Story of Jia-Fang Tea Garden
“Either change, or fold up” said Li-Shiue, Chen with a determined expression. As a daughter in law, she determined to turn the family-owned tea garden from traditional farming to organic farming. Facing relatives’ questioning and economic pressure, Mrs. Chen still got through it. When others still didn’t recognize organic farming, or disapprove it, she persisted to do it for her home and her long-term loyal customers.
“In the first and second year doing organic farming, every tea tree looked like being sick, lifeless, lack of immunity, not to mention about harvest.” Mrs. Chen recalled. At that time, only organic fertilizer can be applied, rid of bugs and cut grass by hands, in order to improve tea trees’ immune system, and revive the strength of land. Fortunately, in the third year, tea trees came back to health, with the help of Tea Research and Extension Station. Tea Research and Extension Station helped Mrs. Chen re-plant partially strong, highly resistant, and Oxygen-full Taiwan’s original specie “Qinqxindamao”, and irrigate the tea garden by deep ocean water. Finally, a bit of harvest resulted. Later, Mrs. Chen subsequently replaced the tea garden with the new specie. Now, there are Jin-Xuan and Qinqxindamao in the tea garden, and eco-system has gradually formed, small green leafhoppers, spiders, mantises, ladybugs have gradually appeared in the tea garden.
In the year 2010, Mrs. Chen arranged her tea garden as an experience ground. She led tourists to experience tea pick-up activity, to observe tea garden’s eco-system, and even to experience tea-making DIY. Every year she racked her brain in order let tourists have a good time. For example, she washed tea leaves which were just picked up and put them into juicer to make green tea. Then, she added honey and plums into the green tea to make it a healthy drink. While adding green tea into flour, it became the skin of Chinese herbal rice cake DIY. Or, adding flour, egg white, and cream into red-oolong tea, and mixing all into flour paste, and then it became an egg roll. “Every time when the flavor of egg rolls spread, customers could not resist making one on his own to have a taste.” Mrs. Chen laughed happily, and continued, “Enjoying egg rolls with the tea drink made on site, everyone is leaving with satisfaction and delighted mood.”
It has been four years since the launch of the tea garden experience activity. Now, Mrs. Chen wants to lead the neighbors to form an organic village in the community by the concept of a feature a household. She hopes young people will be willing to come back to the village, and elderly then will have chance to let young people inherit cultural asset and tradition of the old generation. This is the dream Mrs. Chen strives to achieve in the future.
