Neili Community - Mingxiang Alley Herb Garden Introduction
To learn about the herb culture of Southeast Asia, visitors can book a guided tour through the Neili Community Development Association. The tour guide will lead guests into the "Mingxiang Nong Herbal Garden," where various Southeast Asian herbs planted in the garden will be introduced. The outdoor kitchen, known for its "thousand miles of aroma," features over 40 types of Southeast Asian herbs commonly used in Vietnamese and Thai cuisine, including pandan leaves, lemongrass, "false taro," and Indonesian bananas. In addition to learning about these herbs, visitors can further utilize the harvested "left-hand fragrant" to make insect-repelling and anti-itch ointments; cook eggs using fresh "blue vine" leaves; and make Malaysian coconut balls by squeezing juice from pandan leaves and kneading it. This hands-on experience allows guests to see how herbs are applied in daily life, leaving a deeper impression of Southeast Asian culture. While tourists may find these herbs listed on menus at foreign restaurants, this experiential tour not only helps them recognize these herbs' true nature but also allows them to touch and taste them. The "Mingxiang Nong Herbal Garden" is part of the community garden "Zhizuyuan" in Neili Community. Next to it, there is a bend-free garden, so elderly residents can also participate in cultivating their home and friendly environment, realizing sustainability concepts in their daily life. In addition to organic fertilizer made collaboratively by community residents, there are kilns, stoves, and gazebo areas near the garden, where vegetables and fruits harvested can be cooked immediately, exemplifying the current trend of outdoor kitchens, which have become educational fields for agricultural education for many corporate teams and academic institutions. The Mingxiang Nong Herbal Garden not only serves as a classroom for tourists to learn about Southeast Asian herbs but also offers a stage for many new residents to showcase their strengths through participation in guided tours.
