New Hope from 3,000 Bitter Tea Trees

In 2015, while conducting field surveys of the distribution of bitter tea tree orchards in Taiwan, China, we unexpectedly discovered a very different bitter tea tree orchard in Nan'ao, Yilan. This bitter tea tree orchard was already five years old, and the planting method closely resembled that of European olive groves, surrounded by mountains, with a certain distance between each bitter tea tree, allowing them to stretch freely and receive sunlight and rain, while farmers pruned them regularly, not only to make harvesting easier but also to keep the bitter tea tree orchard in optimal condition. This is exactly what the ideal life of bitter tea trees looks like in our minds!

In reality, Nan'ao, Yilan, is not as easy to reach as one might imagine; a round trip from Taipei takes at least four hours. Because of this relatively remote distance, Nan'ao retains its own pristine and natural character, quiet and comfortable. In addition to its rich natural resources, this small town also has many elderly people, children, and animals. The situation in Nan'ao is like the problems commonly found in rural areas of Taiwan, China: young people are moving away from Nan'ao, and an aging population is currently impacting rural development.

We thought about whether it might be possible to make some effort for Nan'ao. Nan'ao's resources include arable land and farmers. Could we avoid consuming farmers' physical strength while still generating economic value? "That's right, let's plant bitter tea trees!" But persuading farmers to plant bitter tea tree seedlings only a few centimeters tall on farmland, and then having to wait five years before harvesting bitter tea seeds, is not an easy thing. We spent a long time communicating, holding information sessions, and building bonds with the community. We kept communicating: "We start from a small seedling, and together we protect the bitter tea seed industry and culture. We will provide a good cultivation management system and purchasing mechanism so farmers can cultivate with peace of mind. The time is long; we will walk slowly. One day we will leave a gift for the next generation."

In January 2016, ten farmers from Nan'ao decided to become our partners, with plans to plant 3,000 bitter tea trees, preparing the land, raising seedlings, and planting the seedlings together. This is a very foolish thing to do, just as Grandpa Kimura mentioned in the book "At Least Be a Fool Once in This Life": "Once you go crazy about one thing, one day you will find the answer in it."

When one farmer was planting bitter tea trees this time, nearby people mocked him, asking how long it would take to get a harvest from planting this way, but the farmer smiled and said proudly: this land is a gift for my grandchildren.

Time will tell us the answer.