Savouring ‘Oriental Beauty’: Encounters with Taiwanese Tea Culture

This doctoral dissertation studies a range of cultural practices that have developed around oolong tea in Taiwan. It examines how practices of producing, evaluating and enjoying tea organise the activities of human and non-human actors within systems of signification and value. It draws upon fieldwork with producers of an oolong tea known as ‘Oriental Beauty’ as well as tea judges and connoisseurs to investigate the relationships between practices that materialise and interpret each tea’s qualities. For each of these groups, the taste of each tea accrues personal meanings that are intertwined with ideas about its material singularity.