Mankind’s pursuit of fragrant, tasty tea still goes on today. In Taiwan, tea farmers have in recent years been slowly returning to natural cultivation methods. In tealeaves picked from eco-friendly plantations, one can taste the flavor of the land, for if we are good to the land, nature will reward us.
This month we take you deep into tea growing areas, to tea estates included on the Council of Agriculture’s “Light Up Taiwan Cha” list, as well as organic tea plantations, to analyze the background behind each cup of good tea and examine the efforts put in by tea farmers. We also report on the dialogue between tea arts and floral arts, and on the increasingly popular blended, scented, and flavored teas. From tea production locations to tea processing to tea arts to the countless ways of drinking tea, we explore the world of tea drinking and tea connoisseurship.
How can “innovation” infuse new ideas into traditional crafts? One designer has shrunk traditional feather dusters and turned them into therapeutic objects for office workers’ desks; to promote brass instruments, another designer has created “mini pocket trumpets,” and horns that amplify cell phone speakers; and national-treasure puppet master Chen Hsi-huang has transformed traditional Taiwanese puppet theater with performances without dialogue that captivate audiences regardless of whether or not they can understand Taiwanese. Meanwhile artist Ko Hung-tu, who has spent nearly half a century in the worlds of design and education, uses painstaking painting techniques to realize a childhood dream by portraying the most beautiful moments of living things in remarkably lifelike detail.
These people who share the qualities of creativity, perseverance and passion have made beautiful additions to Taiwan’s rich creative capacity.
When Gou Chongsin, Taiwan’s most famous rocket engineer, was invited to deliver a TEDxTaipei lecture, he used Taiwanese peppered with English to explain rocket propulsion and the future space economy. The Taiwanese band Mayday wrote a song called “Tough” based on Gou’s story. Don’t miss our exclusive report in this issue to see just how exciting his rocket dreams are.
Also in this issue: we look at how the Sunshine Social Welfare Foundation has helped burn rehabilitation professionals in Latin America upgrade their skills; and how Taiwan’s 12 licensed arborists climb high into the treetops, and with professional judgment cut away withered branches while not harming healthy ones. We dedicate these vibrant stories to the many people who give their all every day in their work in Taiwan.
