Water Source Tea Fragrance・Pinglin Low-Carbon Journey

Anchor point
Picking Tea at the Xinfeng Tea Plantation
Category :
Outdoor excursion
Travel days :
1 day
適合對象 :
Public

推薦路線

Day

      Introduction

      Anchor point
      As global carbon reduction gains momentum, the tourism industry works to lower emissions across all tour elements. From choosing meeting points and transportation methods, to incorporating environmental education and selecting eco-friendly restaurants, professional institutions now calculate carbon footprints using international standards. Unavoidable emissions are offset through purchasing Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) certified carbon credits, achieving genuine low-carbon tourism.

      Pinglin, renowned for producing Paochung tea, pioneered Taiwan's low-carbon tourism movement. Starting from Pinglin Suspension Bridge, the route follows Beishi River to the Taipei Water Management Branch Environmental Education Center to discover wastewater purification processes. At midday, visitors enjoy creative cuisine featuring local tea at Just Pinglin eco-restaurant on Pinglin Old Street. The afternoon continues at Xinfeng Tea plantation in Pinglin's hills, where young farmers share their lives devoted to tea.
      The Fifth-Generation Owner of Xinfeng Tea Giving an Introduction at the Plantation

      The journey begins at Pinglin Suspension Bridge. Spanning approximately 60 meters across Beishi River, this bridge connects fish-watching trails on both riverbanks. Led by a guide, visitors observe Taiwan shovel-jaw carp (a.k.a. "underwater fireflies"), and the river's rich aquatic ecosystem. The Beishi River watershed falls within the Taipei Water Conservatiopn Area. Policies such as river closure for fish protection and sediment barrier installations are implemented to safeguard water resources for the Taipei-New Taipei metropolitan area and extend Feitsui Reservoir's lifespan.
      Pinglin Suspension Bridge
      Guide Introducing the History of the Taipei Water Conservation Area's Establishment

      At the fish-watching trail's end, behind flood walls stands Pinglin Wastewater Treatment Plant—one of two major treatment plants under the Taipei Water Management Branch and an environmental education venue. Designated in 1984, the Taipei Water Conservation Area spans five districts: Wulai, Shuangxi, Pinglin, Xindian, and Shiding. It’s Taiwan's only protected zone established in accordance with the Urban Planning Act, with merely 1% being low-density residential areas.
      Pinglin Wastewater Treatment Plant

      Inside the Environmental Education Learning Center, visitors gain insight into Taiwan's water resource management and observe the treatment plant's three-stage process—physical, biological, and chemical purification that ensures discharge quality. Visitors collect water samples themselves, comparing influent and effluent quality for an intuitive understanding of purification's importance.
      Wastewater Treatment Sedimentation Tank
      Influent Water Quality Testing
      Comparison of Influent and Effluent Water Quality

      At noon, visit Just Pinglin eco-restaurant at the entrance to Pinglin Old Street. Inside this stone-slab heritage building, savor dishes crafted with local tea—black tea braised pork rice, salmon ochazuke, and various tea snacks. A young man from Beigang and a young lady from Guanziling chose to settle in Pinglin, New Taipei, conveying the town's atmosphere and energy to travelers through cuisine, fine tea, curated items, and exhibitions.
      Pinglin Old Street and Pinglin District Office
      Just Pinglin—Tea Ochazuke (Tea on Rice)
      Just Pinglin—Black Tea Braised Pork Rice

      After enjoying refined tea cuisine, explore Pinglin Old Street with a guide. Stretching approximately 200 meters, the old street features teapot installation art and uniform green signage. Paper shops, tofu stalls, grocery stores, and tea merchants line the way. Street vendors use Pinglin's famous Paochung tea to create innovative treats—tea cakes, tea steamed buns, tea nougat, and camellia oil thin noodles.
      Signage and Teapot Decorations on Pinglin Old Street
      Pinglin Old Street—Fuzhang Store (or Fuchang Shop)

      "UChung," established by local young tea farmers, offers a modern compound tea space on the old street, selling tea snacks, tea gift items, and tea celebration wine developed exclusively by Pinglin tea farmers. This bright space hosts tea ceremony experiences from time to time, promoting tea culture in ways that resonate with younger generations. At a corner of the old street, Pinglin Tea Cultural Museum, operated by the Pinglin Farmers' Association, visitors will learn about tea and camellia oil culture while exploring Pinglin's tea history and other industrial features. Stone heritage buildings constructed with herringbone and T-shaped patterns offer another visual highlight along the street.
      In-store Slogan at UChung
      In-store Slogan at UChung
      Brewing Tea at UChung
      Pinglin Tea Cultural Museum
      Herringbone-Patterned Stone Wall

      Afternoon brings a journey to Pinglin's hills. Near Xiangong Temple, famous for sunrises and seas of clouds, sixth-generation young tea farmer Zhan Chengde of Xinfeng Tea guides visitors through verdant tea plantations to pick one bud with two leaves, then hand-craft and taste their own tea.
      Picking One Bud and Two Leaves at the Xinfeng Tea Plantation
      Xiangong Temple

      Xinfeng Tea is known for its "friend tea," aimed to convey warmth and authenticity. After picking tea leaves, participants personally stir-fry and knead them under the farmer's guidance to create their own green tea! Through the journey from a plantation to a cup, savor Pinglin tea town's distinctive flavor.
      Demonstration of Tea Processing by the Xinfeng Tea Owner
      Stir-Frying the Tea Leaves
      Kneading the Tea Leaves with Both Hands

      The "Water Source Tea Fragrance・Pinglin Low-Carbon Journey" meets the Ministry of Environment's "Green Tourism" standards and appears on the "Green Lifestyle" information platform. Carbon footprint calculations show this tour produces 11.5 kg CO2e per person, reducing emissions by 5.6 kilograms compared to typical self-driving tourism.
      Tea Tasting Moment
      Previous
      Smile Trails to Hometown Mountain-Sky Lantern Tour in Pingxi Xiaozi Mountain
      The Smile Trails of New Taipei City connects the shallow mountainous areas of Shulin, Yingge, Sanxia, Tucheng, Zhonghe, Xindian, Shiding, Shenkeng to Pingxi, promoting residents in the metropolitan area to walk into the mountains near their homes. Pingxi District is at the far right of this smiling curve. Pingxi, internationally famous for its sky lanterns, has a deep mining culture and many excellent hiking trails. Take the Taiwan Railway Pingxi Line or Taiwan Travel 795 Mucha Pingxi Line to Pingxi Station, challenge the 90-degree vertical hiking trail of Xiaozishan, and go deep into Pingxi and Jingtong. Learn to make sky lanterns and visit the "Yijian.Jingtong Ancient Art Life" museum to explore the cultural landscape of Pingxi.The main settlement of Pingxi is in the valley of the upper reaches of the Keelung River. On the river's south bank stand more than 20 independent peaks, commonly known as the 24 Xiaozi Mountains, among which Xiaozi Mountain, Cimu Peak, and Putuo Mountain are the most famous. The height of each peak is between 300 and 500 meters above sea level. The mountain is low but very steep. Under the guidance of the tour guide, people arrive at the most spectacular section of Xiaozi Mountain.Look at the nearly vertical hiking trail before them. People couldn't help but be shocked by the towering stone peaks. Overcome the inner fear and climb the suspended steel ladder residents and veterans built. Take one step at a time and move steadily towards the sky.❗️We do not recommend those who fear heights climb this hiking trail section. Climbing to the top of the 360-meter-high Xiaozi Mountain, you can overlook the railway towns of Pingxi and Jingtong and the endless mountain ridges. People can see that Mount Cimu and Mount Putuo, also independent mountain peaks with majestic momentum, are located behind.👉The space at the top of Xiaozi Peak can only accommodate 5-6 people simultaneously. In case of a large crowd of climbers, please give others way politely.After the magnificent Xiaozi Mountain hike, return to Pingxi Station and walk into the blue and white Little Greece Restaurant. Here, enjoy the restaurant's signature dishes, such as rice noodles with oversized neritic squid and osmanthus coffee, to replenish your fatigue after hiking.Come to the Smile Trails foothold on Pingxi Old Street—TakeYourTime Cafe to learn the techniques of making sky lanterns. Coming to Pingxi is no longer just about releasing sky lanterns. Under the guidance of the sky lantern master, everyone with skillful hands gradually forms sky lanterns.With environmental protection as the starting point, the Pingxi sky lanterns are made of recyclable and degradable materials, from paper and frames to adhesives. Let the sky lanterns, a cultural image representing Pingxi and Taiwan, continue to fly into the sky with everyone's wishes under the global consensus of zero carbon emissions.Going down the ramp in front of Jingtong Station, an elegant Japanese-style building is on the Keelung River bank. The predecessor of this building, built in 1939, was the Pingxi Guesthouse of TaiYang Mining, the largest enterprise in Pingxi's black gold era. The guesthouse and outdoor courtyard have more than 600 pings, a rare large-scale academy-style building in Taiwan. There are VIP rooms, a conference hall, a cafeteria, a bathhouse, a recreation room, a billiard room, a library, and other facilities here. It was the leading entertainment venue in Pingxi at that time.As mining stopped in Pingxi, the guesthouse was also closed. 2003, it was designated a historic site, and the exhibition company is currently taking over the guesthouse. After restoration, it has become the "Yijian.Jingtong Ancient Art Life " private art museum. Inside, they display various ingenious artworks and promote the glorious mining history of Pingxi. Through the explanation of professional tour guides, appreciate the building's three corridors, three entryways, and six ceilings and wander in Japanese-style aesthetics.👉The "Yijian.Jingtong Ancient Art Life" private art museum is now adopting a reservation system that allows visitors to reserve a visit time online in advance.
      Next
      Art Realm New Taipei: Sanxia Slow One-Day Tour
      New Taipei City advances low-carbon tourism by emphasizing transportation, meals, and attractions, working to reduce travel emissions. Professional institutions calculate carbon footprints, and VCS-certified carbon credits are purchased to achieve sustainability. The Sanxia low-carbon tour begins at the environmental education site of Lujiaoxi Constructed Wetland, continues to TINA Kitchen eco-restaurant for healthy seasonal meals, proceeds to New Taipei City Art Museum for an art experience, and concludes with a guided walk through Sanxia Old Street to appreciate local cultural heritage.Spanning 16 hectares, Lujiaoxi Constructed Wetland sits at the confluence of Dahan River and its tributary Lujiao River. Once a landfill, the site was renovated by the New Taipei City High Riverbank Construction Management Office into a constructed wetland, becoming New Taipei's first on-site wastewater treatment facility certified by the Environmental Protection Administration .Using aquatic plants and natural purification methods, Lujiaoxi Wetland effectively improves Dahan River’s water quality through sedimentation, filtration, and biological absorption. The wetland attracts numerous bird species and amphibians, creating an excellent ecotourism destination. Environmental volunteers guide visitors through wetland plants—giant elephant’s ear, shell ginger, paper mulberry, fountain grass, flute reed, wild sugarcane, and silvergrass, and ecology.TINA Kitchen, near Yingge Ceramics Museum, embraces the "farm to table" philosophy, offering 16 main course options plus an extensive self-service bar featuring fresh vegetable salads, dessert breads, and various hot and cold teas and coffee—balancing flavor with health. The "Organic Yam" brand maintains its commitment to 'organic agriculture + organic food processing + organic living,' extending into organic bakeries and natural soap workshops, practicing environmentally conscious, organic lifestyles.New Taipei City Art Museum sits in Yingge, renowned for ceramic craftsmanship. Designed by architect Kris Yao, the silver-white structure takes inspiration from riverside reeds, expressing wind-swept movement through staggered vertical lines. Incorporating green building principles, the museum uses expansive glass to draw natural light inside while balancing ventilation and insulation, creating comfortable viewing conditions. The extensive outdoor grounds provide habitat for numerous Taiwan-endemic species, establishing the museum as a significant New Taipei landmark combining aesthetics with environmental consciousness.Follow the Can Culture, Art & Nature on a guided walk through Sanxia Old Street. This 260-meter street winds S-shaped along Sanxia River. In earlier times, a light railway transported tea and coal from Sanxia's hills. Most existing street houses date back a century. Continuous red-brick arcades and baroque archways create Sanxia Old Street's distinctive character. Examining the facades reveals intricate decorative styles—each building's gable and nameplate designs contain unique architectural language, made more vivid through the guide's commentary.Built in 1769, Sanxia Qingshui Zushi Temple underwent reconstruction led by art master Li, Mei-shu, incorporating works by craftsmen from various schools and contemporary artists. It's acclaimed as the "Oriental Art Palace." The guide leads visitors through the temple's elaborate caisson ceilings, vibrant cut-and-paste decorations, and exquisitely carved stone pillars.The Can’s Haksip Village sits beside Sanxia Old Street. Originally Alin Hospital founded in 1947, it transformed into a local revitalization hub starting in 2017, earning recognition as one of the Ministry of Culture's Top 100 Cultural Bases. Haksip Village takes its name from Taiwanese for "collective learning," connecting craft artisans, specialty food merchants, community schools, and corporate partners to build community support networks.The village hosts Hidekawa Fermentation Workshop and Tofu House, Sanyi Metalworking, Shike Studio, and Grass Book House. Hidekawa uses non-GMO domestic soybeans contract-farmed from the Jianan Plain to produce tofu products and miso, reducing food miles. Sanyi Metalworking and Shike Studio preserve and advance traditional crafts while offering hands-on experiences in metalworking, wood carving, and gold hammering techniques. Experience Haksip’s collaborative spirit in the village, and try Hidekawa’s tofu ice cream combining Sanxia Biluochun tea with domestic soybeans—tea and bean fragrances intertwining as the tour concludes.The "Art Realm New Taipei: Sanxia Slow One-Day Tour" meets the Ministry of Environment's "Green Tourism" standards and appears on the "Green Lifestyle” information platform. Carbon footprint calculations show this tour produces 10.2 kg CO2e per person.
      Read more