Red Dates Festival

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Red dates, which can be hardly found elsewhere in Taiwan, are an exclusive agricultural specialty in Miaoli’s Gongguan Township. Every summer is the peak period for harvesting red dates.  Cooperating with the local farmers’ association and agencies of leisure industries, Miaoli County Government launches Red Dates Festival during July or August. To boost the local tourism and culture, a series of activities, including farmers’ markets and art exhibitions, take place during the festival.

Red dates

Houlong River (後龍溪) adjacent to Gongguan provides red dates with quality water, and the fair weather is also the reason that the fruit flourishes in this township. The vast majority of red date orchards cover the area of the villages of Fuhsing (福星), Fuchi (福基), and Shihciang (石墻). There are around 60 hectares of plantations in the region. With the development of recreation industries, most places where grow red dates are gradually transformed into tourist orchards. Red date picking becomes a popular activity for visitors.

Fresh red dates are usually bathed in sunlight for 3 or 5 days, and sun-dried red dates can serve as traditional Chinese herb medicine. They are believed to have antioxidant, immunostimulant, and wound healing properties, so they are considered precious medicine. Dried red dates can also be used to elevate taste and increase nutrition in some dishes. Red dates growers in Gongguan have produced red date wine, red date syrup, red date vinegar, preserved red dates, and red date tea over the years. In addition, local restaurants offer the cuisine featuring the signature fruit. 

Sun-dried red dates
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