The Third Prince is about to appear soon! Remember "No Rice, No Worries"? A full record of Tainan's painted rice fields

▲A full record video of Tainan's painted rice fields from 2012 to 2015 (Photo provided by Tsai Chih-ho)

ReporterYan Hsin-tung/ Comprehensive report

The "Tainan Good Rice Season" painted rice fields are an annual highlight in Tainan. The Houpi District Office of Tainan has therefore producedthe "2015 Tainan Good Rice Season – Painted Rice Fields"video, documenting the farming activities from land preparation, flooding the fields, laying out the seedlings, to the actual planting by the 'Field Mamas.' There are also records of the painted rice fields from 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. Now, the painted rice fields are reaching a more mature stage, and the main design for 2015—the image of the Third Prince—is gradually taking shape.

The painted rice fields are presented as a giant canvas on the paddy, created using traditional rice, white rice, and purple rice, and are hailed as "Taiwan’s most beautiful countryside." Located in Houpi, Tainan, the event is primarily organized by four high-quality rice production zones: Houpi, Liujia, Xinying, and Liuying. Since 2015, the main themes have varied each year:2012’s theme was "No Rice, No Worries," 2013’s was "Taiwan Good Rice," 2014’s was "See Tainan," and 2015’s is "The Third Prince.".

▲Taiwan Good Rice Carnival, Tainan Painted Rice Fields, Field Mamas planting rice (Photo provided by Houpi District Office, Tainan)

The Tainan Good Rice Season aims to help more young people understand the hard work of farmers through this event, encourage the consumption of rice as a staple food, and combine agriculture with art through painted rice fields, creating paddy field art to promote tourism.

Painted Rice Fields Themes Over the Years
2012: No Rice, No Worries:
Created using traditional rice, white rice, and purple rice to form Houpi’s hometown of Milan. The design features silos, rice, and orchid patterns.

▲2012 Taiwan Good Rice Carnival, Tainan Painted Rice Fields, No Rice, No Worries (Photo provided by Houpi District Office, Tainan)

2013: Taiwan Good Rice:
Covering 1.4 hectares, it used four colors of seedlings—purple, green, yellow, and white—against the backdrop of Tainan’s famous Anping Fort lighthouse, depicting children joyfully eating fragrant rice.

▲2013 Taiwan Good Rice Carnival, Tainan Painted Rice Fields, Taiwan Good Rice (Photo provided by Houpi District Office, Tainan)

2014: See Tainan:
With a complex composition, three different varieties of rice were used to create a more three-dimensional and colorful painted rice field. Covering 1.4 hectares, the design wove purple, green, yellow, and white rice into "See Tainan."

▲2014 Taiwan Good Rice Carnival, Tainan Painted Rice Fields, See Tainan (Photo provided by Houpi District Office, Tainan)

2015: The Third Prince:
Woven from five colors—white, green, black, purple, and red—to form the image of the Third Prince. Visible elements include the year 2015, the Third Prince, Tainan City Government’s new emblem, and images and text related to good rice.

%Ji 015 Tainan Good Rice Carnival - San Tai Zi Rice Field Painting (Photo provided by Cai Zhihe)