Author:
Wei, Wen-Pin 魏文彬

Graduated Academic Year:
2018

Advisor:
Liu, A-RON, Hsieh, Deng-Wang  劉阿榮、謝登旺

 

Abstract:

“Windbag” Tea is a well-known tea in Taiwan that has to be bitten by smaller green leafhoppers in a pesticide-free environment to get its unique, fruity aroma and honey flavor. However, the name “Windbag” Tea means to “boast and brag” in Mandarin, Taiwanese, or Hakka. Even though the tea tastes very special, it still has a hard time breaking its “boastful” limitation in the tea market and tea channels. Emei Township in Hsinchu County was the first place to start selling Oriental Beauty Tea and said that this tea was sold to England through foreign firms during the late Qing Dynasty, where the Queen of England drank it and named it “Oriental Beauty Tea.” The tea unexpectedly changed the name “Windbag” and began to grow rapidly the tea industry. In the 2005 Oriental Beauty Tea Auction, the auction price of the Outstanding Tea set at a sky-high price of NT$ 1.01 million per jin. Not only did it dominate the tea industry in Taiwan, but it also rapidly expanded to six major tea production areas across four counties and cities in northern Taiwan.

This study uses the in-depth field research to visit the agricultural administrative units, counseling units, distributors and tea farmers in each tea area of the four counties and cities to explore the construction of the Oriental Beauty Tea symbol, evaluate the influence from the expansion of the grading area, and use a questionnaire in each region for comparative analysis on the integration of the tea industry. The conclusion was that the symbol of Oriental Beauty Tea was established with great success, and the expansion of the grading area successfully enhanced the recognition and value of the Oriental Beauty Tea. The Hakka industrial and cultural identity item indicated that the Taoyuan-Hsinchu-Miaoli area showed a high degree of Hakka industrial and cultural identity; in the New Taipei City area, the Hakka cultural identity did not exist in this area even though Oriental Beauty Tea was produced here. Finally, this study provided suggestions for government units, counseling units, evaluation units, tea farmers, and consumers.

　　在臺灣椪風茶是眾人耳熟能詳的茶葉，它必須在無農藥環境之下，經過茶小綠葉蟬的叮咬，而產生獨特的熟果香與蜂蜜甜滋味。然而，此椪風茶不管是國語、臺語、客語的語意上，都是「吹牛」的意思，即使其茶口味十分特殊，在茶葉商場上始終無法跳脫椪風之藩籬，是難以打開茶葉通路與市場。新竹縣峨眉鄉首先推出東方美人茶，並稱此茶於清末藉由洋行轉賣至英國，英國女王喝後龍心大悅賜名為「東方美人茶」。未料此茶跳脫椪風之名後，茶產業因此迅速地活躍與成長，於2005年東方美人茶拍賣會活動上，竟締造出每斤特等獎茶拍賣價101萬的天價。不僅傲視了全臺灣各茶產業區，茶產業亦迅速地漫延擴張北臺灣四縣市六大茶產區。

　　本文以最深入的田野角色，探訪四縣市每個茶區的農業行政單位、輔導單位、經銷商與茶農，探索東方美人茶符號的建構功能，以及評鑑區域擴散的影響，並且搭配於各區域所執行的問卷調查，將茶產業給予整合性之比較分析。結論則為，東方美人茶是非常成功的茶葉符號建構，藉由茶葉評鑑制度分級功能，成功地提升東方美人茶產業認同與價值。唯獨於客家產業文化認同項目上，發現只有桃竹苗地區呈現高度客家產業文化認同，於新北市地區則是顯示出，即使生產了東方美人茶，客家文化認同在此區域並不存在。最後則為，本文對於政府單位、輔導單位、評鑑單位、茶農與消費者之建議。