Written by Thomas Lu (Pitzer College), Student Correspondent for CET Taiwan, Spring 2026
When Mia (CET Taiwan Student Life Coordinator) sends the weekly newsletter with a field trip option, sign up as fast as you can! My housemates and I all signed up for CET Taiwan’s “Maokong Tea Tasting and Easy Hike” and it was an incredible experience. Coming early in the semester, it was a fantastically restorative break from the daily rush of the morning MRT, midday study lunches, and bustling night markets.
When they described a mountaintop teahouse and rainforest hike, I couldn’t have imagined taking Taipei public transit to get there. Yet, after a quick 30-minute bus ride, we were at the base of the mountains! As we crossed the street, I watched the rapidly ascending gondolas fly out of the station house and up the verdant face of the hill.
A light rain fell as we joined the line and huddled into our gondola. The seven of us, five Americans and two local roommates, took photos, sang karaoke, and laughed as we watched the rainforest go by. Our local roommate, Victor, pointed out his university in the foothills below. Incredible views of the Taipei skyline slowly disappeared behind successive curtains of fog and terrain as we became immersed in the greenery. Our other local roommate, Vivia, pointed out fields of the area’s tea trees, small greenish brown shrubs planted on carved shallow terraces, as we approached the top.
As we came into the last station, we heard oohs and ahhs from the car in front of us. As we stepped out, I realized why. When exiting the station, you are presented with a panoramic view of one of Maokong’s pervasively calm, sloping valleys. I listened as the rain slowly taped the hood of my raincoat as I took a deep breath. Although I love the city, this was the Taiwan I came to see.
Once gathered and accounted for, we walked a short way to the teahouse. Our server described in detail the blooming of the tea and the rinsing of the pots as he artfully brewed the three teas. We savored and read about each one before also trying the many snacks brought out for us. Though it only felt like a brief moment of chatting and tasting, two hours had passed and it was time to hike.
We walked further up the snaking mountain road, appreciating the precision of Taiwanese bus drivers, before diverting for the trail. Ten feet in and a peaceful quiet had taken hold. At every switchback and clearing we stopped to take photos and enjoy the fresh air, slowly making our way back down.
An hour in and we had reached the halfway point. Some of those who had their fill chose to take the gondola the rest of the way down. The rest of us continued on. Not even 200 feet down the path from the gondola station, we turned a corner and saw a fantastically ornate, bright red temple. The smell of incense joined the rain in the air as we approached. Vivia showed us how to appeal to this temple’s god for wealth-related fortune. The four of us left said a quick prayer and tossed the crescent 筊杯 (jiǎobēi), hoping for good news. Yet, the divination was clear: we would need to stick to our budgets for the time being.
As we carried on, we reached a second temple, alive with the beating heart of a ceremonial drum. We started to pass through but were stopped, in awe, by the spectacle of another temple’s worshippers bringing their god to visit. Symbolic currency was offered and incense was burned before we moved along.
Finally, as we were approaching the end of the hike, Vivia took a moment to explain the architectural remnants of the Japanese occupation that abutted the stone brick trail, including their purpose and the meaning of the characters inscribed thereupon. Then, we turned a corner and were right back in the city, bellies full of tea, legs exhausted from the descent, and hearts fuller than when we left. This is the Taiwan I came to see.
