Just keep the receipts. I plan on doing just that, separating my land from an orchard.
Well, I do not know if this will grow in Taiwan, but try to grow some dalbergia latifolia as windbreaker trees.
The wood is great for guitars.
But they do take a VERY long time to grow.
Camphor is nice, but I think it’s a mountain tree. Teak is also very nice but again, I can see Green Island from the land I want.
I have seen land prices in the mountains behind hualien, 2000 ping or so for ridiculous money, less than 2 million bucks.
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You will need your HR in that county for 2 years, unless things have changed.
You can also get creative with flowering trees. Start keeping bees. It is literally the easiest thing in the world do get by with. If you end up in court, you pissed someone off enough to report you. Way too easy to avoid. Just check your future land isn’t classified as mountain. Things are quite a bit easier on all fronts
Wind breaks are fine. Coffee is often shade grown, also fine. Some people enter Grey areas of growing coffee under trees in forestry zones
Camphor grow fine in lowland, we have loads. They grow fast and smell good. They are also an invasive weed other countries try to get rid of.
6 fen for 2million is possible. It’s already high compared to 10 years ago. However, be absolutely sure you aren’t actually leasing. There are no hidden shenanigans etc. Many people “buy” aboriginal land. But they inevitably end up in court at some point. Good cheap way though if you don’t mind not actually owning it and just want to die in paradise.
Some trees that are exceptionally fast if you’re looking for fat quick.
melia azedarach cool bark, showy lavender flowers, yellow/orange cherry tomato sized fruits
Bischofia javanica. Very cool trunks.
Paulownia species
Camphor
Various bamboos. Careful with some species. As they are a rhizome type growth, they can mess with roads, walkways, fiundations etc.
Ficus species
Loads of “weedy” tree species here. Various fabaceae and hibiscus grow crazy fast. The sumac are fast.
As an example the acacia here will take 30 years to get 30-40cm trunk diameter at breast height. If you’re wanting big ol trees, something to consider.
If you have cash, Taiwan has a huge tree business. You can buy pretty big trees and have them planted. But their roots will never be great and many of the guys I have worked with kind of suck at biology and don’t really understand long term issues. Choose species wisely.
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No, we know what it is. Farmland. Not aboriginal, not mountain.
I’m already thinking bees. 
The threshold for farming from what I’ve seen is very low. From a garden with a few banana trees to ten or so fruit trees left alone with no one to care for them. No problem.
And people can report you all they want. Doesn’t mean shit if you’re within the rules.
Cool. I’ll have to keep an eye out for it. I suck at trees identification here.
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Ya, super easy to do it. But above it was mentioned someone went to court. For that to happen, something wasn’t right.
Yep. They are beautiful foliage trees. I love their trunks. Good for bird nesting
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Nice.
Right, and that’s how I’m planning it in my head. I want an eco system. Birds and bats eat bugs. Bees pollinate my garden and orchard. Trees give me shade. Human pays the bills. Etc.
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I think you would really enjoy hitting up Taiwans nursery hub. Tienwei. Make a trip out of it, it is REALLY worth going to. Most of the nurseries there have vast networks of growers from tiny to massive trees. It’s a fun day!
田尾公路花園
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Brilliant!
I’ll be next door in Xihu for CNY. A trip there would make my day!
This is why I love this site! 
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Couple more cool ones as i think of them.
Tamarind is a medium speed grower. But the leaves ha e that typical mimosa þpe look and it’s bark is really top notch texture. A food, so a farm species
Pachuca species, those ones they braid for luck, are also quite fast growers. Their smooth bark can be nice to some. More importantly they tolerate shade. Their seeds are also delicious, a food species.
Annatto isn’t huge but it’s a nice small tree that is really pretty around this time of year. It’s a good one for birders given it’s height and business
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Absolutely! Creating your dream in Taiwan always involves some uncertainty and risk. There are always grey areas. Taiwan is not for those who require perfect certainty.
I do note that there seem to be permit requirements for chicken farming. But maybe a flock of free range chickens will go to the actual farming requirement without needing a permit. Bee keeping also seems like a really good idea. You’ll need to plant the stuff they eat/pollinate. And I bet you can get creative with the trees that qualify for subsidies with some flexibility in where they go.
I’m guessing you’ll need to take care of the fruit trees and seel their produce–self-consumption seems to be a no-no as well as no viable fruit production. But these are all solveable and pruning a very small orchard can be a form of self cultivation.
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Are we talking US$2 million or NT$2 million? I would also note that I have seen some very reasonable house prices on jiandi in dying rural communities in west coast hill country. Probably would want to rebuild, but back of envelope calculations suggest that a small new house for total cost (acquistion and construction) of NT$5-6 million is not impossible.
Related question for @anon24369109.
How would people in your community feel about a 50ish respectful foreigner leasing land for say 30 years and building/refurbishing a modest house just to live in–no interest in investment or to pass on to non-existent heirs. Would this piss people off as some kind of neo-colonial invasion? Would they have other concerns? I realize that there are many opinions in a community like that. But what would most folks think?
I don’t see how renting land and actually living on it could possibly seen as neo-colonialism. As long as a local is getting paid for the land and you are putting it to good use.
I hear it is tricky. Indigenous person needs cash fast and rents land to outsider for a song without consulting others. These are also fragile communities where land has always been highly sensitive. Very different from anonymous transactions in cities.
For example, some outsiders have moved to Dulan and Laiji in recent years.
Is this cool?
If there is any hostility about renting to outsiders, then I would imagine it would be no different whether they were a Taiwanese outsider or a non-Taiwanese outsider.