Located in Mid West Taiwan, Nantou County (南投) is a major tea region in Taiwan. As an inland county and favored by natural environments, Nantou County contains plain areas for rice growing, terrace and high mountain areas for tea growing.
Tea Towns in Nantou
Mingjian (Ming Jian, MingJian) 名間
MingJian (名間) is blessed with weather and red soil for tea growing. Tea is grown in more than 90% of the terrace area at altitude of 500m. It is the most condensed tea area in Taiwan, and also an important tea trading town, many high altitude teas are traded here.
Lugu (Lu Gu, LuGu) 鹿谷
Lugu is one major high mountain tea region in Taiwan. This hilly town contains some most famous tourist spots in Taiwan, such as Xitou (or Sitou 溪頭) Forest Recreation Area and Shanlinxi (or Shanlinsi 杉林溪) Forest Recreation Area. The altitudes in Lugu ranges from 300m to 2200m. Shanlinxi is located between Lugu Township and Jushan (竹山) Township, Shanlinxi Oolong is one of most precious high mountain teas in Taiwan. The world famous Dongding Oolong also comes from Dongding Mountain in Lugu.
Jushan (Ju Shan, JuShan), Jhushan(Jhu Shan, JhuShan), Chushan (Chu Shan, ChuShan) 竹山
Jushan is also famous for its high mountain tea, especially Shanlinxi Oolong (杉林溪烏龍). The altitudes in Jushan range from 106m to 2288m. "Ju" means bamboo, and "Shan" means mountain in Chinese. Other than tea products, this township also produces lots bamboo products, and also one great travel spot.
Yuchih (Yu Chih, YuChih, Yuchi) 魚池
Yuchih is the earliest tea growing area in Taiwan history. The altitude here is about 600m-700m. The world- famous scenic spots, Sun Moon Lake and Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village are both located here. Some best Formosa Black Teas are developed in this area.