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A Paddy Field Experience, Fall Harvesting for Water Bamboos

After completing Round-I of “Fall Harvest Education Experience Program” – Harvesting for Paddy Rice in October, Taipei Zoo immediately proceeded with Round-II – Harvesting for Water Bamboos. Perhaps not everyone is aware of this, but the water bamboo (Zizania latifolia), commonly called “beauty stalk”, is one of the foods giant pandas Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan like the most.

"Children’s Zoo is an area with wetlands and ecological landscaping designed for students, families and teachers to experience and to learn together," said Zoo Director Jason Yeh. This particular event is in collaboration with the neighborhood Wanxing Primary School as part of its field classroom program, providing teachers and students an unforgettable learning experience.

This April the Zoo invited students from Wanxing Primary School of Wenshan District over to experience transplanting water bamboo tillers and rice seedlings. The crop of paddy rice they planted was harvested on September 17. Now that water bamboos also came into maturity, the students are invited to come back on November 12 to harvest the stalks in person, and to give the first harvest to our adorable Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan as a gift.

In addition, the students will also get to taste rice, cooked with the water bamboos, they planted themselves. The intent of doing so is to reinforce urban students with an understanding of the growth process of aquatic crops on farm fields and to give them a concrete concept how hectic farming is, so as to achieve the desired edutainment purposes.