Taiwan Oolong 台 A History of 灣 Taiwanese Oolong 烏 茶人: Ruan Yi Ming (阮逸明) 龍 Donated by Wushing 茶 Such comprehensive exploration of the history of Taiwanese oolong has never before been translated into the English lan- 歷 guage. This issue once again demonstrates our commitment to traveling deeper into the tea world than any publication ever has, exploring tea in all its facets. We hope this article, 史 along with our Classics of Tea series, begins a new trend of making such works available to a Western audience. he earliest techniques used to became some of Taiwan’s most famous The Origin and make Taiwanese oolong were specialty teas. Development of T adopted from Fujian oolong After the liberation of Taiwan production methods imported by from Japanese rule, Puzhong tea Taiwanese Oolong Chinese settlers. Consequently, early (埔中茶) from Mingjian, Nantou Taiwanese oolong possessed charac- (名間鄉) and Dong Ding oolong Tangshan Tea Cultivated in Taiwan teristics of Fujian-style Wuyi Cliff Tea (凍頂烏龍茶) from Lugu, Nantou (武夷岩茶): a rich, savory aftertaste (鹿谷鄉) continued to be produced The first Chinese to cross the and reddish color. During the Japa- with a technique similar to south- Taiwan strait in order to culti- nese occupation, Taiwanese oolong ern Fujian-style Iron Goddess oolong vate the island predominately came continued to be produced using Fuji- (Tieguanyin, 鐵觀音烏龍茶). This from the Fujian and Guangdong an-style techniques and started com- method involves repeatedly kneading areas of China. These first-comers peting with Fujian oolong (福州烏 the tea leaves inside a special cotton called mainland China “Tangshan 龍) in the international market. In the satchel and slowly roasting the tea, (唐山),” a phrase taken from a com- 1920s, the international oolong mar- traditionally over coals. The roasting bination of the Chinese words for ket experienced a downturn and the process is what creates the tea’s dis- “Tang Dynasty (大唐)” and “coun- Japanese governor-general of Taiwan tinctive aroma and aftertaste and the try (江山).” According to historical took steps to diversify Taiwan’s tea reddish color of the liquor. By the records, tea plants have been culti- trade by actively promoting Taiwanese end of the 1970s, tea lovers in Taiwan vated in Taiwan for over 200 years. red tea production. Under the guid- began referring to this type of tea as Most oolong tea produced in Taiwan ance of the government-supported “red water oolong (hong shui, 紅水烏 today is harvested from varietals that Pingzhen Tea Manufacture Experi- 龍茶)” in order to distinguish it from were originally brought to the island ment Station (平鎮茶業試驗支所), other products in the oolong market. by early settlers from Fujian. These the development of lightly withered, Using a combination of literature and settlers also imported their tea pro- lightly oxidized, fragrant Baozhong tea personal experience, we can attempt duction techniques alongside the tea and heavily withered, heavily oxidized to explain how hong shui oolong plants. Thus, the methods used to cre- Eastern Beauty oolong (椪風茶) was gained significance in the develop- ate oolong and Baozhong teas in Tai- initiated. These products eventually ment of Taiwan’s tea industry. wan today really originated in Fujian. 49 茶 史 Taiwan Oolong In History of the Development of Emperor Jiaqing’s reign (1810 C.E.). Fujian’s Wuyi Cliff Tea. The use of a Taiwan, author Daxue Cheng states, Chinese settlers from Wuyi moun- special cloth sack roller (布球揉捻) “In the 23rd year of Emperor Kangxi’s tain in Fujian began to sow tea seeds (also called a wrapped cloth roller reign (1684 C.E.), settlers from in Jieyukeng (modern-day Ruifang (包布揉) by some tea makers), a Guangdong province began arriving District (台北縣瑞芳地區) in Tai- rolling cloth sack (揉布球), and a in Yingge Stone Village (modern day pei County); others interpret this area ball rolling machine (團揉) during Yingge Township (鶯歌鄉) in south- to have extended from the Shiding the manufacturing process is what ern Taipei County) to cultivate and (石碇) maple forest to the Tuku area creates Dong Ding oolong’s distinc- develop the land. After an armed con- of Shenkeng (深坑土庫地區) in New tive fragrance and partially balled flict between settlers from Fujian (the Taipei City. shape. The craftsmanship of neigh- Hoklo) and Guangdong (the Hakka), In northern Taiwan, tea planta- boring Zhushan township’s Shan Lin the Hakka were removed and the tions developed along the Danshui Xi high-mountain oolong (衫林溪 Hoklo were permitted to cultivate tea River basin and the tributaries of 高山烏龍茶) also originated from in Chashan.” If Cheng’s account is Xindian Creek, Keelung River, and this manufacturing process. Besides true, it can be inferred that Taiwanese Dakekan Creek (now called Dahan the aforementioned Danshui River tea cultivation began during the reign Creek (大漢溪) of Hsinchu and tributary system, Lugu’s Dong Ding of Emperor Qianlong (1711–1799 Taoyuan counties). The land devel- mountain also had an important and C.E.), which is when the armed con- oped for tea cultivation comprised far-reaching influence on the Taiwan- flict between the Fujian and Guang- modern-day New Taipei City (for- ese tea industry, yet its tea appears dong peoples is recorded to have merly Taipei County) and Taoyuan to have its origins in Tieguanyin occurred. City (formerly Taoyuan County) and oolong (鐵觀音烏龍茶) from Jhan- Su Wen Ta’s (蘇文達) A Brief expanded out to Yilan County, Hsin- ghu Mountain in Muzha, Taipei, and History of Dong Ding Oolong posits, chu County, and Miaoli County. Harbor tea (gan kou cha, 港口茶) in “Su Dong Ding’s family genealogy, Expanses of high elevation cannot be Manchou, Pingtung. recorded in their Su family ancestral found in the topography stretching Muzha’s Iron Goddess oolong records, began with two Su neph- from Yilan to Hualian, over to Miaoli (Muzha Tieguanyin, 木柵鐵觀音烏 ews who crossed the strait to Taiwan and down to Taichung in central Tai- 龍茶) originated from Iron Goddess during the Kangxi period. Su Tan wan. Consequently, during both the oolong in Anxi, Fujian. During the (蘇坦) guided the development of Qing Dynasty and subsequent Japa- final years of the Qing Dynasty (when Dong Ding Mountain until his son, nese occupation, the government cat- Japan occupied Taiwan), Iron God- Su Quan (蘇泉), began cultivating egorized the cities of Taipei, Taoyuan, dess tea was brought to Taipei by tea the tea plants growing on the moun- Hsinchu, Miaoli, and Yilan into the master Zhang Nai Miao. His hard tain. Their children and grandchildren same tea district. It was understood work, perseverance, and zeal built the continued living in Dong Ding, ear- that the entire tea district used iden- reputation of Muzha Iron Goddess nestly manufacturing tea and farming tical tea production techniques and oolong (Tieguanyin). The secrets of new ground on Dong Ding Moun- cultivated tea belonging to the same this magical tea varietal and the art of tain. Their descendants Su Hui and Wuyi Cliff Tea varietals/cultivars. Peng its cultivation were then passed down Su Ru, as father and son, decided to Feng tea (椪風茶, also referred to as to locals in Muzha. Later, the Zhang completely leave the ancient farms “Eastern Beauty, 東方美人” or “white Nai Miao Memorial Hall was estab- and gardens to buy and sell contracts tip oolong, (Bai Hao, 白毫)” was later lished to commemorate his contribu- (leaving behind their moderately initiated in this area, eventually turn- tion to the development of Muzha’s established, century-old location).” ing into the renowned specialty teas Iron Goddess oolong. According to the above, the Su family of Ermei (峨眉) and Beipu (北埔), In the first year of the Qing also estimated that Dong Ding oolong Hsinchu and Toufen (頭份), as well Emperor Guangxu (1875 C.E.), was originally cultivated during the as Miaoli. This masterfully crafted tea the county of Hengchun, Pingtung, years of Emperor Qianlong’s reign. was transformed from Wuyi Cliff Tea appointed its first county magistrate, Another generally cited source is (the original oolong tea) into a new Zhou Youji (周有基). Zhou’s affinity Heng Liang’s (連橫) chronicling in tea of its own. for tea and support for its cultivation General History of Taiwan: “During Another important birthplace of in Hengchun facilitated the planting the reign of Emperor Jiaqing (1760- Taiwanese tea developed along the of tea in southern Taiwan. In 1894, 1820 C.E.), a man named Chao Ke Choshui River valley. The crafts- Hengchun county records state, “Luo (柯朝) brought Wuyi (武夷) tea manship of Song Bai Keng tea (com- Foshan tea (羅佛山茶): Thirty kilo- plants from Fujian into Taiwan monly referred to as Puzhong tea meters northeast of the county seat, and planted them in Jieyukeng (埔中茶) back in the day) from there are towering mountains and (傑魚坑), where they matured Mingjian, Nantou and Dong Ding precipitous ranges. The county magis- extremely well.” W. H. Ukers, who oolong (凍頂烏龍茶), manufac- trate, Zhou Youji, purchased tea seeds authored All About Tea in 1935, tured in Lugu, Nantou was derived and taught the local people how to believed tea cultivation in northern from south Fujian-style oolong, cultivate the plants… Their tea tasted Taiwan began in the fifteenth year of which is very different from north very pure and had a red color… Every 51/ A History of Taiwanese Oolong 傳 Traditional and modern, lightly-oxidized oolong year their tea production amounted production of Harbor tea gradually sale and exported under the name to less than five kilograms.” The became mechanized after the 1970s, “Fuzhou oolong (福州烏龍).” county records also say: “Harbor tea it still retains its gray-green luster and In 1860, the Taiwanese port cities (港口茶): Twenty kilometers east its characteristic cold, raw taste, like a of Anping and Danshui opened for of the county, a place named Linhai densely concentrated pure white frost.