The store manager last visited the Li A-chun Tea Garden in October 2015, shortly before the Forestry Bureau reclaimed the land. For tea lovers who might not be familiar with Dayuling, the 104K Li A-chun Tea Garden used to be the highest-altitude tea garden in all of Taiwan, reaching up to 2,650 meters.
I came back this time to see if the tea bushes had grown back like they did at 105K. Turns out the old tea garden is now completely overgrown with weeds, making it impossible to enter. According to local workers, the tea bushes died off completely within a year after being cut down. An altitude of 2,600 meters isn’t really suited for tea plants in the first place—without human care, they struggle to survive on their own.
I originally planned to follow the small path up to the 2,600-meter peak, but the grass was so tall the trail just ended halfway. Checking the altitude app on my phone, where I was standing was already 2,560 meters—higher than the highest point at 105K. Looking up from 2,560 meters, about 100 meters away, you could still spot the tea garden’s water storage tank (Photo 3), which sits at around 2,600 meters. Photo 4 shows the water tank and tea garden back in 2014.
Reclaiming the tea gardens is a national policy, but Dayuling tea holds a significant place in the history of both Taiwanese and world tea culture. As the store manager, I still feel it’s a real shame they were completely removed.
That said, the 104K area has turned into a gorgeous meadow now. I hear that when the grass dries out in winter, it turns a golden yellow—it might even become a popular spot for photos!
