Go global by being local! On October 30, Chiu Hsing-wei, Deputy Minister of the Hakka Affairs Council (HAC), visited the Miaoli Craft Park to attend the inauguration for the 3rd Taiwan Chawan Festival - The Universe in the Chawan. Together with ceramists from around the world, they experienced the vibrant charm of traditional Hakka tea culture by “drinking flavorful tea from beautiful bowls”.
Deputy Minister Chiu described tea as the soul of Hakka industry. In the early days, before 1920, Hakka people cultivated the Formosan Oolong tea that earned global acclaim, then exported to New York, London, and other major cities. The Taiwanese TV show Gold Leaf dramatizes formative events in this chapter of history. “Tea” forms a tight bond between Taiwan and the world, a key symbol of the potential of Hakka culture to go global.
Regarding the combination of tea and bowl, Deputy Minister Chiu recalled that mugs were never used at home in his childhood. Instead, tea would be brewed in tea bowls, known as cha wan in Mandarin and te von in Hakka. For instance, Sanwan, Miaoli is famous for its unique tradition of “tea brewing in large bowls”, a fusion of folk Hakka culture and local tea characteristics. This tea ceremony evokes memories of a simpler past in rural villages. He also praised the Chawan Festival for its combination of tradition and modernity, linking with the world through the various guises of tea culture. In the future, HAC will continue to support similar cultural promotion activities.
Today’s event kicked off with a unique “Tea for Two, 100 Chawan” tea ceremony where guests formed pairs with tea masters. Themed “The Universe in the Chawan,” the Festival showcased over 300 tea bowls by 75 ceramists from 20 countries. Craftsmanship and aesthetics echo the beauty of human-nature coexistence, opening the “macro perspective of the universe” from the “micro perspective of chawan.”
