Yunnan Jiang Cheng wild raw Pu Er, 1990. Tasting notes

A raw (green) wild Pu Er approx. 300 grams brick. Leaves are all grade 1. It has already nicely and slowly aged. The color is not uniformly black, which shows the aging happened naturally and this is not a cooked puer. It can be enjoyed now or kept for further aging. The leaves are sharp and look still quite alive for their age: this is a sign of their wild strength. (See my pictures below. As before, I show you both sides and close ups. But this time I took the pictures outside to get natural light and show how well pu er connects with nature.)

Dry smell: Beyond the smell of aged, slowly fermented pu er, I was transported to a cloudy mountain in the China of a previous dynasty.

Color: Dark brown with a thin layer of tea oil.

Smell: The brew smells like precious old wood, a library in an old buddhist monastry lost in the high mountains.

Taste: Warm, mellow and long lasting. An invitation to escape.

Advice: 1 gram per 150 cc of water (but some prefer it stronger). Flake with great care (not so difficult on this brick). 8-10 brews.

Remark: This divine tea is best described with poetry. I am not the only one to like it. Teaparker introduced me and a couple of his students to this tea on March 21st, 2004. We all fell in love with it.

Yunnan Jiang Cheng Pu Er cru et sauvage, 1990.

Pu-er cru (vert) vieilli, devenu brun foncé, 300 gr environ. Les feuilles utilisées sont toutes de catégorie 1.(Voir 3 vues de surface et une de côté. On voit que le noir n’est pas uniforme, signe que son vieillissement est naturel et qu’il peut encore murir longtemps. Les feuilles restent reconnaissables : signe de qualité)

Odeur sèche : On sent les nuages au-dessus des montagnes de la Chine des Empereurs.
Couleur : Brun noir foncé avec une fine couche d’huile de thé.

Odeur : Elle me fait penser à du vieux bois, une bibliothèque dans un monastère bouddhiste perdu dans les montagnes.

Goût : Moelleux et persistant à souhait. Une invitation au rêve.

Conseil : 1 gr pour 150 cc d’eau. Comme toujours, décortiquer avec précaution.

Notes : Pour décrire un tel chef d’oeuvre, il me fallait passer à la poésie, à des images. Ce n’est pas que moi qui le trouve bon. Teaparker a choisi ce thé comme référence lorsque des amis, des proches lui demandent (achètent ou se font offrir) un pu-er sauvage vieilli de première qualité à un prix correct. J’y vois là la meilleure assurance plaisir et qualité que je puisse imaginer.

Ecrivez-moi si vous voulez cette brique pour vous évader en Chine, le temps d'une coupe de thé.

Yunnan Jiang Cheng wild Pu Er, 1990. Wrapping paper.

Yunnan Jiang Cheng wild pu-erh, 1990. Top view.

Yunnan Jiang Cheng wild pu-er, 1990. Bottom view.

Yunnan Jiang Cheng wild puerh, 1990. Close up of the top.

Yunnan Jiang Cheng wild puer, 1990. Side view of one corner.

Yunnan Jiang Cheng wild Pu Er, 1990

Bi Lo Chun: a comparison between Taiwan and Mainland China

Sunday, I got a sample of Bi Lo Chun from San Hsia, 30 km south of Taipei.
I wanted to compare it with the Mainland Bi Lo Chun from Jiang Su I got from Teaparker, my tea master.

The Taiwanese leaves, left, are bigger. Definitely post Qing Min Festival. I had to use at least twice as much (half a gaiwan when dry) to get the same concentration as the
Jiang Su Bi Lo Chun (picked 2 days after the Qing Min Festival).
Bi Lo Chun should have lots of hair on the leaves. But Taiwan's almost has none, as you can see on this second picture:



As for the smell, Taiwan's is quite similar and pleasant. But the yun, the after
taste, is almost non existant, whereas I found Mailand Bi Lo Chun's yun
especially powerfull (Teaparker says delicate, maybe depending on the amount used).
This was just one sample of Taiwan Bi Lo Chun, but it seems to be quite
representative, from what I heard elsewhere.

If you put more emphasis on the fragrance, then the Taiwan Bi Lo Chun can be a good alternative to the expensive bi lo chun, which I can't provide. But if you are looking for after taste, then it can't compare to the original Bi Lo Chun from Jiang Su.

Tea Masters Blog ist Superman!

Echte Tee Kenner wußten schon, daß guter Chinesischer Tee uns in eine andere Dimension transportieren können. Aber auf diese Erklärung war ich nicht gefasst:

Wir sind eine Band aus Frankfurt, die sich vor nunmehr fast 10 Jahren den an frühe 80er-Jahre-Öko-Zeiten erinnernden Namen "Vollkorntee" gegeben hat. Wir waren bislang der Meinung, es gäbe ein solches Getränk eigentlich gar nicht. Eure Website hat uns eines Besseren belehrt! Merci beaucoup, maintenant nous avons un link dans notre Website avec un image de 'Superman' parce que tu es le premier qui a publié une recette d'un "Vollkorntee" dans l'internet et parce que "Vollkorntee" est notre nom, tu es Superman pour nous.

The best pu er I ever drank (links)

Teaparker has posted an article about this unique tea experience I shared earlier on my blog. You will see how happy I am showing my hands sweating because of the wonderful cha chi.

2001 Yi Wu Zheng Shan Ye Sheng Cha tasting notes

Wild green/raw small leaves pu-er from the Yi Wu Mountain is Yunnan. 350 gr approximately. Leaves are a mix of grade 1, 3 and 5. (See the pictures below. The darker color of the leaves and their sharpness on both sides of the cake. The proportion of white buds is reduced. All of which is characteristic of old wild pu er trees.)

Dry smell: A pleasant young orchid smell combined with a light sweet wooden smell of an ageing pu er.

Color: Very clear copper orange.

Taste: High level of sweetness. Much lower astringency than the 2004 Yunnan Qizi Bing. Hints of flower combiend with a sweet corn taste. Very persisting and comfortable after taste (yun).

For me, it is the equivalent of wine noted 92 by Robert Parker.

Advice: Is ready to brew now for those looking for a young pu er starting to mature. It will only improve further with age. Carefully flake the cake without breaking the leaves. Very concentrated, it's not necessary to use too many leaves.

Contact me if you feel like trying this Tea Masters' tea.

2001 Yi Wu Zheng Shan Ye Sheng Cha

Pu-er sauvage vert/cru petites feuilles de la montagne de Yi Wu dans le Yunnan, 350 gr environ. Les feuilles utilisées sont un mix des catégories 1, 3 et 5. (Voir sur les photos ci-dessous la couleur noire des feuilles et leur force sur les 2 faces de la galettes. La proportion de pousses blanches est réduite, cela est caractéristique pour les vieux arbres pu er).

Odeur sèche: Odeur de fleuri caractéristique des jeunes pu-er, mais on sent déjà un peu de vieillissement naturel.

Couleur : Cuivre orange, transparent.

Goût : Il conjugue la jeunesse fleuri avec un bouquet de lys et d’orchidées avec un le caractère moelleux d’un pu er qui commence à murir. On y trouve également un goût de mais sucré. L’amertume est réduite de plus de moitié comparé au 2004. Très persistant et agréable. Pour moi, un grand cru classé.

Conseil : Se boit déjà maintenant pour son caractère jeune qui commence à murir, et s’appréciera encore plus avec l’âge. Détacher les feuilles avec précaution pour ne pas les casser. Inutile d’utiliser trop feuilles, car il est très concentré.

Contactez-moi si l'envie vous prend de le boire.

2001 Yi Wu Zheng Shan Ye Sheng Cha. Wrapper and upper side.

2001 Yi Wu Zheng Shan Ye Sheng Cha. Bottom view.

2001 Yi Wu Zheng Shan Ye Sheng Cha. Upper side.

2001 Yi Wu Zheng Shan Ye Sheng Cha. Feuilles apr�s quelques infusions.

2004 pu er: A last close up on the leaves in the gaibei/gaiwan after the fourth (and last) brew.

Additional notes on my newest Yunnan 2004 tasting

I am adding pictures of the open leaves and of the color and clarity of the tea 'soup'. See below and above. That's why I just tasted my 2004 again, and decided to apply the advices I wrote.

And what a good surprise to see (taste) that my advices are working! Today, I took my time to flake the cake leave by leave. I think I didn't break any leave today, as opposed to Tuesday when I was so excited to taste from it. I also reduced the amount of dry leaves, which are so full of vigour. What I didn't change is the water that had just reached the boiling point. (I remain true to my tea master's teachings not to use lower temperature water to reduce the bitterness).

The result is a pleasant young pu er flower bouquet with some smoked wood smell and a little bitterness behind all that. I am amazed at how the bitterness dramatically dininished. The careful flaking did the trick. It worked so well, I think I shall use a few more unbroken leaves next time.

2004: open leaves and tea in the cup.

Flaked leaves from the 2004 for a light brew.

Yunnan Qizi Bing Cha, 2004.

Green (raw) small leaves pu-er, 350 gr approx.
First quality plantation tea. The leaves used are a mix of grade 1, 4 and 5. (See the many white young leaves on both sides and on the rim of the cake. Pictures are below)

Dry smell: A very persisting smoky and flowery smell. This strong and young smell will slowly fade and change into sweet over the years.

Color: The liquid is copper orange. Almost like a medium-strong fermented oolong.

Taste: Smoky and also bitter, like a full bodied young red Bordeaux wine. But there is also a persisting taste of orchids and wild flowers. The cha chi is strong: this tea will wake you up and clarify your thoughts.

Advice: This pu er can already be drunk now for his young character, and will appretiate with aging. Be carefull when flaking the cake not to break the leaves in order to reduce the bitterness. This high quality pu er is very powerfull: Use very few leaves per brew.

Yunnan Qizi Bing Cha, 2004. Paper and top view.

Yunnan Qizi Bing Cha, 2004. Paper and bottom view.

Yunnan Qizi Bing Cha, 2004. Close-up.

Yunnan Qizi Bing Cha, 2004. Side view.

Yunnan Qizi Bing Cha de 2004

Pu-er vert petites feuilles, 350 gr env.
Thé de plantation de 1ère qualité. Les feuilles utilisées sont un mix des catégories 1, 4 et 5. (Voir les pousses blanches des 2 cotés et sur le bord de la galette. Voir les photo ci-dessus).

Odeur sèche: Persistance d’une odeur de fumé et forte odeur de fleuri caractéristique des jeunes pu-er. S’estompera et se transformera en moelleux avec les années.

Couleur : Cuivre orange. Presque comme un oolong à fermentation moyenne-forte..

Goût : L’astringence et le fumé se retrouvent. Mais il a également un bouquet de lys très persistant. Son cha chi est fort : c’est un thé qui réveille.

Conseil : Se boit déjà maintenant pour son caractère jeune, et s’appréciera encore plus avec l’âge. Détacher les feuilles avec précaution pour ne pas les casser. N’utiliser que très peu de feuilles, sinon le goût fleuri est couvert par une amertume trop forte.

Another lucky day

Monday, I was helping one of my regular blog reader find top quality tea from Taiwan. He likes pu-er a lot. So I went to the dedicated pu er store/warehouse you see in the pictures below to find nice green pu-er for him. This is the place tea master Teaparker took me and fellow tea students on March 21st, 2004, on one of our first field trip. With such an introduction, I knew this is the perfect place for pu-er and happiness. (That's also where I got my zhu-ni hu teapot, by the way)

In life, it always pays off to help others. Hadn't it been for this reader, I wouldn't have gone there that evening. What would I have missed? An opportunity to share two old pu er with two tea masters: one from 1975 and the other so old that the year is unknown! In addition to that, I did find 3 high quality, affordable green pu er cakes for my regular blog reader. I have taken pictures and written tasting notes about them. I shall post them in the coming weeks, first in French, then in English.

If you also need some high quality Chinese teas and trust that I know the good places where to find them, just let me know! It would, indeed, be my pleasure to help you!

Let's not forget some nice teapots to brew all this pu-er!

And more pu-er tea here too. (Maybe 5% is on display. The warehouse feels like the cavern of Ali Baba).

More tea.

Nice pu-er stash. Pu-er tasting area known by Taipei's tea masters only. (This Taipei merchant does not have a sign saying he sells tea at the door).

Real, big leave, wild, young, uncooked pu er cake. You can use this picture as a standard.

Wild Meng Ku tea (big leaves).

This is the Si Shou pu er (fake wild).

The best real wild pu er I ever drank

I am going to make a lot of jealous blog readers today. To compensate for your thirst I will share what I learned yeasterday with my tea master Teaparker.

Pu er trees can be classified in 3 categories:

1. (The best) They grow naturally in their original location. They are neither planted, nor taken care by man.
2. In between are the old and big pu er trees that have been planted by man many generations ago, but are not managed by man anymore.
3. Then there are the pu er trees, planted and taken care by the tea farmers.

For all these trees, you can further separate between big and small leaves. Leave size does not influence the drinking pleasure!

First, we tasted wild Meng Ku loose leaves vs. a (fake) wild Si Shou pu er. We used nanowater and a silver teapot. I found the nanowater a little bit itchy on my tongue, like a very soft 'soda' effect. This very lively water suits pu er well, but would be too strong with fragile green tea. The silver pot transmits heat very well and will push a tea to its limit, without changing its nature.

Tasting notes for the Meng Ku:
- Orange color tipping toward green,
- A deep and smoky smell,
- Clear and slippery taste.

Si Shou pu er:
- Orange color turning red,
- Nice flowery smell, but no persistance
- Fuzzy and bitter taste.

The tricks we learned:
- To evaluate a pu er cake, you better look on the back side and the rim. The front face is usually made 'pretty' on purpose. The Si Shou pu er, for example, had many young white leaves on the front, but much less on the other layers.
- Wild pu er leaves are very clear and sharp. See my picture.
- The ratio of white leaves to normal leaves must be reasonable.
- Wild uncooked pu er leaves look darker.

Let's talk about the best tea I drank with tea master Teaparker : a wild Mount Yi Bang 倚 邦 pu er. For him, it is like drinking a glass of Romanée-Conti (the most famous estate in Burgundy).
You can't buy this tea. Teaparker got it from a PhD, head of a high-tech R&D center in Macao whose passion is to go to Yunnan every year and find old pu er trees. This tree grows on a steep mountain and locals had to carve a path through the wilderness to access it. He told them that it's too dangeroos to climb, but they were willing to take the risk for their new friend. Then he had a tea producer make pu er tea with the harvested leaves.

Teaparker went to see this Phd last week. A one day Taipei-Macao trip to come back with 3 wild pu-er cakes. As Teaparker tasted the Yi Bang pu er, he told his new friend that this tree must lay on a steep climb. That was what he felt. Baffled by the power of his tongue (he hadn't told him the story yet), the Phd decided to give him the complete Yi Bang cake and 2 other wild pu er cakes!

So, what can I tell you about the tea? Very simple: it slips down our throat like water. The characteristic pu er taste is simplified, light and extremely pleasant. Then comes the fascinating part: the yun, the after taste. Very long lasting, but delicate. Like a kiss by your most beautifull high school sweatheart. Your whole body warms up, sweats and your eyes see things sharp and clear. Fifteen minutes of bliss!

Wird die Welt chinesisch?

fragt die Zeit.

Warum denn nicht? Tee ist ja nach Wasser schon das meistgetrunkene Getränk. Papier, Bücher, Pulver und Kompaß haben die Chinesen lange vor den Europäern erfunden.

Und es ist auch fast tragi-komisch zu lesen wie die Kommunisten Chinas den Freihandel mit Textilien verteidigen. Europa und sogar die USA fürchten sich! Aber Handel funktioniert nur wenn beide Seiten offen sind: nur wer Hemde verkauft kann sich Flugzeuge leisten! Wer Barrieren gegen Importe errichtet macht ja selber was Feinde gegen ihn im Krieg machen: ein Embargo einrichten!

Tea thoughts about Europe

Why write myself? It's well summed up here and here.

The wines are good. Summer nights are long. A nice place to travel. But not a place to make a prosperous career.

A close look at the Ali Shan oolong tea on the teaset below.

Nice teaset in the teahouse Tian I Fang on Yang Min Shan.

Teamasters celebrates 1 year blogging!

For the occasion, I offer you a link to one of Taiwan's best moa zhi company. Moa zhi is a popular rice desert in Asia. It is made with rice and water plus any filling you can think of: peanut, sesame, sweet red beans, tea... You can find them almost everywhere in Taiwan.

But the best come from the east coast, home to many aborigenes. This brand is particularly good because the rice is so fine it just melts in your mouth. Such delicacy would usually come in a small portion at a high price. Not in Taiwan! One such treat weighs 70 grams and costs less than 50 euro CENTS!

I have it now with some oolong! Hummmmmm. A perfect match. It's not overpowering the tea at all. Happy anniversary! See picture below.

A sample of moa zhi, a grinded rice delicacy from I-Lan, with different flavors. In the center: green tea!

L'eau de la Saint Jean chinoise

La fête des Dragon Boat est toujours proche du solsitice d'été, quand le soleil est exactement au-dessus de nos têtes à midi. C'est la raison astronomique que maitre Teaparker m'a donné pour expliquer que l'eau qui sort de la source entre 11 heures et 13 heures est la meilleure de l'année. La plus douce et la plus pure qu'on puisse imaginer pour faire un thé exceptionnel.

Chaque année, les plus grands connaisseurs de thé de Taiwan vont dans la montagne ce jour-là pour puiser cette eau précieuse. Teaparker fait souvent la route jusqu'à Ilan pour l'occasion. Moi, je me contente de l'eau de Zhu Ze Hu sur Yang Min Shan, au nord de Taipei. J'en ai ramené 25 litres. Et effectivement, elle est incroyablement douce. Hummm...

Telling Fortunes by tea leaves

I just wanted to share this funny link to the book by Cicely Kent . Its subtitle is 'how to read your fate in a teacup'! It's weird I should find such a book after my last post!?

Reading Chinese tea leaves

No, this is not the method I use to foresee good investment opportunities. For this, I depend more on my financial education and current analysis of future trends. I'll give you my thoughts on an easy idea that may help you save enough money to enjoy the best teas during your retirement.

The first fact is that ETFs are probably the most cost-efficient way to invest in the stock market and get a fair return (not much more or less than the index). Just bear in mind that 80% of the professionals stock pickers don't beat the market, and you'll understand why they become so popular.

The second fact is that China has been booming for 20 years and will probably continue to do so for a number of years. Growth has averaged 9 percent and its economy will overtake the US in 25 years. Actually, it is already the second economy in terms of consumption of physical goods. There may be a fever associated with China's rise and the growth will also know bumps, but the trend is based on the whole eastern coast and not just on a (silicon) valley like in 2000 in the US.

The third fact, is that China is now facing such a bump in its equity markets. On June 3, 2005, they hit a 8 year low. The Chinese State wants to privatize more companies (without relinquishing its power). Investors don't want to risk their money without having a say in the business. Liberalization can't be partial. Eventually, the government will have to go all the way to keep the growth going.

The last fact is that the Chinese currency is widely looked at as undervalued. It seems the US is determined to make the RenMinBi flexible, even if it means reducing Americans' purchasing power. This means that Chinese tea is posed to become more expensive in the future.

My financial advice for Chinese tea lovers is to get exposure to the Chinese growth and currency now that the stock market is reasonably valued. Barclay's has a Chinese ETF that can let you do so cheaply.

Disclosures: I'm not -yet- a owner of this ETF. Living in Taiwan, I find that Taiwan's ETF 50, where I own a few shares, already gives me some exposure to China. I am not related to the Chinese government in any way, and not to Barclay's either!!

Beautiful Chinese calligraphy can help increase the joy of drinking Chinese tea. Here a look on how a master is writing.

Un jardin de thé en Alsace

Les Jardins de Gaïa est un jardin de thé à Wittisheim dans le Bas-Rhin, le département où j'ai grandi. Le thé est donc en vogue en France, si même la campagne alsacienne, plutôt café, se met aux thés asiatiques!

Je souhaite bien sur bonne chance à cette initiative privée. Je déplore seulement 2 travers: le bio et l'équitable. J'entends ce refrain chaque fois qu'un petit magasin ouvre. On joue sur la peur des pesticides et sur l'impression qu'on ne fait pas du commerce, mais de l'aide au développement. Je me suis déjà exprimé à ces sujets et ne veut pas m'étendre là-dessus. Je me demande seulement si c'est vraiment une bonne stratégie commerciale d'être comme les autres?!

D'un point de vue plus pratique, je conseille à ce site de rapidement investir dans (ou emprunter) une caméra digitale plus performante. A moins que ce soit un problème de luminosité. En effet, les photos des oolongs ou des thés verts chinois montrent des feuilles dont la couleur tend vers le brun/gris. Pas très appétissant cette impression de défraichi!

Bon, j'espère que ce problème sera vite résolu et que les photos inciteront beaucoup de monde à commander chez eux. Quoique, et voilà un paradoxe du commerce dit équitable, pourquoi ne pas directement commander en Chine ou en Inde et ne pas payer d'intermédiaire supplémentaire?! On trouve facilement des producteurs-vendeurs sur internet... Les services d'un magasin de thé de proximité (sélection, stockage, conseil) sont donc bien plus importants que cet adjectif qui rime avec durable.

Et j'espère que de nombreux alsaciens iront admirer leur joli jardin japonais le weekend du 18-19 juin, et y boire une tasse de thé.

Mr. Wang and myself next to bamboo baskets in which old and red teas are being baked.

A look at the charcoal. Its pyramid shape ensures an even distribution of the heat.

A store to visit again and again and again...

My favorite tea shop in Taipei is Wang Yo Ji. Not only does it have great oolongs, bao zhongs and oriental beauty (the 3 teas I have tasted so far), but the prices are reasonable and the store has been turned into a living museum.

In the back, the owner showed me how tea was being baked over charcoal. See the 2 pictures above. This is the traditional way. Compare it with the modern tools and you'll find similarities (the bamboo basket) but a completely different feeling. You feel you've entered a time machine and have landed hundreds of years ago! I saw it's not easy to continue using the traditional way to bake the tea. The charcoal must be evenly prepared and burn as slowly as possible. To watch the fire, one has to work even during the night!

The front of the store has been tastefully redecorated recently and features a large table to taste the tea. The second floor serves as an exhibition and conference room. Last Saturday, he invited a puppet show about Marco Polo.

A living museum, good tea, culture and a very friendly owner makes this store a must go while you're in Taipei!

The owners of the old tea store (1931) located at No. 21, Yen Ping N Rd, Sec. 2, Taipei.

Révélations sur le thé de Taiwan

J'ai visité un magasin de 1931 au No. 21, Yen-Ping N Rd, Sec. 2, Taipei, vendredi dernier. Le propriéraire est le cousin d'une amie rencontrée lors de mes études aux USA. Notre discussion, autour de plusieurs verres de thé, fut donc très franche et ouverte. Il me fit part de ses observations sur le marché du thé de Taiwan, et sur la demande de sa clientèle que je qualifierai de populaire et non d'amateurs chevronnés.

1. Le goût s'est tourné du bao zhong de wenshan (Nord de Taiwan), il y a 30-20 ans, vers le oolong de Lugu (Centre).

2. Depuis quelques années, la qualité du oolong de Lugu baisse. Sols affaiblis par 20 ans de production intensives, changement géologiques dus au tremblement de terre du 21 septembre ou bien aux prix bas demandés par le marché. Pour rester concurrentiel, les producteurs de bas de gamme emploient moins d'ouvriers pour affiner le thé lors du complexe processus de production, ce qui contribue à le rendre moins bon.

3. Le thé est de moins en moins bu par l'acheteur et devient un objet qu'on s'offre lors des fêtes du Nouvel An ou de la pleine Lune d'automne. Du coup, l'acheteur place plus d'importance sur l'emballage. De jolies caligraphies chinoises viennent maintenant ornées les boites en carton. Cela ressemble aux embalages japonais. A dessein, car beaucoup de leurs clients taiwanais offrent ces boites à leurs amis ou partenairres commerciaux japonais.

4. Le oolong de ce printemps 2005 a bel et bien souffert du la neige tardive. Ce commerçant m'a confirmé que les quantités produites furent moindres, les prix plus élevés, mais la qualité inférieure.

5. La mode du pu-er, commencée il y a 3 ans environ, est déjà retombée parmi ses clients.

En voilà de mauvaises nouvelles! Oui et non. Ces changements sont en grande partie dus à la transformation du thé d'un produit que l'on boit soi-même à quelque chose qu'on offre. Ce magasin a su suivre la demande de ses clients. S'il avait insisté à vendre du haut de gamme, ça fait longtemps qu'il aurait fermé boutique. Et si les clients reviennent, c'est que le goût fort, brut et un peu amer de ces oolongs ne leur déplait pas tant que cela.

My latest tea: 40gr of powdered green tea from Japan. Price: around 9 USD. Unbelievably smooth. No wonder you feel zen when you drink it!

Une fleur de lotus photographi�e � Taichung. Sa beaut� en a fait le symbole du bouddhisme.