Time for tea - Taiwan style

In the BHG shopping mall at the back of Ao Cheng there is an exquisite tea shop. This is no ordinary shop, its products are all high quality imports from Taiwan. Even the name of the shop is beautiful, Wisteria House. The owner, Jolin, gave us a unique insight as to how Taiwanese people start up businesses here.

Jolin explained her background. "I first came to Tianjin in 2007 to finish my degree. At that time there really was not much to Tianjin, I thought it was a place where nothing was happening, but when I came back in February of this year, I couldn't believe my eyes, the change the city has undergone is staggering, I hardly recognised the place. It's fantastic". For those of you that have already been here for a few years, you will do doubt share Jolin's sentiments. Life is great here now isn't it?

Although Jolin is Chinese and of course it must be easier for someone like her to adapt to Mainland China than it is for a Westerner, there are obviously some difficulties. She went on to say "The thing I find most difficult about living here is the pollution and the weather, it is so dry. Also I am not used to the food. In Taiwan we do not use so much oil when we cook and we also do not use MSG. The other thing is that everything closes early here". Don't we know it! She carried on "However apart from these things I really like living here, Tianjiners are really friendly so I am enjoying my life at the moment".

I asked her to explain the process for Taiwanese to come here. "We need a visa to come, but it is very easy and straightforward. As far as starting a business is concerned, that is also straightforward. Of course we have to satisfy the legal requirements, but the government does give us a lot of help". Wow, that easy. I spoke to a guy from Hong Kong and Hong Kong residents also have to get visas, but they get ten year ones with no problem. However it is understandable, they are all Chinese, even if they live in different places.

I also wanted to know how long the process took. "From the time I applied to open the business, to the time I got the decision was relatively short – within a month. Of course everything in my shop is imported so we have to satisfy the government that it is all quality guaranteed and wrapped well, the procedures are quite stringent, but I didn't really have any problems and once we have been cleared to do business we do not need to keep applying".

When I asked her what made her want to come here to start a business, she beamed. "My aim is to introduce the best products that Taiwan has to offer to Tianjiners. Our Oolong tea comes from Ah Li Shan, which is a tall mountain in Taiwan and the best land in the country for tea growing, and it is also my hometown so I am well aware of the quality". I have never been to Taiwan myself, but my friends rave about it, saying that Taipei is a really exciting city that is a lot like Hong Kong in terms of what it has to offer visitors. They have also confirmed to me that the food is amazing. For those of you that have started learning Chinese, I found that watching Taiwanese dramas really helped because they speak Mandarin a lot more slowly than Mainlanders do. Just for the record famous Taiwanese singers include superstar Zhou Jie Lun, indie rock group Wu Yue Tian (one of my favourite bands), girl group S.H.E. and of course the singer that every Chinese person of every age knows, Deng Li Jun.

Jolin went on to say "There are very many Tianjiners that visit Taiwan so I really want them to be able to find the same products right here in their own city that they enjoyed on their visit". Actually not just Tianjiners but also most Mainlanders really like Taiwanese products and there are frequent sales promotions here introducing well-known brands.

Although there are a lot of tea shops on many streets, most are not really foreigner friendly, and by that I mean that although the tea is good, the backstreet shops are a little basic and they are not used to foreigners. There are other good teashops of course, but there are good reasons if you are thinking of giving someone tea as present to visit the Wisteria House. The shop is bright and beautiful and all the products are high quality. I must mention something that really impressed me. The teabags are really beautiful, being made of a type of shiny white chiffon-like material, so they make for a lovely present. The boxes that the tea is presented in are based on Japanese style art and come in different colours that make one want to collect the whole set.

Apart from the different teas there are also edibles that make a good accompaniment in the form of pineapple shortcake, candy made from milk, and egg rolls that really taste like egg. Pineapples are probably Taiwan's most famous export so the cakes ought to be delicious. I tried them, all in the name of research of course, and they are delicious. Best of all are the tea sets and cups and saucers. They are all hand painted and have different homilies on them regarding love and peace etc. The scenes depicted include brightly coloured fish and typical Chinese scenes. They were all painted by a master in his 70s. There are also other gift ideas designed to appeal to the senses and promote good health.

Jolin served tea to us and she gave us a lesson as to how to thoroughly enjoy the tea. The tea is first of all poured into a small porcelain cylinder which then has a cup placed over it the top upside down. The cylinder and the cup are then turned so that the cylinder is upside down whilst the cup is the right way up, and then the cylinder is slowly removed and rubbed between the palms of the hands. After that you have to sniff the inside of the cylinder which will let you anticipate the taste of the tea. There is also a correct way to hold the cup. Jolin really knows her stuff and her business will be a good addition to what will be a very desirable mall once all the shops are up and running.

Now we know that Chinese non-Mainlanders are welcomed with open arms to do business here and I think it is nice that, whichever piece of land they may come from, they can come to the Mainland and instantly feel at home whilst having the paths to business success smoothed for them. It is as if they are being ushered home and the different land masses are no barrier to the ties they feel to the Mainland. They are all one nation after all.