Jihala'ay

Jilami'da'ay Village is located in Fengnan Village, Fuli Township, at the southernmost tip of Hualien County. Its residents are predominantly Amis people. Their original traditional crop was dry-farmed rice. During the Qing Dynasty and Japanese colonial period, they adopted wet rice cultivation techniques. The rice varieties grown here are of such excellent quality that they were imperial tribute rice for the Emperor during the Japanese colonial period. A small section of Fudong Highway leading to Jihala'ay is known as 'Little Tianxiang' due to its canyon topography and scenery, which closely resemble those of the Central Cross-Island Highway. To the north of Jilami'da'ay Village is a settlement named Jihala'ay. Its paddy fields are located at an elevation of approximately 300 to 500 meters. Ancestors adapted to the terrain by terracing layered paddy fields and constructing 6 irrigation canals to water the rice paddies. To this day, the villagers continue to use the Amis reciprocal labor system to maintain the irrigation canals and the pristine natural landscape. The living skills demonstrating harmonious interaction between people and land not only led to Jihala'ay being designated as the 'Jihala'ay Cultural Landscape Area' by the Hualien County Government in 2012, but also earned it a spot among the '2016 Global Top 100 Green Destinations' in the 2016 international green tourism selection.