A dozen or so years ago a cup of coffee in Taiwan might cost as much as NT$500 (about US$12.50). Today, with over a thousand coffeeshops around the island, prices like that are a thing of the past. In fact, neither owners nor customers are likely to be all that interested in what's in the cup. It's the atmosphere that counts.

When it opened in 1977, the Teahouse Art Gallery caused quite a stir by giving customers the chance to combine the pleasures of tea tasting and art appreciation. Before that, art galleries and commercial coffeehouses seemed to belong to two separate worlds.

The Teahouse Gallery changed that. For US$1.25 a cup, patrons could simultaneously feast their eyes and please their palates in the warm and intimate surroundings of traditional Chinese art works, even if they weren't in the market for a picture.

When entrepreneurial tea and coffee connoisseurs saw the possibilities, they were not slow to follow suit. Over 500 teahouses, large and small, sprang up around the island during the next five years. Coffeehouses, meanwhile, many of which had once been closely linked with the Taiwan literary scene but had since closed down or changed hands, tried to regain some of their lost prestige with the opening of places catering to a more refined clientele.

The new establishments generally share some common features. Their owners, often in their thirties, with a college education and an appreciation for the arts, use culture as a drawing card. Many places, in fact, are operated for other than strictly commercial reasons: to provide a congenial place for friends to chat, to display the owner's aesthetic taste or to promote cultural activities like art, literature or film. Some even offer classes.

Each has its own story. Kao Li-chin, founder of Waiyichang Art House, for instance, had originally wanted to set up an experimental film library. But because of legal restrictions, she decided to run a coffeeshop instead, where she could both pursue her interests in film and provide a gathering spot for like-minded friends. Proceeds from art and coffee sales were used to support weekly seminars on dance, art, literature and, of course, film. Although the seminars have been temporarily suspended for lack of funds, Kao Li-chin hasn't changed her purpose. She says, "We need a place of our own."

Similarly motivated to provide a place for friends to gather is Kung Yu-yao, owner of the Hulu Teahouse and one of the first to promote the tea tasting fashion. The decor of gourds, jugs and conical straw hats, simple and natural, is redolent of a cozy country cottage in ancient China. Guests may be found quietly discussing business, playing go or whispering sweetly in the corner.

Chow Yu, manager of the Wisteria Tearoom, is an admirer of the 18th century European coffeehouse where Western democratic ideas were given birth. He has a special wish for Wisteria-- "that after four years of careful management this house with a 60-year history may begin to leave its mark on the future Chinese world of letters."

The house, flat and sprawling after the Japanese fashion, has a quaint appeal all its own. Winding corridors, wooden panels, floors spread with straw mats and purple wisteria creeping in through redwood window lattices provide a poetic setting in which to sample the numerous varieties of tea on hand.

The Dragon Roar Art Gallery reflects the interests of its owner, Pauline Lee, who studied Chinese literature and collects folk art. One enters through a black iron railing under a bamboo sign painted in vigorous calligraphy. Inside are cozy tearooms divided by bamboo screens and set off with blocks of uncarved wood and traditional Chinese handicrafts. Pauline is as particular about the artwork she displays--it must have a genuine Chinese folk quality--as the tea she serves. And please don't ask for coffee--there isn't any.

Coffee drinkers have their own haunts. But of the coffee houses important in the 70's Taipei literary scene, only the Minghsing Coffeeshop still preserves its literary flavor. The Minghsing's manager, Huang San-lang, recalls how many of yesterday's regulars are now famous writers. How can he tell, he says, if today's guests, scribbling away on his marble tables, may not someday produce novels of their own?

And who are the customers? Tea drinkers tend to be older, white-collar types looking for peace and quiet and a place to sit down and think. Quiet can be found in coffeeshops too, of course; it depends on the place. But coffeeshops are favorites for student dates, get togethers and business meetings, which usually make for a more lively atmosphere.

Nevertheless, whether they do so in the style of Eastern detachment or Western romance, teahouses and coffeeshops serve a similar function--providing a warm and relaxing haven away from the tensions of everyday life.

(Peter Eberly)

[Picture Caption]

Clay jugs, wicker and bamboo are characteristic furnishings for teahouses.

Tea can set people talking like friends who have been reunited after years of separation.

The peaceful quiet under this bamboo umbrella contrasts sharply with the racket of the city outside.

Good tea should be steeped in a good pot. This one is from the latter Ch 'ing dynasty (1644-1911).

Another tastefully decorated teahouse is Wang-ch'en-hsuan. Shown here are its owners.

Teahouses with bamboo walls are full of rustic flavor.

Chinese wisteria is the trademark of the Wisteria Tearoom, hidden away like a hermit's dwelling.

Coffeehouses today provide music along with their mocha.

Tired? Take a break and have a cup.

Tea can set people talking like friends who have been reunited after years of separation.

The peaceful quiet under this bamboo umbrella contrasts sharply with the racket of the city outside.

Good tea should be steeped in a good pot. This one is from the latter Ch 'ing dynasty （1644-1911）.

Another tastefully decorated teahouse is Wang-ch'en-hsuan. Shown here are its owners.

Teahouses with bamboo walls are full of rustic flavor.

Chinese wisteria is the trademark of the Wisteria Tearoom, hidden away like a hermit's dwelling.

Coffeehouses today provide music along with their mocha.

Tired? Take a break and have a cup.