Naluo Village Introduction
Driving from Neiwan towards the Naluo Tribe, after passing the Naluo Police Station, remember to roll down your car windows and carefully sniff and feel the air. Depending on the season, the air in the Herb Tribe will be filled with various fragrances. Whether or not you can recognize the scents of those herbs, you will certainly agree that these smells have a common name: happiness. Naluo is a tribe primarily composed of the Atayal people, and the indigenous people's understanding of natural crops is deeply rooted in their blood. They possess delicate thoughts and skillful hands, embodying a philosophy of coexisting with nature. Therefore, under the guidance of the Indigenous Peoples Commission, Hsinchu County Government, and the Hsinchu Seed Improvement Station, the Naluo Tribe began to systematically cultivate "aromatic medicinal plants," commonly known as herbs, over a decade ago, simultaneously establishing production and marketing teams, leading to a wave of herbal cultivation across the country. However, during the booming period of the herbal industry, Typhoon Aere in 2004 caused the beautiful vision to collapse in an instant. The severe landslides not only destroyed all the flower fields but also severely undermined the confidence of the tribe's residents. Fortunately, the leader of the production and marketing team, Wu Hsiu-mei, firmly believed that as the living conditions of people improved, the demand for herbs would only increase. Thus, she led the team members to research and develop applications for processing herbs, allowing the Naluo Herb Tribe not only to provide raw materials but also to produce high value-added herbal products. Over the course of ten years, they stubbornly established an intimate connection with herbs through organic cultivation. Today, the herbal hydrosols from the Naluo Herb Tribe not only supply well-known domestic skincare brands but also attract strict quality control German brands that travel far to purchase them. The perseverance of the Herb Tribe has finally brought them their own happiness. Wu mentioned that while people’s impressions of herbs often remain at the level of Western products, "Compendium of Materia Medica" mentions up to twenty-eight herbs and fragrant flowers, including daffodils. The legendary Emperor Shennong “tasted a hundred herbs and began medicine” shows that herbs are not imported goods. In food seasoning, folk health, beauty care, essential oil aromatherapy, and herbal medicine, the roots of herbs can be found deeply embedded in Chinese culture. Therefore, combining Western herbal knowledge with our existing cultural characteristics is the right approach to a localized herbal lifestyle. For example, when rosemary is mentioned, people often think of it as a complement to grilled meats, but Wu points out that adding rosemary when stir-frying clams (or other shellfish) is even more flavorful. If you're interested in learning more about herbal cuisine or even making your own skincare products, why not book a walking tour through the flower fields, and let Wu and the team members lead you into their herbal kingdom?
