Where Rice Fields Become a Stage: Taitung, Part 2 | TaiwanPlus News

Taitung is often called “Taiwan’s quiet backyard” — but its wide-open landscapes are anything but empty. From vast rice fields to dramatic coastlines, this remote corner of the island has become a powerful source of artistic inspiration.

In part two of our five-part series “Where’s the Taitung County Chief Taking Us?” Andrew Ryan travels to Chishang Township, where some of Taiwan’s best rice grows — and where art quite literally rises from the land. Along the way, he meets renowned artist Paul Chiang, whose bold, luminous works were transformed after he settled in Taitung, and visits the Paul Chiang Art Center, home to his life’s work.

The journey continues in the rice fields themselves at the Chishang Autumn Harvest Arts Festival, where performances unfold in sync with nature. Featuring U-Theatre and Indigenous musician Sangpuy, the festival blurs the line between stage and landscape — turning earth, wind, clouds and crops into part of the performance.

This episode explores how Taitung’s remoteness, long seen as a disadvantage, has become its creative edge — a place where artists slow down, listen to the land and let it lead.

WATCH other episodes of Andrew Ryan’s journey through Taitung County in our series playlist for "Where’s the County Chief Taking Us?” https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu5MSnfNvpMb3ZFYxt5_eJfl9tPzPRywj&si=sNf234QSf4h5C1QN

[Taiwan’s Mayors and County Chiefs]
Taiwan is home to 13 county chiefs, six mayors of special municipalities (New Taipei, Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung) and three mayors of provincial cities. These elected officials serve a maximum four-year term, and can be re-elected for one additional term. The first episodes of the series aired prior to the local elections in 2022.