Taiwan Insight

From Poppies to Tea Gardens: How Taiwan’s Tea Took Root on Thailand’s Northern Borderland

13 July 2026 NGA Shi Yeu

Written by Po-Yi Hung. Taiwan’s tea is often associated with its mountain landscapes, but its influence extends far beyond the island. This article traces how Taiwanese tea varieties, cultivation techniques, and agricultural expertise transformed the former opium-growing borderlands of northern Thailand. It reveals tea as more than an agricultural commodity, as a vehicle of diplomacy, territorial governance, and cross-border mobility that quietly reshaped the Golden Triangle.

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When Tea Becomes Everything (Part 2)

10 July 2026 NGA Shi Yeu

Written by Gawin Tiansuwan. In Part 2, the author follows a deeper immersion into tea culture, spanning Canada, Thailand, and Taiwan. A life-changing move to Taipei to study Mandarin leads to a deep connection with Taiwan’s tea community, historic neighbourhoods, and a young master in Pinglin. Using these Taiwanese tea-making insights, he returns to Northern Thailand to help revitalising local wild tea traditions.

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When Tea Becomes Everything (Part 1)

9 July 2026 NGA Shi Yeu

Written by Gawin Tiansuwan. In Part 1, the author traces a personal journey of self-discovery through tea. Moving from Western blends in the UK to traditional gongfu cha in Hong Kong, the author explores how tea provided stability during burnout. Crucially, an inspiring trip to Taiwan’s iconic teahouses sparked a lifelong passion, prompting the purchase of his first Yixing teapot and ultimately bridging a connection to his ethnic heritage.

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Pride Online: Same-Sex Marriage and LGBTQ Activism on Social Media

6 February 2018

Written by Ping-Hsuan Wang The 15th Pride parade in Taipei attracted over 100,000 people in 2017 and broke all previous records for event attendance. Earlier

Special Issue: LGBTQ in Taiwan

6 February 2018

In May 2017, Taiwan’s top court issued a landmark decision in favour of marriage equality, after ruling that Article 972 of the Civil Code, which

A Further Note on Taiwan-UK Relations

2 February 2018

Written by Ian Inkster. In the 27 September 2017 issue of Taiwan Insight I spelled out in ‘Taiwan, the UK and the Chinese Factor’ some

Taiwan’s Circular Economy: A New Era For Waste Management

31 January 2018

Written by Ming-Chien Su Taiwan is in the process of initiating a circular economy for waste management. The circular economy is an economic process which

Rookie Experience: Studying Mandarin in Taiwan

29 January 2018

Written by Karmen Truong. Studying Mandarin intermittently throughout university, I became a little frustrated at my progress and overall ability despite taking classes for three

The dynamics at play for US-Taiwan-China relations in 2018

24 January 2018

Written by Michal Thim. Cross-Strait relations took off in 2018 with a dispute over new commercial air routes launched by China. In a move that reneged on

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