Sanxia Tea: From the Spiral Turn of Qingxin Ganzai to the Honey-Aroma Upgrade of Summer Tea

30-second overview:
Sanxia is Taiwan's most representative specialized pan-fried green tea production area, and its industrial trajectory is a long-running experiment in adaptation. In the early days, because dragon well tea required additional specialized shaping machines, farmers chose the Biluochun process — compatible with the existing Baozhong tea equipment — instead. From 2007 onward, the farmers' association and the Tea Research and Extension Station promoted a summer tea value-enhancement program: by using the bites of the tea green leafhopper, summer tea that had previously been bitter and low-value was converted into a black tea with a natural honey aroma. This is a history of artisans, farmers' associations, and nature collaborating to continuously transform a century-old tea garden.

In the 1860s, British merchant John Dodd discovered hilly terrain in Sanxia (then called Sanjiaoyong) suitable for growing tea. At the time, Sanxia tea leaves were shipped via the Tamsui River to Dadaocheng for processing, becoming part of the legendary Formosa Oolong Tea export story⁷. This history of tea cultivation — spanning more than 250 years — saw an attempt at green tea exports beginning in 1919 under Japanese colonial rule, but the colonial authorities worried that Taiwanese green tea would threaten the Japanese domestic industry and suppressed it heavily, keeping export volumes extremely low¹⁹.

After 1945, as mainlander soldiers and civilians relocated to Taiwan, their nostalgia for green tea drove domestic demand for dragon well and Biluochun varieties. However, dragon well's distinctive flat, sword-shaped leaves had to be pressed with specialized shaping machines. For Sanxia tea farmers who generally owned Baozhong tea rolling equipment, the Biluochun style — which preserved a twisted, spiral appearance — clearly fit better within the existing production logic. This technical "going with the flow" was formally designated "Sanxia Biluochun" by the Sanxia District Farmers' Association in 1998, establishing the local standard for Taiwanese green tea from that point on².

The Only Surviving "Qingxin Ganzai" and Its Microclimate

The reason Sanxia could become the home of Taiwanese green tea lies in a distinctive cultivar commonly called "ganzai species." The variety's leaves resemble citrus leaves, with deep serrated edges that curl upward; it is cultivated mainly in Sanxia, making it one of Taiwan's most representative local specialty cultivars³.

Sanxia's tea-growing areas are distributed mainly across Hengxi, Chengfu, Ankeng, and Zhulun. Though the elevation is only around 200 meters, the area benefits from the fertile alluvial delta formed by the confluence of three rivers — the Dahan, Sanxia, and Hengxi rivers — along with mountain mist and moderate humidity, creating an excellent microclimate. In particular, the boundary between red and yellow soils in Chengfu and Ankeng features fertile, well-drained earth, giving Qingxin Ganzai outstanding early-season characteristics: harvesting can begin as early as late February each year. However, the cultivar also has biological weaknesses — low resistance to pests and diseases, and low drought tolerance — which makes organic cultivation and precision irrigation major concerns for modern tea farmers²⁰.

The Historical Weight: From Dabaoshe to Nittoh Black Tea

The distribution of Sanxia's tea gardens is in fact a heavy history of land clearing. During the Japanese colonial period, the colonial government implemented a "indigenous governance policy" to seize mountain forest resources, leading to fierce conflict with the local Atayal Dabaoshe (Takoham) people.

After Dabaoshe surrendered in 1907, the Mitsui Gomei Kaisha company promptly entered the Chajiao and Zhulun areas to develop large-scale tea gardens, establishing the "Dabaoshe Tea Factory" (today the Dabanken Forest Hot Spring Resort) and the "Daliao Tea Factory"⁸. The "Nittoh Black Tea" produced using modern black tea techniques was exported widely to Europe and America, establishing the foundation for Sanxia as one of Taiwan's important tea-producing areas. However, this history of development was also accompanied by the ecological devastation of large-scale timber harvesting for camphor production.

📝 Curator's note: In the ongoing effort to address historical injustices, the Takoham people have consistently maintained their demand to "return to their Sanxia ancestral lands," which gives every sip of tea the weight of history.

Artisans and Young Farmers: The Professional Transformation of a Centennial Family

In the Hengxi area of Sanxia, "Tianfang Tea House," which has passed through five generations, is a living witness to this history. It is currently co-operated by the fifth generation Huang Zheng-zhong and the sixth generation Huang Yao-kuan. Huang Yao-kuan briefly lost his sense of touch for making tea after a brain injury, but relying on notes left by his father and his memory of the land, he recaptured grand slam victories in tea-making competitions⁹. His wife Lin Meng-yu, who has a business management background, is also a professional tea maker who has won the "Special Prize" in Biluochun evaluations multiple times¹⁰.

Beyond Tianfang Tea House, Sanxia has many families insisting on environmentally friendly cultivation — such as Zhou Zi-yao from Risheng Tea House, who has won the Honey Black Tea Special Prize multiple times and emphasizes organic and environmentally friendly farming practices. In Ankeng Village, some tea farmers have shifted to organic cultivation, allowing long-absent fireflies to return, producing "Firefly Tea" (white tea) that carries significance as an ecological indicator species.

Value Upgrade: The Honey-Aroma Transformation Born from Insect Bites

If Biluochun is Sanxia's spring, then Honey Black Tea is Sanxia's midsummer. This was a planned "value transformation."

Beginning in 2007, the Sanxia District Farmers' Association and the Tea Research and Extension Station began systematically promoting the use of the tea green leafhopper (Jacobiasca formosana): the plant defense mechanism triggered by the leafhopper's bite brings a natural honey sweetness to the tea⁴. This conceptual shift doubled the value of summer tea that had previously been bitter and low-priced. The Honey Black Tea competition launched in 2010 formally established this tea's premium market position⁵.

The Complete Academic Chain of "Sanxia Studies": From Ecological Awakening to Academic Transformation

Sanxia's tea culture has formed a complete "educational chain" running from elementary school through middle school, high school, and university, allowing tea culture to take root across generations.

• Elementary school level — ecological and sensory awakening:
  • Chengfu Elementary School: Through the "Tea Fragrance Slow Journey" curriculum, students document tea garden ecology using photography and VR technology¹¹.
  • Chajiao Forest Experimental Elementary School: Students plant tea seedlings by hand and experience the life cycle¹².
  • Longpu Elementary School and Beida Elementary School: Through food and agriculture education, children of "new Sanxia residents" build connections to local industry.
• Middle school level — history and culture exploration:
  • Sanxia Middle School and Anxi Middle School actively integrate local industry into career development education. Sanxia Middle School leads students in learning hand-crafted dragon well production¹⁵; Anxi Middle School connects to the immigrant history behind its school name, helping students understand the link between ancestral-hometown beliefs and the tea industry¹⁶.
  • Taozijiao Middle-Elementary School: Won the Gold Quality Award in Teaching Excellence with its "Tea Fragrance, Dye Rhyme, Joy in Tao-Tao" program, integrating the three elements of "dyeing, ceramics, and tea," with students learning "tea-ceramics" linkage incorporating Yingge ceramic culture¹⁸.
• High school level — deep historical and cultural cultivation:
  • Beida High School and Mingde High School have included "Sanxia Studies" as core school-based specialty curricula. Mingde High School developed cross-disciplinary teaching materials collaborating geography and Chinese language teachers¹³. Beida High School established a "Juzing Tea House" through its "Life Studies Under Yuanshan" program, taking students from cultural understanding to hands-on experience¹⁴.
• University level — academic transformation:
  • National Taipei University: Through the "Haishan Studies Research Center" and USR programs, faculty and students have systematically compiled tea industry documents and organized the "Sanxia Green Tea Season." The 2026 Green Tea Season brought university students and young farmers together to transform traditional tea culture into digital marketing materials⁶.

Faith and Tea: Tea Farmers' Prayers at the Foot of the Ancestral Master Temple

The development of Sanxia's tea industry is closely connected to local religious faith. The Sanxia Ancestral Master Temple (Qingshui Zushi Temple) is not only an "Eastern Art Palace" but also the spiritual pillar of tea farmers. Qingshui Zushi is famed for "praying for rain" — critically important for a tea industry that depends so heavily on rainfall¹⁷. Early Anxi immigrants brought both their tea cultivation techniques and their Qingshui Zushi faith into Sanxia together; before the tea season harvest each year, farmers commonly visit the Ancestral Master Temple to pray for favorable weather.

Scientific Analysis: The Secret of Catechins and the Mung Bean Aroma

Scientifically, the distinctive "mung bean fresh fragrance" of Sanxia Biluochun originates from the extremely high catechin content in the Qingxin Ganzai cultivar. In the "non-fermented" production process, the tea leaves undergo appropriate "indoor resting (withering)," during which moisture slowly dissipates, inducing the transformation of specific aromatic compounds. This gives Sanxia green tea richer layering and nutritional value.

2026: When Tea Fragrance Enters Glasses and Technology

Sanxia tea's vitality is expanding into different fields. At the 2026 Sanxia Green Tea Season, Biluochun cocktails branded "Star Swirl" were co-created with the Shulin Distillery, and the results of managing tea gardens with technological tools were also showcased⁶. Modern young farmers have introduced solar-powered physical pest control lamps to reduce insect damage, or used digital sensors to monitor tea garden microclimates, precisely determining the optimal harvest timing.

Challenge: A Culture Racing Against Disappearance

Sanxia tea's future faces realistic tests. With the development of the National Taipei University Special District and the construction of the MRT Sanying Line (expected to open mid-2026), Sanxia's land values have skyrocketed²¹. For the younger generation, the hard work of inheriting a tea garden and its income often cannot compare with the profit from selling the land.

"What we're guarding isn't just tea — it's the smell of this land." This was said by a young farmer at a market. The value of Sanxia tea is shifting from "agricultural product" to "cultural heritage."

📝 Curator's note: When an industry begins to be called "culture," it usually means it is racing against disappearance.