Located in Yuli Township, Hualien, Chike Mountain is known as “little Switzerland”. Entering Chike Mountain’s Industry Road from County Highway 193, you will arrive at Tianxin Tea Company before reaching the famous landmark “Thousand-Ton Stone Turtle”.
Introduction
Originally from Zhuqi in Chiayi, the Chang family of Tianxin Tea Company had moved to this area due to the August 7, 1959 flood. The first-generation owner of Tianxin Tea Company started from scratch and spent over 40 years planting crops such as long yellow daylily, tea leaves, chrysanthemum and turmeric. When he almost lost his life 10 years ago due to the frequent use of pesticides, he switched to an organic, non-toxic method of cultivation, hoping to provide people with the most natural, high-quality and non-toxic products. While its first generation revitalize the farmland through natural agricultural practices, the second generation of Tianxin Tea Company strives to build a unique cultural brand that focuses on deepening culture, allowing urban visitors to feel that they are back in the embrace of the forest and nature.
Chike Mountain is located at the back of the coastal mountain range, facing Yushan and overlooking the East Rift Valley. Chike Mountain is not only known for its sea of long yellow daylilies but also for its high-quality tea. Growing at approximately 1,000 meters above sea level, the tea trees are often surrounded by misty clouds. Nourished by clean soil, air and rain water, the tea trees not only grow well but also taste excellent, often winning awards in tea competitions.
Tea cultivars grown at Tianxin Tea Company are mainly Chin-Shin-Oolong and Taicha No.12 Jinxuan. Cultivated organically, no pesticide or chemical fertilizer is used in planting, weed removal, pest removal and fertilization. Tianxin Tea Company also has its own brand “Chike Tianxin” and is certified organic by Chaoyang University of Technology.
Besides tea, Tianxin Tea Company offers special tea-infused dishes, such as tea frittata, tea tempura and tea rice crisp, allowing visitors to try out the diverse flavors of tea. Emphasizing organic and local ingredients, it uses home-grown organic tea leaves and fresh local ingredients in all of its dishes, and even takes visitors directly to its garden to choose their vegetables, laughing that it is not going to take long for the food to get from the garden to their belly!
Features of Agricultural Tourism
Tea
As a second-generation successor, Chang Ying-chieh was saddened that her elderly parents’ organic tea empire had to close down due to its remote location which made it hard to attract customers. In 2022, she decided to quit her stable job at a bank and return to her hometown to take over the business. After assessing existing advantages and resources, she built her skills and expertise by attending various tea appreciation classes and visiting old tea masters to learn advanced tea-making techniques. She also designed experiential tours for all four seasons. Besides long yellow daylilies, Chike Mountain’s tea leaves, chrysanthemum and cherry blossoms are also included in the tours, allowing visitors to get an in-depth experience of village living, day-to-day farming and immersion in nature.
Through continuous efforts, Tianxin Tea Company received ESG certification and won the Hualien Experience Design Golden Quality Award in 2023. In 2024, its tea plantation and factory successfully applied for membership to IFOAM Organics Europe, and won deluxe award and premium award in the national TAGs organic tea competition. Visitors can experience tea picking under the guidance of professional tea masters, and learn to differentiate different varieties of tea and best time to pick them. Participating in the manual tea production process, including crushing, fermentation and baking, visitors can also witness how fresh tea leaves transform into tea products.
Tianxin Tea Company’s mission is to produce high quality and healthy products and organic teas. It aims to build up the Tianxin brand and continues to pursue sustainability.
