and today we are at Longci District of Tainan City.

After coming to Longci District,

you can immediately feel the quietness of Longci,

away from all the hustle bustle of downtown Tainan.

There are various mountain paths here that you can go on

and what's really special about this place is that

there is an area of badlands caused by river erosion.

Let's go on an adventure right now!

Once you make a turn at Longci block,

you will immediately see a green walking path.

It's a walking path in Huxingshan Park.

It only takes a few steps to feel the breath of the mountain

and reach the scenic suspension bridge.

The trails here are very well planned,

it doesn't matter if you're here for long hikes or short walks,

this place is perfectly suitable.

I really envy the people who live here,

they get to enjoy nature so close to them.

Speaking of the neighboring Guanmiao District,

many people associate this place with pineapple, its local specialty.

Actually, these pineapples come from both Guanmiao and Longci.

In addition, bamboo shoots, bamboo,

and bamboo related products and handicrafts

are all local specialties of Longci.

Promotions for pineapples and bamboo shoots

are held every year in Longci.

For local agricultural production, marketing groups and farmers

promote their superb products.

The promotion includes many fun family games as well.

The fresh green bamboo shoots are attractive

in front of Longci Farmer's Association

marketing group's vegetable booth.

The vendor who is selling the fresh bamboo shoots

is a farmer from Longci District's, Xuan Mei-lan.

She is famous in Longci District

for growing the best bamboo shoots.

Let's follow her to better understand

the prestigious bamboo shoots of Longci!

Right now I'm here in Longci's bamboo field owned by Ms. Xuan.

And I'm going to learn about how bamboo is planted

and how to pull them out from the earth.

Thanks Ms. Xuan for having me today!

Is now around (May to June)

the harvest season for bamboo shoots?

Yes, we are at the peak of harvest.

It all depends on climate and rainfall,

with these two factors, bamboo shoots will grow very fast.

The temperature right now is perfect for bamboo shoots to grow,

so they grow very fast right now.

I'm curious, why is Longci famous for bamboo shoots?

Because Longci has both mountains and valleys;

we plant bamboo shoots by the valleys.

When rainwater and nutrients pour into the land,

they make sand and soil blend together,

which is great for growing bamboo shoots.

So Ms. Xuan was just telling me that

growing bamboo shoots depends largely on rainwater

Unfortunately, this year there hasn't been that much rain water.

Supposedly right now, it's supposed to be

a large production of bamboo shoots,

but this year's production is not as much as previous years.

So we are really hoping that we could get some more rain soon.

Longci doesn't have a lot of factories,

mostly part-time jobs only;

yet part-times aren't stable at all.

Longci mostly only produces bamboo shoots

and because jobs with bamboo handicrafts have died out,

the only way was to turn to growing bamboo shoots.

My father-in-law also grew bamboos

and he told me general labor jobs don't earn much,

so I followed in his footsteps.

When we're trying to find a bamboo shoot,

you see there's a crack in the holes,

and there's kind of a discoloration on the ground.

This is the pointy head of the bamboo shoot.

When we're cutting bamboo shoots,

we should be aware that there are different size and shapes;

and we should try to find the yellow part, which is for discoloration.

This is the part that you cut

and you must cut perpendicularly to the bamboo shoots.

Ms. Xuan was telling me that since growing bamboo shoots

is a very laborious work and it takes a lot of energy,

this year, there's been less and less people

devoted to bamboo shoot growing,

which is sad

because you want to keep this tradition going

but the elders are dying

and there's no one in the younger generation

that wants to take over.

But in Ms. Xuan's case,

she came back to take over the family business 13 years ago

and that is why she's still planting today.

The bamboo shoot will grow back usually within a month

and with plenty of rainwater it will actually grow even faster

so we're praying for that.

So Ms. Xuan told me earlier that picking bamboo shoots

is actually a really laborious work.

Even though I knew it is hard but I didn't realize it is that difficult.

I actually have to use up all my strength and exert on this shovel

to actually cut the bamboo shoot

with some help from her also.

So I'm glad that I did it and I get to experience

part of this bamboo shoot picking adventure,

but now I'm going to go home

and make myself a big bamboo shoot meal!

This is Longci's second marketing groups bamboo shoot factory.

Every morning, freshly picked bamboo shoots

are collected here for further packaging.

Here, the bamboo shoots are also categorized into

different groups based on their sizes.

And then, they are further cleaned with cold water.

Ms. Xuan's bamboos are also sent here

so let's go in and see how the process is done!

What is this place for?

Here, we wash the bamboo shoots

and cut out where the fibers are too thick.

The freshly-picked bamboo shoots sent here

to the processing factory

are categorized by weight and sizes,

from level one to level six.

It is a difficult process

and farmers cannot sort their own bamboo shoots.

These categories are used for shipment to Taipei for sell.

If the bamboo shoots are unqualified,

they are categorized into another two levels

and sent to processing factories.

They are responsible for categorizing the ones that aren't qualified.

Do these look like horns?

That's why they are called horned bamboo shoots.

These two look the same

but actually this one, the top of the bamboo shoot rose above the ground,

making it less valuable.

It will be sent to the processing factory.

After sorting the bamboo shoots,

they will be weighed and calculated for price.

Then, they are cooled down and washed in a big bucket of cold water.

The process of cooling keeps these bamboo shoots fresh

and also wash off the dirt to show their glow.

Finally, the farmers would carefully package these plants.

From harvest, to sorting, cleaning, and packaging,

each step is done rapidly

to ensure the freshest taste

perfectly presented for the customers.

Next to the bamboo packaging factory

you see rows and rows of bamboos here,

but they're unfortunately not for any pandas.

They're going to be turned into bamboo charcoal.

Bamboo charcoal gets rid of odor

and they are especially environmental friendly.

That's why they are a popular choice today.

What you do is you put these bamboos

into these brick ovens behind me, called a kiln.

This shelf is to exhibit all the different types of charcoal in Taiwan.

So this means that these longan charcoals

are burnt from longan trees?

Yes, that's how they're made.

Mr. Young was just telling me that these different charcoals

mean that they were burnt from different kinds of wood,

and that's why you see different kinds of charcoals here.

And sometimes they also differentiate from their temperature.

These are all from Taiwan,

and they're actually all burnt in Longci,

especially this one, the bamboo charcoal.

What kind of experiencing zone is this?

Here, we learn about the different properties of bamboo charcoals.

When bamboo charcoals are burnt up

to a specific high temperature,

its properties are fixed.

These bamboo charcoals are actually conductors of electricity.

This bamboo charcoal is turned into

this piece of cloth through the entire process

and actually you don't sweat as much

and you will feel much more comfortable.

This is the popular choice that people want to have.

This store right here is owned by Longci Farmers' Association

and one of their products here is bamboo charcoal.

All of the products here are related to bamboo charcoal

but this one is really special

because you actually add it in your rice cooker.

What you do is while you cook rice you add it in

so that it will make the rice healthier and also clean the water.

And also this can spread out some elements

to help you with your body.

And here you can see some shirts made from bamboo charcoal,

and more shirts here.

These are also some socks made from bamboo charcoal.

I'm expecting that they will keep your odor out better.

This one right here is bamboo vinegar,

and it's one of the best-selling items here.

It actually has a huge, long list of different good functions.

Not only does it keep out the bad odor,

it can also kill some germs and stops itching,

you can also use it on your pet and your plants.

So you can use it to shower, to wash your face, no problem.

You can even use it to clean your house.

How amazing is that!