Preserving Memories of History: Qingtian Tea House

Located on Qingtian Street in Taipei, this tea house was originally a Japanese-style traditional old house, and was previously the residence of a professor. As time passed, the old house gradually became ruins.

With the intention to preserve Taiwan's history and memories, the owner of Caves Gallery leased the place from the government and invested more than 20 million yuan to renovate the house. Now, it has become a combination of gallery and tea house.

It is exceptionally beautiful.

Entering Qingtian Street, even in harsh weather, there is suddenly a taste of a peaceful past. Pushing open the old wooden door is like walking into a time tunnel, returning to the past.

This place is a historical site in itself.

Drinking tea and viewing paintings in this historical building is a unique experience. Thanks to the owner, one can also hear stories of the birth of Chinese art stars. Paintings created by the owner became favorites of auction houses, and one can sense the owner's pride in his/her own taste, while at the same time, feeling regretful that some artworks were bought by Chinese buyers and can never return to Taiwan.

I remember the owner explaining to us what art creation is, with a fiery passion in his/her voice. "Just following the painting is only called imitation. Art creation requires thinking, settling, selecting, expressing, presenting... and maybe it also requires being moved!"

That day we saw many paintings and drank a lot of tea.

While listening to stories, we tasted the owner's over 100-year-old Yunnan Pu'er tea, which had been transformed for 5 years, and another 10-year-old tea with a hint of plum flavor. My classmates and I just couldn't stop tasting.

I noticed that there were other tea options in the tea room, such as Taiwan's Dongding and high mountain tea. Compared to other tea houses, the price list is slightly higher, but being able to drink tea and view paintings in this cultural and historical atmosphere is a kind of enjoyment that money cannot buy, and it's worth it to indulge in once in a while.

Qingtian Tea House

No. 12, Lane 8, Qingtian St, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106

02 2396 7030

Photo credit: Mr. Allan Lam