Yingge Historic Ceramics Street — Attraction in New Taipei

Yingge old street is a mecca for pottery lovers, with stores lined up next to each other selling a wide range of beautiful, reasonably priced ceramics.

But amidst the pottery shops, I stumbled upon a hidden gem: Zhong Jianwei's tea shop, 2 doors next to Shu's Pottery.

Zhong Jianwei's teas have certification guaranteeing that their high mountain teas are pure and of excellent quality.

Just like many other Taiwanese I've met, Zhong's very friendly & welcoming. Despite the language barrier, our use of Google's voice translator app allowed us to communicate effectively with each other. Zhong offered a tea tasting session where I sampled three different teas. Among them, the Alishan tea stood out. Unlike the stronger and more bitter Chinese oolongs I’ve had before, the Taiwan Alishan oolong was light, smooth, sweet, and aromatic. Zhong explained that Taiwan’s oolongs are renowned for their superior quality, and I couldn't agree more.

Zhong’s expertise shone through as he demonstrated the Gongfu tea ceremony, patiently explaining the art of steeping high mountain oolong teas. He emphasized the importance of patience, smelling the aroma, and savoring the taste. Each new tea required all cups and tools, as well as my mouth, to be rinsed with water to ensure the purest tasting experience.

At the end of our session, Zhong graciously gifted me a tea set as a token of our pleasant meeting. This gesture was a testament to the friendliness and generosity of Taiwanese people. My visit to Zhong's shop not only expanded my tea knowledge but also introduced me to the health benefits of Taiwan's high mountain oolong teas.

If you're exploring Yingge’s Old Street, make sure to visit Zhong Jianwei’s tea shop, located just two doors down from Shu's Pottery. It’s an experience I...

If you are a fan of traditional pottery or would just like to get to know more about a local Taiwanese craft, Yingge is a beautiful cultural landmark that you can spend an entire morning, afternoon, or even a full day exploring. It takes about 15 minutes to walk here from Yingge Station, but you will already begin to see old stores selling their crafts along the way.

In Yingge Historic Ceramics Street, you will find store after store of expensive pottery pieces. These may be historical pieces or expertly-crafted pieces by the local masters. Many stores also offer on-the-spot pottery classes, but these require you to come back in a few weeks or even months to pick up your piece once it’s been fired and glazed, which might not fit into the timelines of most international tourists. A couple of stores stock cheaper mass-produced ceramics and tableware too. While kinder on our wallets, it helps to check out other stores first before making a purchase as you may find the same product selling for cheaper next-door.

If you are worried about buying back fragile pottery pieces as souvenirs, many stores sell small sauce plates or chopsticks rests which also make for great mementos of...

Yingge Old Street area is the earliest gathering place for the pottery industry. The history of ceramic craftsmanship has more than 200 years. Due to the era of many kilns in the early days, it has become a famous ceramic town in the country, and it is also known as "Taiwan Jingdezhen". With more than 200 ceramic shops, Yingge Ceramics Street is flanked by ceramic tableware specialty stores, potter studios, old Yingge ceramic shops, potter exhibition and sales centers, pottery DIY classrooms, and factory-operated stores...etc. The "pottery" theme store. At the entrance of the old street, there is a southern Fujian-style red brick building imitating a century-old ancient house on Wenhua Road, and the entrance image created by the installation art of iron warbler song and bird. The shops along the way are all built with red brick columns plus ceramics as a unified architectural feature. The chairs and other facilities symbolize Yingge's ceramic industry. While the Yingge Elementary School at the end, it’s wall is a large piece of brightly colored ceramic collage, which further highlights that Yingge is a veritable...