Taipei Tea Guild behind the FORMOSA TEA and the birth of First Taiwanese Bank【孕育福爾摩沙茶的台北茶商公會與最早台灣人創立的銀行】
Author: Chen Guo Yuan Willie
The notion of FORMOSA might be largely known as Taiwan before the 1945 as name of the island, but it is also the quality tea drink since late 19th century. The article in blog traced back to the Tea guild and those people who made Formosa as a product name in your fine dinning and afternoon tea set table. There are suggested historic and cultural routes to explore the forming of Formosa Tea in the northern Taiwan from Bank, Church and Customs warehouses to the country's Stately Homes.
The Guildhall of Taipei Tea since 1889 and the Founder Li Chunsheng (Photo source: ref 1 and 2). (Figure 1.)
The Rise of Taipei Tea Guild when Formosa Again Back to Global Trade Routes
The Taipei Tea Merchants Association, aka, Taipei Tea Guild, can be traced back to 1889 at Toa-tiu-tia, a.k.a. Dadaocheng (大稻埕) of Taipei at the time when west-half of Taiwan (a.k.a. Formosa) was still a Manchu Chin Chinese territory being forced to open for foreign trade after the 1858 Tienjin Treaty signed by Chin China with many western powers. It was created from various tea makers in Taipei under the top down decision from the first Taiwan Province Chin-Chinese Governor Liu Mingchuan (劉銘傳) to secure the consistency of market quality and fame of Taiwan made Oolong Tea (烏龍茶) and prevention for Chinese counterfeit when Taiwan produced tea were getting important for export.
The first name came to this guild organisation was called 茶郊永和興 (Cha-Jiao-Young-He-Hsin) which literally means the perpetual collaboration and prosperity. This tea guild was created solely for Formosa Oolong Tea while later came another tea guild for Taiwanese Packed Tea (臺灣包種茶) called 鋪家金協合 (Pu-Jia-Jin-Hsieh-He) which was also merged with Oolong Tea guild at the start of 20th century.
When this tea guild set up its first operation near the Foreign Trade Zone (六館街) of Toa-Tiu-Tia, it had created a mission statement which set out social and financial innovations of its time. It includes:
- Rectify and monitor potential cheating from the measurement of packaging;
- Forbid any import of deficient and unqualified teas;
- Improve Tea making and Sales skills and quality;
- Arbitrate conflicts between tea making and retail market players and file lawsuits for unlawful and dishonest ones.
- Secure humanity and occupational assistance for workforce in this industry and devise sustaining welfare mechanism.
Figure 2: The branding and logos for the Tea Guild for Taipei displayed inside the mini museum. The modern day logo has a Han-Chinese character of Tea 茶. The current site of the guild hall is also home to Taiwan Tea Exporters Association (台灣區茶輸出同業公會) (the very left blue branding board). The guildhall now displays a brief history of the trade merchants with its founding character Li Chunsheng
The Taipei Tea Guild underwent several changes in name at different periods and had survived through Chin Dynasty, Japanese Administration and post war Chinese Nationalist. They were with following Han-Chinese name:
- 茶郊永和興 (1889-1897)
- 台灣茶商公會 (1897-1898)
- 同業組合台北茶商公會 (1898-1915)
- 同業組合台灣茶商公會 (1915-1937)
- 台灣茶商公會 (1937-1944)
- 台灣省茶業商業同業公會 (1944-1945)
- 臺北市茶商同業公會 (1945-now)
Although Taiwan being discovered as Formosa under Spanish and Dutch administrations in 17th century which might see other guilds formed during that period, this tea guild at Taipei is now the oldest surviving of its kind ever created for Taiwan since late 19th century when Formosa Taiwan was again being part of the world trade network, two centuries after Europeans had left. The guildhall building seen in Figure 1 had stood at its original site since its operation. The building had a rebuilt in 1970s but the guild organisation still stands at its original site, making it also the longest surviving guild at the same site in Taiwan.
The Taiwanese Oolung Tea by British Merchant
After the Second Opium War (鴉片戰爭) against China in 1858, Britain had gained the position to enter China market. John Dodd (1838-1907) (約翰.陶德), a Lancashire England born British(a recent research on whether Dodd is Scot or English is unfold at another blog), in the time of European Exploration traveled to China and northern Formosa for adventures and had a great interest of business potential of natural resources in this island, such as camphor, coal and petroleum and wild tea. After his several attempts to explore the northern hills for trading camphor and coal (see the rise of Sek-Khau), he discovered the geo-climate similarity between northern Taiwan and the Chinese Tea plantation hills in Hohkien Province at the other side of Taiwan Straits.
In 1864, Dodd arrived at Taiwan again as the first business agent for British Jardine Matheson & Co. (怡和洋行, alternative local name 渣甸洋行), the largest trading firm set up in the Far East by the British Empire in 19th century. After the company underwent a downfall due to 1866 financial institution turmoil in London, Dodd had switched his role as the chief business officer for Dent. & Co. (寶順洋行/顛地洋行) at Hong Kong and Taiwan and created his own company name of Dodd & Co. which was used for Taiwan subsidiary. As his interest of the tea, he introduced the Tea making skills from Xiamen (廈門), a.k.a. Amoy, to northern Taiwan.
Li Chunsheng (李春生), an experienced sales and account manager under Elles & Co. (怡記洋行) at Amoy branch offic, also came along with Dodd at his age nearly 30 to northern Taiwan around 1865 to look after Dodd's local business in Northern Formosa and promotion of Hohkien Oolong Tea cultivation and production which Dodd had a vision. Born in Amoy, Li was early baptized at age 14 following the footstep of his father at Amoy Presbyterian Church (廈門基督長老教會) where he acquired proficiency of English and this actually had allowed his early career in the English speaking trading companies in Amoy.
Both Dodd and Li had promoted cultivating the Oolong tea bread from Angshi (安溪) of Hohkien and Li had the full the execution. Li developed a scheme of incentive farming investment by providing lending to tea farmers to specifically cultivate Oolong tea. He also taught them how to do tea leaves baking, and eventually buy them back when complete. Li's company did the final packaging and sales. He had also introduced tea making machinery from overseas to improve the quality of the production process at northern Taiwan.
Figure 3: Li Chunsheng's magnificent 1870s-80s houses and his company at Dadaocheng (Toa-Tiu-Tia) along the river bank of River Tamsui. Typical Veranda style with arcade of balcony which were largely sought throughout subtropical and tropical areas of European settlements in the far east. Source: National Taiwan University Library
At the time in 1869 when the French company controlled Suez Canal (蘇伊士運河) opened for a shorten shipping route from Indian Ocean to Europe and North Atlantic ocean, Dodd and Li with their trading and managing experience at British companies had managed to pack two Clipper vessels carrying a load of 129000 kg of Oolong Teas all the way shipping to New York serving in high end hotel for the meals. The Taiwanese Oolong Teas suddenly became a legend with pricing doubled in one year after this successful marketing in oversea market. This gave a boost of confidence for tea cultivation in northern Taiwan holding a Formosa Oolong Tea branding and thereafter more foreign companies coming to Taiwan to hunt for best of Formosa Oolong Tea.
Figure 4: Early packaging of FORMOSA OOLONG TEA and also Taiwanese Jasmine Tea for export as the museum display pieces inside the Tea Merchants Association Office.
The age of Formosa Tea took off and prosperity of Taipei was ignited by this unprecedented global Tea trade opportunity. As a result of being inclusion into world trade network through the tea products ever since, Taipei had replaced other ports and cities in Taiwan as the economic capital, particularly through the Foreign Trade Zone in Toa-Tiu-Tia that Li Chunsheng and Lin Wei-Yuan(林維源) of Banciao tycoon(板橋林家) had collectively subsidize to set up after 1885 seeing a surge in number of foreign trade companies coming for lucrative tea business. Both Dodd and Li were thereafter entitled the name of "Fathers of Taiwanese Tea" as Taiwanese Tea made a century of Taiwan in economics success.
Figure 5: Foreign Trade Zone by the River Tamsui and the new quarter of foreign trade offices setup after 1885. Left: 1888 Map of Taipei Fu, Academic Sinica, Right: Photos of Japanese Taiwan 總督府台灣寫真帖
Figure 6: Illustration of Exported Formosa Tea by Destinations when Formosa tea trade took off since late 19th century up to 1960s. Similar Collection displayed at Sin Hong Choon Trade Co. (新芳春茶行博物館), Photo Courtesy of Katy Hui-Wen over her blog for her book of "A Culinary History of Taipei"
The Tea's Guildhall in early 20th century and the Birth of first Taiwanese Bank
The first guildhall for Taipei Tea Merchants might have stood at the current site few years after 1889 when the guild was created. Li Chunsheng was the founding principal of the guild. Few years later in 1895 that Taiwan was acquired by Japan Empire as the new territory, the name for the 1889 created guild was changed to Taihoku Tea Guild (台北茶商公會) in 1897. Next year, another Taiwanese Packed Tea guild joined Taihoku Tea Guild further expanded the range of guild members.
Figure 7: The sample poster of Taipei Tea Guild when Taiwan was under Japan's administration and the guild attended 1900 World Expo in Paris. An award received from the expo for the highest quality. Display piece inside the guildhall's on site mini museum.
In 1914, Japanese government in Taiwan passed a new law for Act for Guild and Cooperative Organization of Producers of Important Goods in Formosa (台灣重要物產同業組合律令) that required a re-org for many goods and business producers under a new Japanese legal framework. The new guild Taihoku Tea Guild & Co-op was formed inheriting the original guild members. The word Taihoku is the Japanese pronunciation for Taipei. The new principal of this 1915 newly re-org tea guild was Chen Chao-Jun (陳朝駿). He owned another Tea Company and built his personal country home in the outskirt of the market street. It is the 1913 built Taipei Tudor House (圓山陳氏別莊) in Yuanshan area of Taipei, now the Taipei Story House (台北故事館) museum.
Figure 8: The facade of original Taipei Tea Guild in 1889 Dadaocheng vs. Chen Chao-Jun's designed his own residence of Taipei Tudor House at Yuanshan area (台北茶商公會與陳朝駿的圓山別莊入口比較)
Chen Chao-Jun, also born in Amoy at China as a tea merchant. He has his tea trade company as Young-Yu Tea & Co. (永裕茶行) in Dadaocheng since 1900 by taking over his father business for Packed Teas. He commuted from his elegantly built English cottage by a personal boat from Yuanshan to the riverside port at Toa-Tiu-Tia which had been quite packed after more than half century of development. He picked lavish architecture blueprint of a typical English Tudor house that he had seen in south East Asian countries where his father's business had mainly established and operated.
The English Tudor style of his designed home has a distinctive feature of a porch entrance with Greek Classical Order capitals and 4 columns under the hemisphere balcony. If we compare this with the old guildhall photo, it is intriguing enough to tell the resemblance. Does Chen's elegant home was inspired also by the Tea Guildhall at Toa-Tiu-Tia (Dadaocheng) borough or alternatively he had influenced ho the tea guildhall was built? However, this could tell both buildings might have been built in the similar period.
Figure 9: The name of 1915 Chen Chao-Jun (陳朝駿) and Young-Yu Tea & Co. (永裕茶行) at Dadaocheng (臺北廳大加納堡大稻埕得勝外街七十一番號) seen the display piece of Tea Packaging at the mini museum aside to the office.
Under Chen's principal and leadership for Taihoku Tea Guild, he had also led to join the Panama Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco in 1915 under the Japanese government to promote quality Formosa Tea in the USA market at the time.
Figure 11: The original piece of The Gold-Medal award of Formosa Oolong Tea received at 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco displayed inside the mini Museum of Taipei Tea Merchants Association in Dadaocheng. Photo Courtesy of Katy Hui-Wen over her blog for her book of "A Culinary History of Taipei"
Figure 12: English Poster of Formosa Oolong Tea, Exporters in Taihoku, Formosa. Many foreign merchants took part in distributing the quality tea from Taihku(Taipei) Formosa under the Japanese government. Source: Taiwan Leaf Tea maker since 1950.
Chen's contribution was not seen in his endeavor of promoting Formosa tea overseas, he also joined to form the first Taiwanese formed Bank - Niitaka Bank (新高銀行 New High Bank) in 1916 with Li Chensheng's grandson Li Yen-Si (李延禧) and provided wider lending and capitals for the burgeoning tea industry at the start of 20th century. Li Yen-Si was the first Taiwanese to attend University of New York of United States in 1905 and also created another Insurance Company Taisei Fire and Marine (大成火災海上保險公司) in Taiwan and Japan since 1919. The bank had developed up to 19 branches at its peak time. Li Yen-Si has been described as the first Brain of Taiwan Financial Industry. He and his family business largely involved with modernization of Taipei city with collaboration with Japanese governors. Li family hold up to largest amount of private lands in city of Taipei when Japanese government came.
This first Taiwanese bank was involved in the 1923 world economic crackdown due to over expansion to tea industry was later merged by Japanese Taiwan government state-run Bank of Taiwan Commerce and Industry (台灣商工銀行) in 1924 through the restructuring order by the Japanese governors. The bank went on acquisition and becomes the modern day of First Bank (第一金控) at Taiwan. Chen Chao Jun (陳朝駿) sadly passed away at his own house of Taipei Tudor Cottage at year 1923 during his tenure of the member of councilor. After the bank merger, Li Chunsheng also passed away in 1924 and Li Yen-Si, grandson of Li Chunsheng, went to Japan.
Figure 13: The first branch of the 1916 Niitaka Bank (新高銀行) funded by Li's family(李春生家族) and Chen Chao Jun(陳朝駿) near the entrance of Dihua Street(迪化街) of Dadaocheng. Source: Taipics.com
Figure 14: The first Niitaka Bank(新高銀行) branch of Dadaocheng Branch later becomes the First Bank (第一銀行) Photo taken in early 2020.
The indication of the Taihoku Tea Guild (台北茶商公會) were also put along with the maps released for business in Taipei during 1928, 1932 and 1935 by the Japanese Governors. The building itself was captured clearly in 1944 version of the Taipei seen from Ariel captured by US Air force before a raid targeting to level the Japanese built infrastructure of the city. (Below and click through the image for larger details.)
The first name came to this guild organisation was called 茶郊永和興 (Cha-Jiao-Young-He-Hsin) which literally means the perpetual collaboration and prosperity. This tea guild was created solely for Formosa Oolong Tea while later came another tea guild for Taiwanese Packed Tea (臺灣包種茶) called 鋪家金協合 (Pu-Jia-Jin-Hsieh-He) which was also merged with Oolong Tea guild at the start of 20th century.
When this tea guild set up its first operation near the Foreign Trade Zone (六館街) of Toa-Tiu-Tia, it had created a mission statement which set out social and financial innovations of its time. It includes:
- Rectify and monitor potential cheating from the measurement of packaging;
- Forbid any import of deficient and unqualified teas;
- Improve Tea making and Sales skills and quality;
- Arbitrate conflicts between tea making and retail market players and file lawsuits for unlawful and dishonest ones.
- Secure humanity and occupational assistance for workforce in this industry and devise sustaining welfare mechanism.
The Taipei Tea Guild underwent several changes in name at different periods and had survived through Chin Dynasty, Japanese Administration and post war Chinese Nationalist. They were with following Han-Chinese name:
- 茶郊永和興 (1889-1897)
- 台灣茶商公會 (1897-1898)
- 同業組合台北茶商公會 (1898-1915)
- 同業組合台灣茶商公會 (1915-1937)
- 台灣茶商公會 (1937-1944)
- 台灣省茶業商業同業公會 (1944-1945)
- 臺北市茶商同業公會 (1945-now)
Although Taiwan being discovered as Formosa under Spanish and Dutch administrations in 17th century which might see other guilds formed during that period, this tea guild at Taipei is now the oldest surviving of its kind ever created for Taiwan since late 19th century when Formosa Taiwan was again being part of the world trade network, two centuries after Europeans had left. The guildhall building seen in Figure 1 had stood at its original site since its operation. The building had a rebuilt in 1970s but the guild organisation still stands at its original site, making it also the longest surviving guild at the same site in Taiwan.
The Taiwanese Oolung Tea by British Merchant
After the Second Opium War (鴉片戰爭) against China in 1858, Britain had gained the position to enter China market. John Dodd (1838-1907) (約翰.陶德), a Lancashire England born British(a recent research on whether Dodd is Scot or English is unfold at another blog), in the time of European Exploration traveled to China and northern Formosa for adventures and had a great interest of business potential of natural resources in this island, such as camphor, coal and petroleum and wild tea. After his several attempts to explore the northern hills for trading camphor and coal (see the rise of Sek-Khau), he discovered the geo-climate similarity between northern Taiwan and the Chinese Tea plantation hills in Hohkien Province at the other side of Taiwan Straits.
In 1864, Dodd arrived at Taiwan again as the first business agent for British Jardine Matheson & Co. (怡和洋行, alternative local name 渣甸洋行), the largest trading firm set up in the Far East by the British Empire in 19th century. After the company underwent a downfall due to 1866 financial institution turmoil in London, Dodd had switched his role as the chief business officer for Dent. & Co. (寶順洋行/顛地洋行) at Hong Kong and Taiwan and created his own company name of Dodd & Co. which was used for Taiwan subsidiary. As his interest of the tea, he introduced the Tea making skills from Xiamen (廈門), a.k.a. Amoy, to northern Taiwan.
Li Chunsheng (李春生), an experienced sales and account manager under Elles & Co. (怡記洋行) at Amoy branch offic, also came along with Dodd at his age nearly 30 to northern Taiwan around 1865 to look after Dodd's local business in Northern Formosa and promotion of Hohkien Oolong Tea cultivation and production which Dodd had a vision. Born in Amoy, Li was early baptized at age 14 following the footstep of his father at Amoy Presbyterian Church (廈門基督長老教會) where he acquired proficiency of English and this actually had allowed his early career in the English speaking trading companies in Amoy.
Both Dodd and Li had promoted cultivating the Oolong tea bread from Angshi (安溪) of Hohkien and Li had the full the execution. Li developed a scheme of incentive farming investment by providing lending to tea farmers to specifically cultivate Oolong tea. He also taught them how to do tea leaves baking, and eventually buy them back when complete. Li's company did the final packaging and sales. He had also introduced tea making machinery from overseas to improve the quality of the production process at northern Taiwan.
At the time in 1869 when the French company controlled Suez Canal (蘇伊士運河) opened for a shorten shipping route from Indian Ocean to Europe and North Atlantic ocean, Dodd and Li with their trading and managing experience at British companies had managed to pack two Clipper vessels carrying a load of 129000 kg of Oolong Teas all the way shipping to New York serving in high end hotel for the meals. The Taiwanese Oolong Teas suddenly became a legend with pricing doubled in one year after this successful marketing in oversea market. This gave a boost of confidence for tea cultivation in northern Taiwan holding a Formosa Oolong Tea branding and thereafter more foreign companies coming to Taiwan to hunt for best of Formosa Oolong Tea.
The age of Formosa Tea took off and prosperity of Taipei was ignited by this unprecedented global Tea trade opportunity. As a result of being inclusion into world trade network through the tea products ever since, Taipei had replaced other ports and cities in Taiwan as the economic capital, particularly through the Foreign Trade Zone in Toa-Tiu-Tia that Li Chunsheng and Lin Wei-Yuan(林維源) of Banciao tycoon(板橋林家) had collectively subsidize to set up after 1885 seeing a surge in number of foreign trade companies coming for lucrative tea business. Both Dodd and Li were thereafter entitled the name of "Fathers of Taiwanese Tea" as Taiwanese Tea made a century of Taiwan in economics success.
Figure 6: Illustration of Exported Formosa Tea by Destinations when Formosa tea trade took off since late 19th century up to 1960s. Similar Collection displayed at Sin Hong Choon Trade Co. (新芳春茶行博物館), Photo Courtesy of Katy Hui-Wen over her blog for her book of "A Culinary History of Taipei"
The Tea's Guildhall in early 20th century and the Birth of first Taiwanese Bank
The first guildhall for Taipei Tea Merchants might have stood at the current site few years after 1889 when the guild was created. Li Chunsheng was the founding principal of the guild. Few years later in 1895 that Taiwan was acquired by Japan Empire as the new territory, the name for the 1889 created guild was changed to Taihoku Tea Guild (台北茶商公會) in 1897. Next year, another Taiwanese Packed Tea guild joined Taihoku Tea Guild further expanded the range of guild members.
In 1914, Japanese government in Taiwan passed a new law for Act for Guild and Cooperative Organization of Producers of Important Goods in Formosa (台灣重要物產同業組合律令) that required a re-org for many goods and business producers under a new Japanese legal framework. The new guild Taihoku Tea Guild & Co-op was formed inheriting the original guild members. The word Taihoku is the Japanese pronunciation for Taipei. The new principal of this 1915 newly re-org tea guild was Chen Chao-Jun (陳朝駿). He owned another Tea Company and built his personal country home in the outskirt of the market street. It is the 1913 built Taipei Tudor House (圓山陳氏別莊) in Yuanshan area of Taipei, now the Taipei Story House (台北故事館) museum.
Chen Chao-Jun, also born in Amoy at China as a tea merchant. He has his tea trade company as Young-Yu Tea & Co. (永裕茶行) in Dadaocheng since 1900 by taking over his father business for Packed Teas. He commuted from his elegantly built English cottage by a personal boat from Yuanshan to the riverside port at Toa-Tiu-Tia which had been quite packed after more than half century of development. He picked lavish architecture blueprint of a typical English Tudor house that he had seen in south East Asian countries where his father's business had mainly established and operated.
The English Tudor style of his designed home has a distinctive feature of a porch entrance with Greek Classical Order capitals and 4 columns under the hemisphere balcony. If we compare this with the old guildhall photo, it is intriguing enough to tell the resemblance. Does Chen's elegant home was inspired also by the Tea Guildhall at Toa-Tiu-Tia (Dadaocheng) borough or alternatively he had influenced ho the tea guildhall was built? However, this could tell both buildings might have been built in the similar period.
Under Chen's principal and leadership for Taihoku Tea Guild, he had also led to join the Panama Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco in 1915 under the Japanese government to promote quality Formosa Tea in the USA market at the time.
Figure 10 Under Chen Chao-Jun's tenure of Taihoku Tea Guild and joining the 1915 Formosa Tea House at Panama Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, U.S.A. Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/309200330638536982/
Chen's contribution was not seen in his endeavor of promoting Formosa tea overseas, he also joined to form the first Taiwanese formed Bank - Niitaka Bank (新高銀行 New High Bank) in 1916 with Li Chensheng's grandson Li Yen-Si (李延禧) and provided wider lending and capitals for the burgeoning tea industry at the start of 20th century. Li Yen-Si was the first Taiwanese to attend University of New York of United States in 1905 and also created another Insurance Company Taisei Fire and Marine (大成火災海上保險公司) in Taiwan and Japan since 1919. The bank had developed up to 19 branches at its peak time. Li Yen-Si has been described as the first Brain of Taiwan Financial Industry. He and his family business largely involved with modernization of Taipei city with collaboration with Japanese governors. Li family hold up to largest amount of private lands in city of Taipei when Japanese government came.
This first Taiwanese bank was involved in the 1923 world economic crackdown due to over expansion to tea industry was later merged by Japanese Taiwan government state-run Bank of Taiwan Commerce and Industry (台灣商工銀行) in 1924 through the restructuring order by the Japanese governors. The bank went on acquisition and becomes the modern day of First Bank (第一金控) at Taiwan. Chen Chao Jun (陳朝駿) sadly passed away at his own house of Taipei Tudor Cottage at year 1923 during his tenure of the member of councilor. After the bank merger, Li Chunsheng also passed away in 1924 and Li Yen-Si, grandson of Li Chunsheng, went to Japan.
The indication of the Taihoku Tea Guild (台北茶商公會) were also put along with the maps released for business in Taipei during 1928, 1932 and 1935 by the Japanese Governors. The building itself was captured clearly in 1944 version of the Taipei seen from Ariel captured by US Air force before a raid targeting to level the Japanese built infrastructure of the city. (Below and click through the image for larger details.)
Figure 15: The Map of business on streets of Taipei surveyed in 1928 clearly identifies the Taihoku Tea Guild as 台北茶商公會. Source: Academia Sinica Taiwan online historic maps.
Socio-economic Innovations and Implications for Taipei Tea Guild
The Tea business brought from the Li Chunsheng and his family to Taiwan is not just the impact of forming the early days financial institution and the global reputation of Formosa Oolong Tea, but also system designed for the working class as well as economic aspect of tea farming. Inside the museum hosted a hidden altar of Cha Jiao Matsu (茶郊媽祖), the Marine time female God faith of the region. When Dodd and Li Chunsheng promoted the tea bread of Oolong from Hohkien Province since second half of 19th century, experienced tea industry workforce from Hohkien hometown were recruited to travel across the Taiwan Straits and train the local workforce or even settle down for long. Getting across the sea from the continental China to Taiwan is a life risky journey since 17th century and faith was laid in each boat for a sculpture of Matsu. The Tea Guild did a same thing to secure people with a faith in Matsu from either travelling across the sea for trade and business development. Every year since its first operation of 1889, the guild will host annual visit for the Matsu to travel in person in the major ship overseas, and the only time when the altar figure being seen by public.
To additionally support experienced tea worker travelling from Hohkien Province, the Guild devised a labour benefit scheme for better sustaining the life and healthcare of the tea workers from China and also the workforce in the industry at Taiwan. The guild did the final packaging and marketing of tea production overseas and charged a certain percentage of the selling revenue from each participating members of the guild during each batch of export. The amount of fund collectively was later to subsidize the healthcare and aging care of the workforce when they were in such need. This is almost an early form of modern day Labour Insurance, Health Insurance, Employee Welfare Committee implemented since 1980s Taiwan and many part of the world. However, this was devised as early as late 19th century Taiwan.
Another innovation that came to the 19th century Taipei Tea Guild is the Contracted Farming (契作). To secure consistency flavor for the annual exports of Formosa Oolong Tea as well as meeting the orders from oversea markets under the constraint of potential shortage of production from certain suppliers as a result of poor climate and insect damage, the guild devised a mechanism to mix the tea from a diversified range of sources and suppliers and mark them in precise contribution to meet a certain flavor. In order to have a stable production, the Tea Guild signed a contract with each of their member tea farmer by when to collect and how much amount promised to collect. This was also a lending system devised by Li Chunsheng for his innovative incentive buy-back cultivation and lending business which later the reason Li Chunsheng's child and grandchild generation had been in forefront of financial sector in early 20th century Taiwan.
The Tea Merchants Association enjoyed a century of economic success until late 1970s when cheaper Black tea from other part of world became to emerge. In this period, the revenue of Formosa Tea exports of total export from island of Taiwan can reach over 70%. Due to final packaging responsibility of the Tea Guild of Taipei, the Printing and Packaging industry were born nearby to Dadaocheng and Wanhua(萬華) during that century too. Tea business is the mother industry of northern Taiwan over a century of excellence in driving the island as the trade and manufacturing powerhouse of Asia until these days.
Formosa Tea Historic and Cultural Routes in Northern Taiwan
Taiwan has enjoyed more than a century of reputation in fine tea leaves and tea brand of the world and these were culminated by the people who brought the story in this island. Through out a glorious century of tea exported from Formosa, there are historical places to trace how they were developed and going around the world from the people, guild organization, financial sector as well as tea companies and their life stories. Below are the suggested top 10 picks of a historic and cultural Formosa Tea route to explore how the tea left its marks in the north of the island where John Dodd had started his mind and adventures that eventually becomes a legend.
1. Taipei Tea Guild/Taipei Tea Merchants Association (台北茶商公會)
Feature: Home to earliest and oldest surviving guild organization in Taiwan at the same site. A mini museum onsite. Make an early appointment to the association before an on-site visit.
Google Map: Link
Website: http://www.taipeitea.org.tw/
How to reach: Leave the Beimen Station(北門站) of Taipei MRT and head north with roughly in 8 mins walking distance.
2. Li Chunsheng Memorial Chapel (李春生紀念教堂)
Feature: The small chapel was originally built as a Postal and Communication office located at the Dadaocheng Foreign Trade Zone and witness the rise of foreign trade since 1880s. This is one of the oldest surviving structures in the Foreign Trade Zone. This is now owned by Lee Chunsheng's family for a private chapel dedicated to Li Chunsheng. No visit inside except church services at Sunday morning and sporadic services during the week.
Address: 台北市大同區貴德街44號
Google Map: Link
Website: http://www.pct.org.tw/churchdata.aspx?strOrgNo=C03001
How to reach: Leave the Beimen Station (北門站) of Taipei MRT and head north with roughly in 12 mins walking distance. Or head further north after visit the Taipei Tea Guild.
3. GK Tea & Co, Chen Tien Lai Residence(錦記茶行, 陳天來故居):
Feature: An elaborate facade with three story tall, the GK Tea & Co was one of the Tea merchant during Japanese period of Taiwan. The building was completed in 1923 and one of the tallest seen from the river bank at the time. It was owned by Chen Tien Lai, one of the most successful tea merchants at the Foreign Trade zone, as his trade office as well as private home. The magnificent house is a listed historic building by Taipei Cultural Authority and now under a restoration.
Google Map: Link
How to reach: Leave the Beimen Station (北門站) of Taipei MRT and head north with roughly in 15 mins walking distance. Or head further north after visit the Lee Chunsheng Memorial Chapel as it is on the same street of Guide Street.
4. Dadaocheng Presbyterian Church (台灣基督長老教會大稻埕教會):
Feature: It is the earliest donated church by Li Chunsheng, an associated Presbyterian Church founder in northern Taiwan with Dr. Mackay. The church was built in 1915 and partially rebuilt in early 2000s. The church has a special memorial room which exhibits the life and contribution of Li Chungshen at the side chapel room and it is open daily.
Google Map: Link
Website: http://www.tttchurch.org.tw/
How to reach: Exit from Dagiaotou Station(大橋頭站) from Taipei MRT and head south with roughly 10 min walk distance.
5. Dihua Street and Former Niitaka Bank (迪化街與新高銀行, 第一銀行):
Feature: Dihua street was a new street for domestic merchants and groceries since 1851 of Taipei. It features in elaborated and ornate facade and a High Street of Taipei for a century. The former Niitaka Bank set up by Li Chunsheng's family and Tea Merchant Chen Chao-Jun is located at the current site of First Bank, the only high rise on the High Street, right next to the bustling Temple of City God of Dadaocheng (台北霞海城隍廟)
Google Map: Link
How to reach: Leave the Beimen Station (北門站) of Taipei MRT and head north from Tacheng street (塔城街) until section 1 of Dihua Street which is on the same street. The bank is another 3 mins from the entrance of Dihua street.
6. Taipei Story House (台北故事館):
Feature: The unique English Tudor style cottage was designed by the Yon-Yu Co Tea Merchant Chen Chao-Jun and completed in 1913. Chen stayed at this cottage until 1923 when his Niitaka Bank was merged to Japanese government state run bank. Chen is one of the key directors of the Taipei Tea Guild in early 1910s and led to join oversea roadshow for Formosa Teas. His house at the river side is his dreamed country home, distinguished from most merchant living in shophouses at those days. The house was later acquired by the city and became a listed historic building in late 1990s. The museum is the first historic house being re-converted to people's museum in Taipei.
Google Map: Link
Website: http://www.storyhouse.com.tw/
How to reach: Leve from Yuanshan Station (圓山站) of Taipei MRT and head east across the Taipei Flora Expo Park and Zhongshan North Road. It is right next to Taipei Fine Arts Museum.
7. Sin Hong Choon & Co. (新芳春茶行):
Feature: A 1934 built three story tall shop house with similar style of GK Tea & Co. It was recently rescued from an redevelopment in 2011 and restored in 2016. The entire property was donated to the Taipei city and now a listed Taipei historic building. The building is now a museum that tells the story of how tea was made and sold to overseas. There is an old time tea making plant at the rear of the house as a permanent display.
Google Map: Link
Website: https://www.facebook.com/%E6%96%B0%E8%8A%B3%E6%98%A5%E8%8C%B6%E8%A1%8C-1119304481426235/
How to reach: Leave from Shuanglian Station (雙連站) of Taipei MRT and head west in about 10 mins walking distance. It can be a joined walking tour when you visit Dihua Street and Dadaocheng Presbyterian Church
8. Former Tamsui Customs Wharf and Warehouses (淡水海關碼頭):
Feature: Tamsui Customs was setup when 4 ports of Formosa open to world trade after the Tienjin Treaty in 1858. The first customs in the northern Taiwan populated areas was setup in Tamsui and run by British. It is the place that witnessed of the rise of foreign trade in late 19th century Taiwan and also the Tea exports since 1868 when John Dodd and Li Chunsheng started to promote Formosa Oolong Tea. The Customs was later moved to Dadaocheng after 1910s. Before the rise of Tea Trade from Dadaocheng, this river port town at Tamsui enjoyed a half century of tea and goods export in a European settings. It is now managed by Tamsui Historical Museum that also look after other attractions nearby including Fort San Domingo, Former British Consulate, Little White House.
Website: https://www.tshs.ntpc.gov.tw/
How to reach: It is at the terminal station of Tamsui Station from Taipei Tamsui MRT Line. Head north of the station and take any bus toward Fort San Domingo. The Customs Wharf is opposite the entrance of the Fort across the street. Taking a walking tour from MRT Station and linger along breezy river bank and thriving market town will probably take about 25 mins on foot.
9. Daliao Tea House and Plant (大寮茶文館)
Feature: Sitting 700 meters above sea level, the tea plant was formally a tea field and tea making workshop set up by Nihon Mitsui Norin Co. (日本三井合名會社) and later Taiwan Tea Corporation which looked after island wide tea cultivation and tea making depots in Formosa during Japanese Administration. The Tea Plant at Daliao of Sanxia is one of the tea plants that produced Formosa Black Tea. The tea terraces can be traced to 1924 and a Japanese period cottage was laid in 1944 as the residence for the personnel who managed the tea workshop. The house was restored in 2015 to its former splendour and now a museum to tell Formosa Black Tea of Taiwan.
Address: 新北市三峽區竹崙路140號
Website: https://www.daliaotea.com/tw/
Google Map: Link
How to reach: There is no public metro service that will link up to that hill top but several local shuttle bus routes from New Taipei City stop at 竹崙茶場 which is 200 meters away from the entrance. Suggested taking a car ride to this hill top attraction following instruction from the above website.
10. Beipu Jiang A-Shin Mansion (北埔姜阿新宅)
Feature: A 1946 built western palatial style of mansion house owned by the Jiang A-Shin and his family who started as an entrepreneur in tea business since 1932. The business was later developed as a company Yong Guang Co. (永光洋行) which was housed inside this stately home with its reception and office together with residential space for family and guests who were paying a visit to his company in Beipu from overseas. The Jiang's in Beipu can be traced back to early 19th century as being the earliest settlers led to develop this hill fort and the family became the largest land owner through centuries. The Yong Guang Co. had a direct business with Nihon Mitsui Norin (日本三井合名會社) and British Jardine Matheson (怡和洋行) company for tea sales and exports. The company produced and sold primarily Formosa Black Tea and this hill town is also the start of the Oriental Beauty brand from Taiwan. The Jiang's Tea business went through a downfall during 1970s world economic crisis and this mansion was taken by Taiwan Co-op Bank which kept it as a warehouse until it was rediscovered by Hsinchu born financial giant Shinkong holdings (新光吳家) in 1995 and redeveloped into a showroom of tea exports glory of the Beipu and home to the charity organization of Shinkong. Later this palatial quality mansion house was bought back by the Jiang's descendants in 2013 and has been restored to the original splendor. The stately home now hosts a permanent display of how the tea export developed at Jiang during 20th century and the living story of people at Beipu and becomes a major attraction of this lovely small hill town.
Website: https://chiangashing.wixsite.com/2018
Google Map: Link
How to reach: This fort town is in Hsinchu county. There are regular shuttle buses from Hsinchu Speed Train station at Jubei (竹北) and also regular bus routes operating from Judon(竹東) town which can accessible via island wide railway system. Check: https://chiangashing.wixsite.com/2018/location
Reference:
1. Taipei Tea Merchants Association, http://www.taipeitea.org.tw/tea/about.php, Accessed during 2020-01
2. 1百多年前 李春生就建立台灣烏龍茶國際品牌, 《民報文化雜誌》第10期, https://tw.news.yahoo.com/1-100628473.html
2. 1百多年前 李春生就建立台灣烏龍茶國際品牌, 《民報文化雜誌》第10期, https://tw.news.yahoo.com/1-100628473.html
3. 日治時期臺北市區工商地圖 (Map of Business for Taipei during Japanese Administration 1895-1944), Academia Sinica, http://gis.rchss.sinica.edu.tw/mapdap/?p=6697&lang=zh-tw
4. [北市大同]．貴德街．迪化街-Tony的自然人文旅記（0436）, http://www.tonyhuang39.com/tony0436/tony0436.html
5. 近代東亞變局中的李春生, 李明輝, 東亞文明研究叢書88, 台大出版中心, 2010-05, https://books.google.com.tw/books?id=wZH_gy-6kdoC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
6. 開政府最賺錢──重繪日本生命保險株式會社台北支店, 魚夫, https://opinion.cw.com.tw/blog/profile/194/article/3521, 天下雜誌獨立評論,2015-11-14
7. History of Tea in Taiwan, Taiwan Leaf Tea Maker, https://taiwanleaftea.com/info/history-of-tea-in-taiwan
4. [北市大同]．貴德街．迪化街-Tony的自然人文旅記（0436）, http://www.tonyhuang39.com/tony0436/tony0436.html
5. 近代東亞變局中的李春生, 李明輝, 東亞文明研究叢書88, 台大出版中心, 2010-05, https://books.google.com.tw/books?id=wZH_gy-6kdoC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
6. 開政府最賺錢──重繪日本生命保險株式會社台北支店, 魚夫, https://opinion.cw.com.tw/blog/profile/194/article/3521, 天下雜誌獨立評論,2015-11-14
7. History of Tea in Taiwan, Taiwan Leaf Tea Maker, https://taiwanleaftea.com/info/history-of-tea-in-taiwan