Da Yu Ling - The King of Taiwan Tea

Dayuling used to be called "Hehuan Pass". The name "Dayuling" originated when the Central Cross-Island Highway (Provincial Highway 8) was built. The area was difficult and dangerous to excavate, just like Yu the Great’s (大禹) flood control, so President Chiang Ching-kuo specially named it "Dayuling".

The Dayuling tea area is one of the highest tea regions in Taiwan, located at the junction of Hualien, Nantou and Taichung City. Generally, the tea gardens above 95K on the Central Cross-Island Highway are collectively called Dayuling tea, with an altitude between 2,200 and 2,600 meters.

There are not many areas suitable for growing tea in high mountain areas above altitude of 2,000 meters. The Dayuling tea area with the highest altitude is located on the ridgeline with a steep slope, which makes the management and maintenance of the tea garden very difficult. Coupled with the government's fallow policy in recent years, the state-owned forest land has been gradually taken back. Since 2014, the Forestry Bureau has successively taken back the tea area land above 95K of the Central Cross-Island Highway, and cut down the tea trees to restore them to forests. As a result, the planting area and output of Dayuling tea have been greatly reduced, and the output today is only one-tenth of what used to be harvested. This causes an imbalance between supply and demand which increases the price of Dayuling tea.

The Dayuling tea area is located at the highest point on the main line of Central Cross-Island Highway, surrounded by forests, clouds and mists all year round. The temperature in winter is often below 0°C, the annual average temperature is about 20°C. Thanks to the large temperature difference between day and night and the soil rich in organic matter, although the tea grows slowly, Dayuling has the characteristics of thick leaves, thick pectin, alpine flavor, forest aroma, and strong aftertaste in this special and unique environment. Dayuling tea is also known as "King of Taiwan's High Mountain Tea".