the final touch of flavor.

Hualien City Government announced that the second batch of cooking classes will be held on October 29, where experts will teach how to prepare dried eel, wheat oil pancakes, and Dachen stir-fried rice cakes. On November 11, students from the culinary department of Taiwan Hospitality & Tourism College will take over the kitchen, presenting the five dishes learned in both sessions as a final showcase of their culinary achievements.

Although observation spots are fully booked, the Ruanbi Zhenjun Cultural Festival on November 29 will feature a Dachen food feast. Hualien residents are welcome to join the officially registered important cultural asset event, the “Ruanbi Zhenjun Festival of Dachen New Village,” and personally experience the culture behind Dachen’s unique cuisine.