Naluo Village Introduction
Traveling from Neiwa to Naluo Village, after passing the Naluo Police Station, remember to roll down your car window, take a deep breath, and truly feel the air. Depending on the season, the air in the Herb Village will be filled with various aromatic fragrances. Regardless of whether you can identify the specific scents of the herbs, you will undoubtedly agree that these aromas share a common name: happiness. Naluo is a village primarily inhabited by the Atayal people, an indigenous group whose understanding of natural crops is ingrained in their blood. With delicate minds and skillful hands, they know how to coexist with nature. Therefore, under the guidance of the Indigenous Peoples Council, Hsinchu County Government, and the Hsincheu Seed Improvement Station, Naluo Village began a planned cultivation of "aromatic medicinal plants," known as herbs, over a decade ago, and established a production and marketing team, sparking a wave of herb cultivation across the country. However, during this boom in the herb industry, Typhoon Aili in 2004 devastated the beautiful prospects overnight. Severe landslides destroyed all the flower fields and heavily impacted the residents' confidence. Fortunately, the team's leader, Wu Hsiu-mei, firmly believed that as living conditions improved, the demand for herbs would grow. She led the team to research and develop processing techniques for herbs, allowing Naluo Herb Village not only to supply raw materials but also to produce high-value-added herb products. Over the past decade, they established a close connection with herbs through organic cultivation, purely with determination. Today, the herbal essences from Naluo Herb Village not only supply renowned skincare companies in Taiwan but also attract strict quality control brands from Germany that travel across the ocean to procure them. The perseverance of the Herb Village has finally brought them happiness. Leader Wu mentioned that while people often associate herbs with Western products, the "Compendium of Materia Medica" actually mentions as many as twenty-eight types of herbs and fragrant flowers, including daffodils. Additionally, the legendary Emperor Shennong “tasted all herbs and began the use of medicine,” indicating that herbs are not foreign imports, but are fundamentally rooted in Chinese culture in terms of food seasoning, folk health, beauty care, essential oil aromatherapy, and medicinal refinement. Thus, combining Western herbal knowledge with our cultural characteristics is essential for a suitable local herb lifestyle. For example, when rosemary is mentioned, people might think of pairing it with grilled meat, but Leader Wu says that it is particularly delightful when stir-frying clams (or other shellfish). If you wish to learn more about herb cooking or even try making your own skincare products, why not book a stroll through the flower fields, allowing Leader Wu and team members to guide you into their herb kingdom?
