► Motivation in Research

We would like to study this topic since we discovered that there is tea production in Linkou, but the industry declines as the tea tree ages and the quality of tea deteriorates.

(tea trees in the tea plantation in Linkou)

The most appropriate area to grow tea trees is that with the following climate conditions: the mean annual temperature between 13.7℃ to 21.6℃, a wide daily temperature range and the annual rainfall above 2000mm. In terms of topography, tea has to be planted in acidic soil with favorable drainability. Fortunately, the landform of Linkou is tableland. With much red soil, the gravel bed that provides Linkou tableland with great drainability, dense fog at the season between spring and winter, and appropriate climate in summer, Linkou turns out to be a proper place for growing tea trees.

(the scene of ancestors picking tea at an early age)

The history of Linkou Long-Shou tea can be traced back to the Jiangqing period of Qing dynasty (C.E. 1796-1820). At first, it was planted at Shidingburg and Wenshanburg, and the quality was relatively low due to the lack of techniques. Thus, it was not valued by other countries. During the Tongzhi period (C.E. 1865-1869), British merhant John Dodd successfully exported Long-Shou tea of Taiwan to New York, U.S. for the first time. As a result, the tea industry in Taiwan developed rapidly. The tea production of Northern Taiwan has reached 24000 ton during the Guangxu period.

In 1895, the Japanese occupied Taiwan, and established “Learning Institute of Tea” in Linkou and several other areas under the “Agriculture Taiwan, Industry Japan” policy. During the World War II, many tea gardens were destroyed by the war, so the amount of production dropped down rapidly. Despite that the production reached its peak at C.E. 1972 as a result of the farmers’ effort, the tea industry in Northern Taiwan still declined gradually because of the modernization of city and the high cost of tea production. This also the reason why we choose to introduce Linkou Long-Shou tea and our motivation of research, which includes:

To let Taiwanese people know more about tea in Linkou

To make foreigners start to care about the speciality of Linkou

To pass down tea culture

To enhance the competitiveness of tea industry in Linkou

To enable the common public to learn more about the production process of tea through participating in tourism tea garden.

(1)As used in Shidingburg and Wenshanburg, “burg” is a kind of administrative division in Northen Taiwan used in Qing Dynasty and the beginning of Japanese-rule period.
(2)Learning Institute of Tea constitutes “tea tree cultivation lab” and “tea production lab”.