Taiwan Oyster Land

An eye-catching wall painting can tell you everything about living in Longshan village (龍山村), Cigu (七股) Township, Tainan County (台南縣). Oyster farming is the life of this small and artistic village. Growing up in the city and having been eating oyster omelets all the time, I had no ideas how oysters grow until we volunteered ourselves to help and got on Mr. Huang’s bamboo raft full with oysters.

Friendly oyster famer Mr. Huang was tying at least 14 heavy buckets full of oysters on the nylon strings to the bamboo frame in the roadside salt marsh; we stopped the car and volunteered ourselves to help. He did not hesitate to our offer. We were on the raft. From there, I started to understand the process of how oysters were farmed and appreciating all oyster farmers' hard work!

The soil in Cigu lagoon contains a high concentration of salt which made it impossible to grow crops. However, raising oysters and fish were successfully developed in this type of environment. They have become the main economic sources for this village. Nearly 1/3 of the residents here are in the oyster farming industry.

After removing the oyster from the shell, the shell can be re-used and placed in the ocean as the bedding for the baby oysters to attach and grow. Oyster farmers dry the larger oyster shells in the sun and drill hole on each shell. 10 of the shells are hung together on one nylon string.

A young child in the village was gladly showing us how to drill hole with the machine.

Each shell can grow many baby oysters in the ocean. The ones that submerge in the water grow faster than the one above the water due to the high and low tide. Mr. Huang said that after 6 months to 1 year, he moved them to salt marsh to have them grow “fat”, which may take one month or so.

These oysters were just captured from the ocean. Mr. Huang was working on tying all of them on the bamboo frame when we came.

Each string was as heavy as the weight of the oyster shells. The shells were very sharp as well, so a pair of gloves were needed. Of course, we all ended up with minor cuts on the fingers. We learned to hold the beginning and end of the string instead of the middle to prevent cuts on the fingers.

After one hour of working, we helped to hand over all the oyster shells to Mr. Huang. He was so glad that we made his day shorter. We were so glad that we did not screw up too!

He opened a few ready to eat oysters for us. Both Kristen and Lishan tasted the fresh oysters, and they were so fresh, a bit salty, and no sand at all.

Oyster is a very popular dish especially in southern Taiwan. They are the ingredients for oyster omelet, oyster thin noodle soup, oyster roll, and fries oysters…etc. Strolling through the village, you can taste all these local cuisines on the street vendors, or in small restaurants.

Oyster farmers in Longshan village have also shown their artistic skills. The exterior walls have become artistic walls painted with their daily lifestyle. Some oyster shells became unique handcraft and wall decorations. The leftover oyster shells were also smashed and mixed into the soil to keep the balance of acidity. Streets are so clean and pleasant, giving us a relaxing atmosphere.

“Oyster, Milkfish, and Wu-Guo fish” are the three treasures in Longshan village. Dry milkfish hanging outside the houses also became a unique scene in the village.

Black-faced spoonbill can also be seen in the reservation area near Cigu Lagoon (七股潟湖). We did not go there; however, lots of black-faced spoonbill paintings were found on the walls.

Villagers were picking up the oyster meat from the shell and making them ready for the market.

Although we experienced the oyster farm ourselves, Longshan village offers an educational and ecological 90 minute raft tour to see the mangrove conservation area, fixed fishnet area, and oyster farm area.

It is time to return to the city. A grateful heart is still with all the oyster farmers in Longshan village! Read More