Immerse in tea culture at this Chinese tea-themed recreational park in Taiwan

Imagine taking contemplative sips of aromatic pu’er tea against an idyllic backdrop of willowy trees. Tea drinkers can live out their fantasies at Pouyuenji Hills, a tea appreciation-themed recreational park in Sanyi, Miaoli, a close-to-two-hour drive from Taipei.

The sprawling 11-ha development, which opened last June, comprises cafes, a patisserie, a homeware store, a museum, tea houses, and event spaces — all incorporating Chinese teas such as pu’er, and oolong tea. 

The estate is an ambitious undertaking by Taiwanese tea curation and retail company Pouyuenji, started by Chi-Chien Tsai, the founder of Taiwanese footwear conglomerate Pou Chen Group. While the spritely Tsai, 82, has since retired and can be spotted sipping tea around the estate, his son, general manager Ming Tsai, runs Pouyuenji Hills, of which only a quarter has been completed. 

An avid tea drinker, the older Tsai has amassed an impressive collection of over 100,000 aged pu’er teacakes. One of the oldest is the Jin Da Mo pu’er tea, named after the monk who founded Zen Buddhism and has been aged for over 20 years. The exquisite tea has plum notes, is slightly tannic, and ends with a lingering floral finish reminiscent of orchids. 

Other signature teas include the Yuen Ji post-fermented pu’er tea, which has caramel-like notes of brown sugar and grass jelly, and the Dong Ding oolong tea, which boasts a deep, roasted aroma of glutinous rice, coupled with the refreshing sweetness of gardenia flowers and honey.

Visitors can appreciate the teas through ceremonies, where the intricacies of tea brewing — down to the mineral content of water and the optimum temperatures — are explained, as part of the cathartic process. The tea masters also share how the flavours and aromas of tea evolve as drinkers mull over cups of tea.  

Besides sipping tea, visitors can head to Play Kitchen, which serves salads and Taiwanese snacks like garlic and bail-sprinkled fried chicken, pork belly buns stuffed with pickled cabbage and ground peanuts, and tea-based ice cream and gelato.

The menu is co-developed by chef Lin Ju-wei of one Michelin-starred modern Taiwanese restaurant, Yuenji in Taichung, which is part of the group’s F&B establishments. 

The Pouyuenji Hills compound is anchored by a pond, where thrilling rounds of motorboat racing are held, a throwback to the maritime nature of tea trading. Not into games? Chill out at the vinyl and book store, which also houses Mr Tsai’s aged tea collection.

Hugo Sheng, vice president and chief operating officer of Pouyuenji, says: “Through Pouyuenji Hills, we want to showcase how tea can be seamlessly woven into one’s lifestyle through dining and lifestyle activities without having to shout about it.”

“We also don’t want to make tea appreciation too cerebral and rigid, so there aren’t too many instructions on how to drink tea,” he adds. 

Pouyuenji, which also opened a tea retail and appreciation space in Kyoto last June, hopes to strengthen its presence among mid-tier consumers in the tea market. Sheng explains: “We are bridging the gap between bubble tea and high-end tea drinkers. By nurturing the interest of tea drinkers, they can progress with their level of knowledge.”

Plans are aplenty for Pouyuenji Hills, which will expand to include a members-only tea appreciation zone, where members can store and brew their prized tea leaves, a hotel and spa and more restaurants over the next few years. Plans to open a Tokyo store are also in the pipeline. The future of tea looks exciting.