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The distribution of Wenshan Baozhong tea |
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Wenshan Baozhong tea is produced in Taipei County Wenshan
tea district, including Hsintien, Pinglin, Shenkeng, Shrding, Pinghsi, Hsichih
…such townships, it already has 200 years of tea producing history, and is the
birthplace of tea producing in
Taiwan
.
It is located among surrounding mountains, has exceptional latitude and
longitude, four distinct seasons, plenty of rainfall, and fertile land suitable
for growing tea, so the tea grown here is known as a treasure among teas.
Where can the friends at
Taipei
County
find traces of Wenshan Baozhong tea? The “Chingshin Tea Team” will strongly
recommend a couple of good places that are worth visiting, learning, or
resting.
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Taipei City Tieguanyin Baozhong Tea
Promotion and Research Center |
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http://www.wwwart.com.tw/tea/tea_12_04.htm |
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If you would like further knowledge about Baozhong tea and
Tieguanyin, you must visit the
Tea
Leaf
Promotion
Center
. The
Tea
Leaf
Promotion
Center
building uses traditional brick red. Besides exhibiting Tieguanyin tea, there
is also Baozhong tea from the neighboring Nangang District, it introduces the
tea species, the process of making tea, tea preservation, methods of tea
brewing, pouring tea, and the color of teas, all types of detailed information
relevant to tea. They have also collected tea leaves produced in other areas of
Taiwan
,
and provide detailed introductions about them to the public.
Besides the tea leaf exhibitions,
they also provide group tea art and
Cochin
ceramics instruction activities, so it is also often used as a field trip
location for students. Outdoors they have soil and water conservation model
locations, planned ecological pools, wooden plank roads, and weather
observation decks, it is really a place you can learn while having fun. |
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Maokong tourist tea garden |
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The tea growing history of Maokong goes as far back as to
the Qing Guangxu period, at that time the tea farmers introduced Tieguanyin tea
trees from Fukien Anxi and grew them in the Muzha area. Originally it was just
experimental, but later it flourished. It became an important origin for
Tieguanyin tea in
Taiwan
,
and the main tea town near
Taipei
.
The phrase Maokong is said to be because Tsenan Creek flows past the valley
near “Tse-Shan Chang Tea Garden,” because the soil is loose, the creek washes
the riverbed into potholes. The holes are like the description “Maokong” in
Taiwanese, after a while people started calling the Muzha tea district Maokong.
Since 1980, the tea farmers that have lived
here for many generations started to change their management style, besides the
original tea gardens, they also have transformed in the direction of tourism
and recreation. Tea houses were established one after another, although it has
attracted many tourists, but because of the commercialized tea style, it has resulted
in the decrease of the tea garden area. When you arrive in Maokong now, it is
hard to see a mountain filled with tea gardens, but near alley 38 and 40, you
can still see a few. If you come every spring or winter, you can even see the
tea farmers picking tea in the tea gardens. |
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Nangang tea production factory |
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http://www.dortp.gov.tw/big5/content/Content.asp?cid=655 |
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Years ago, the Nangang tea gardens were mainly around
Jiuzhuang St. Section 2, the mountains were steep and it was around 200 to 300
meters above sea level, local residents called it
Dakeng
Tea
Mountain
. When looking from above, the
mountain terrain looks like a dustpan, so it is also called
Dustpan
Lake
,
the soil and weather are all suitable for growing tea. Baozhong tea was grown
in the Qing Guangxu period, later it was established as the location of tea
leaf education by the Japanese government. They employed the
Fukien
tea masters to teach about Baozhong tea, and the good quality was world
renowned, at the height of that period the area of tea gardens reached 300
hectares, but because of the changing times, this is already a chapter in
history. If you would like to understand Nangang tea mountain, you can go to
the tea production demonstration factory as your first stop. This park is 2.9
hectares, and it first was open to the public in July of 2002. This building
was built to model an ancient three-section compound with white walls and red
tiles, representing typical Taiwanese spirit; it sits among the mountains and
trees and has a view of the
Keelung
River
, allowing the
tourist to feel a comfortable feeling of natural surroundings.
The demonstration field is
divided into two regions, one is the indoor exhibition region, including the tea
making machines exhibition area, the tea evaluation and exhibition area, and
the briefing room. The outdoor region has the viewing and explanation platform.
Besides enjoying the scenery, through various explanation signs, the variety of
tea trees and growth conditions can be understood; it is a place that can help
you understand tea culture. |
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The tea
area is filled with greenery.
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Looking
for information in the tea museum.
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Nangang tea production factory |
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http://www.tacocity.com.tw/plin/newpage2.htm |
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The weather in
Pinglin
Township
is very suitable for growing
tea, as early as the years of Qing Jiaqing, there was
Fukien
immigrants that introduced Qingxin Oolong trees to be grown in the now called
Wenshan tea district, giving it the name Wenshan Baozhong tea. Pinglin tea was
the tea champion in tea competitions held by the early provincial government,
the name of Pinglin tea was very well-known. The tea gardens in the area
meander through 42 town alleys, you can see neat rows of green colored tea
sceneries at sections of the
Jingualiu
Industrial Rd.
and the
Pinglin North Highway
. Pinglin tea mainly
includes Baozhong tea and Qingxin Oolong, Baozhong tea is fragrant with
glistening gold tea soup, the taste is refreshing, and in terms of quantity and
quality it is a high-grade tea in
Taiwan
;
along with the Dongding Oolong tea from
Lugu
Town
in
Nantou
, they are called the two big
tea sectors of the north and south.
The
Pinglin
Tea
Museum
occupies 2.7
hectares; it is the world’s second tea museum, and also claims to be the
biggest tea museum in the world. The tea museum is located next to the Pinglin
old bridge, it is a two-floored Taiwanese style manor. In order to create an
ancient feeling, the appearance of the building uses designs such as long
corridors and round doors, and the building materials mainly consist of tile
and wood. The underground level of the tea museum has a combined exhibition, it
displays three main units: tea things, tea history, and tea art. Part of the
tea things exhibits modern tea manufacturing machines, traditional tea
manufacturing machines, tea categorization, tea production methods in the Tang
and Song Dynasties, introduction to famous teas in Taiwan, and tea producing
areas in the world and in China, around 15 major themes regarding the tea
industry. The tea history exhibition has the origins of tea, the teas of
different dynasties, an introduction of the Tea God Lu Yu, Pinglin tea history,
and the history Wenshan Baozhong tea development, 15 topics related to the
history of the tea industry. The tea art exhibition has 14 topics including tea
pot nursing, introduction of famous teapots, tea songs, tea books, and learning
about tea leaves. |
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