Taipei City Government

In Chinese culture, tea is prized as the“drink of the soul”and is a medium of culture. Chinese tea art integrates the floral arts, ceramic arts, poetry, and calligraphy to forge a gorgeous, elegant and humanistic art of living. The venerable history of Chinese tea culture has imbued it with broad learning and profound expertise. As early as the eighth century, the Tang Dynasty produced the Classic of Tea (茶經) instructing how to properly brew and drink tea with critical appreciation, and literati developed the classic tea party still practiced today. In Taipei, spaces dedicated to the art of tea are an indispensible aspect of the city's sophisticated cultural life. Let's explore a few places where, while drinking tea with critical appreciation, you can experience Chinese tea culture for yourself.

The Taipei Lecture Hall

Tucked away up on the third floor of famed heritage building Zhongshan Hall (中山堂), the Taipei Lecture Hall (臺北書院) is a superb example of historic structure revitalization. In ancient China, a lecture hall or academy was a traditional multifunctional educational institution in which, among other functions, lectures were given, books collected, and the sages worshiped. The institution originated during the Tang era, and flourished into later Song times.

Today's Taipei Lecture Hall adheres to ancient customs, with an emphasis on the finer aesthetics of life. The head of the lecture hall is Lin Kufang (林谷芳), a Zen master and musician. His title is shanzhang (山長), literally“mountain elder/superior,”or“master,”a term which came into usage for academy masters during the Song era. The academy draws equally on China's three great philosophical traditions—Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. It was founded on the basis of the Confucian promotion of learning, its spatial arrangement is infused with the natural philosophy of Daoism, and its curriculum draws on the mental contemplation of life and spirituality developed in Zen Buddhism. The hall imbued with a Zen-style ambience, a spare and simple space punctuated with works of floral art and suffused with the fragrance of tea that calms both body and mind.

The Taipei Lecture Hall offers courses on“Calming the Body and Settling the Spirit”(安身立命之學), as well as courses on the tea arts, floral arts, calligraphy, and other topics related to life aesthetics. Also deserving mention is the hall's seasonal tea party, Chinese Tea and Music in Dialogue (茶與樂的對話), in which one tastes expertly brewed and presented teas of the season— spring, summer, autumn, winter—accompanied by music, drama, and dance performances that best match the character of the tea presented. Beyond presenting the opportunity to critically appreciate fine teas, this is a profound Chinese cultural experience; all you need to do is sign up.

Whole Food Tea Experience

The English name of this teahouse is Whole Food Tea Experience. In Chinese it is Xiao Man (小慢). Xiao (小) means“small,”and man (慢) means“slow.”Though small, Xiao Man offers plenty of food (or rather moisture) for the soul:“small and slow, just like the culture found along the city's quiet lanes and alleys.”The man (which means“graceful”) in Hsieh Xiaoman (謝小曼), the owner's name, is different from that used for the teahouse, and sure enough even her smile is graceful and gentle. This was Hsieh's home as a youngster, and she grew up with its old black and white tiles. Calligraphy on the subject of tea, handmade, natural cotton clothing, and rustic hand-crafted ceramics are among the simple touches that create a warm, comfortable, and natural atmosphere.

The“small and slow”teahouse invites guests to sit down and calm their soul while lingering over a cup of fine tea. Premium teas handpicked by farmers and hand-roasted by masters are selected. The teahouse also does duty as an art space, with regular exhibits of works by two Japanese ceramic artists, and periodic exhibits highlight other Japanese artists, featuring clothing made of natural materials, floral arts (ikebana), etc. From June 24th to July 8th, wooden tea utensils designed for Chinese teas by artist Ryuji Mitani are being showcased.

The teahouse also offers a special“two teas, one dessert”simple tea-ceremony class. This is a perfect opportunity for a leisurely“small and slow”journey that you should not pass up, combining the tea ceremony and food made with the freshest seasonal ingredients.

Wistaria Tea House

Wistaria Tea House (紫藤廬), on Xinsheng South Road (新生南路), was once the government-appointed home of David Chow (周德偉), a high official with the Ministry of Finance. Chow had studied in Europe, and was passionate about introducing Western liberal ideas to Taiwan. The residence became a key meeting venue for liberal-minded scholars in the 1950s, and in the 1970s served as a warm and welcoming second home for cultural figures and opposition political figures who supported the nascent Taiwan democracy movement. The politicos were referred to as dangwai (黨外), literally“outside the party,”the Kuomintang being the only legal party. In 1981 David Chow's youngest son, Chow Yu (周渝), changed the residence into a teahouse, choosing“Wistaria”for the name in honor of the three century-old Chinese wistaria vines in the grounds.

Owner Chow has a passion for the cultural arts, and Wistaria Tea House was Taiwan's first cultural teahouse fashioned as an arts salon. Wistaria served as the launch pad for a number of celebrated native painters, and has staged a constant stream of arts and culture events, tea culture exchanges, and idea forums over the years. A detailed menu of teas has been prepared, in Chinese, English, and Japanese, and there's a tasty and tasteful range of tea-cuisine (foods with tea as an important ingredient). At wisteria, guests enjoy fine tea and fine food while relaxing in the unique atmosphere of this heritage site.

One show you can catch, until June 3rd, is a display of tea utensils and painting and calligraphy works that Chow Yu has collected over the years. During the same period a number of old-style private-home tea parties will also be staged: this is a great opportunity for foreign visitors to experience what“old tea”(老茶) tastes like.

Lost Train Found

The English and Chinese names for this teahouse are different, but both are creations of beauty, each word carrying deep meaning. The English name, Lost Train Found, deliberately resembles the pronunciation of the characters used in the Chinese name, Long Cui Fang (櫳翠坊). Owner Cai Yizhe (蔡奕哲) explains the intended symbolism:“In this world of illusions, we can each lose our conscience, the foundation of our soul. This explains‘Lost.’We each constantly strive to reform ourselves; this is‘Train.’And in the end we recover the souls we have lost (' Found’).”Reservations are obligatory at the teahouse, as the owner is not always on the premises.

Cai was originally an engineer. He now applies his scientific training to the tea arts, and only selects teas that reach his strict standards and requirements. The organic teas used must have both government CAS certification and non-government MOA recognition. No pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or herbicides are used on the tea bushes. Nor is the land used to grow the tea over-cultivated. Only traditional tea-production techniques are utilized, which keeps alkaloids to a minimum, and allows the epicatechin and caffeine in the leaf to combine fully and become tea saponin. The caffeine is thus eliminated, along with any potential harmful effects.

Lush greenery greets visitors outside Lost Train Found, while inside guests are entertained with performances of ancient qin (琴) music from time to time. There are also small-scale exhibits showing the works of Taiwanese artists. At the moment you can enjoy photos of Taiwan's high mountains by Art Hueng (洪名炯).

Fast-paced Taipei can be a tiring place, so why not take a break, walk into the quiet and elegant surroundings of one of these tea-arts spaces, and let the taste and fragrance of fine tea carry you away to a place of peace and contentment.