Houbi

Hòubì (後壁) is a rural district in northern Tainan renowned as Taiwan’s rice-growing heartland, with over 3,500 hectares of cultivation earning it the nickname “the granary of granaries”. The clay-based soil and high-quality water from Zengwen and Wushantou reservoirs produce rice celebrated across Taiwan, with the district gaining wider recognition through the 2004 documentary Let It Be (無米樂) about local farmers. The village of Jingliao (菁寮) preserves traditional architecture along its old street and is home to the Jingliao Holy Cross Catholic Church, a striking modernist structure built in 1960 and designed by German architect Gottfried Böhm. The district also contains the Wushulin Sugar Factory, established in 1909 and operational until 1983, now redeveloped as a heritage tourism site.