REPORTER:

Picking out the best of the best. Chen Shao-chung spends his mornings harvesting tea leaves from the mountains of Beipu, in Hsinchu County.

Chen Shao-chung (TEA FARMER):  

Once [the leaves] are harvested it’s like treasure.  

By noon we need to stop picking leaves.  

My father said we can’t pick after 11 a.m.  

Because we need light we start picking around 5 a.m.  

and stop around 11 a.m.  

We do the same thing the next day using the sunlight from noon to 1 p.m.  

to dry the leaves.  

This is very important.  

After this process the Oriental Beauty tea becomes fragrant.

REPORTER:

It’s a trade passed down in his family. Chen’s grandfather grew tea leaves during the Japanese era. And the specialty oolong tea, known as “pong-fong” or “Oriental Beauty” was a hit with tea-lovers.

Chen Shao-chung (TEA FARMER):  

I remember clearly that as soon as the tea was ready a tea buyer would be knocking on our door.

REPORTER:

In the 1980s, Taiwan’s tea industry dwindled but the roads connecting it remain. Known as the Raknus Selu Trail, this tea route runs through the northern counties of Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli, all the way to Taichung in central Taiwan.

In honor of the route’s heritage, “Raknus” means “camphor” in the local Indigenous languages, and “Selu” means “trail” in Hakka.

Now, many descendants of those who once carried tea along this path are keeping their heritage alive.

Chou Sheng-hsin (TAIWAN THOUSAND MILES TRAIL ASSOC.):  

Everyone has their own life story connected to tea growing it, making it, drinking it.  

Tea is deeply woven into their lives through their down-to-earth personality or professionalism.

REPORTER:

Whether giving tours or harvesting Beipu’s famed Oriental Beauty tea leaves, the people here continue to honor the golden age of Taiwan’s tea trade.