Kaohsiung volunteers carry huge pails of tea up Mount Shoushan every day

2024-03-26

And now for a look at a quirk of Kaohsiung culture. A team of volunteers carries huge pails of tea up Mount Shoushan every day. The tea is offered to hikers at tea pavilions on the popular hiking trails. At the grand opening of a new trailhead on the mountain, hundreds of hikers were out in force. They needed lots of tea to quench their thirst on the peak! And a representative of Kaohsiung City government took a turn in the tea-carrying team. He said it’s a way people show their love for Kaohsiung in action.

The new trailhead on Kaohsiung’s Shoushan is officially opened. It’s just a short stroll from the nearby light rail Gushan Station, and has a large parking lot. Its opening attracted lots of curious hikers.

Hiker
I haven’t been here before. I always go from the zoo trailhead, so it’s my first time here.

Hiker
It used to be hard to park the car if you came up here. But just now, the place we came up was very wide with lots of space to park.

Hikers familiar with Shoushan all have strong memories of its tea pavilions. These large pails of water are brewed into a variety of teas thanks to the care of hikers. It makes a refreshing picnic spot.

The tea doesn’t grow on trees, of course. It’s carried up the mountain by volunteers, in pails of 20 or 30 liters apiece. Legends abound about the Shoushan Tea Team. Even the head of Kaohsiung City Sports Development Bureau had a go at carrying one of the tea caddies up the mountain.

Hou Tzun-yao
Kaohsiung City Sports Development head
It’s not easy, it’s tough. But it’s a good experience. The Shoushan Tea Team carries love up the mountain every day. They’re putting their love for Kaohsiung out there with their feet.

Hiker
I admire them. It takes strength, but also passion, I think. It must be quite a big sacrifice.

The Shoushan Tea Team has been going for decades, but they still hold to their mission with as much enthusiasm as they had on the first day. For any visitor to Kaohsiung, it’s a distinctive sight to watch out for.

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柴山新登山口啟用高雄運發局長體驗當"奉茶隊"

2024-03-26

高雄柴山鄰近市區，是不少市民就近登山運動的首選。說到柴山，最特別的就是山上的奉茶站，都是靠熱心山友自發性的揹著2、30公升水桶上山，讓登山遊客都能解渴，鄰近輕軌鼓山站的新登山口正式啟用，運發局長也特別體驗揹水上山。

高雄柴山新開闢的登山步道正式啟用，鄰近輕軌鼓山站旁，不僅交通方便還可有大片腹地可以停車，吸引大批山友來體驗。

[[山友]]
“還沒走過這邊，一直以來都從動物園(登山口)那邊，這邊是第一次(走)”

[[山友]]
“ (之前)爬個山要停車很痛苦，像剛剛我們上來的地方很寬，都有地方可以停車”

爬過高雄柴山的山友，都對山上的奉茶站印象深刻，好幾大桶水再加入山友的愛心，成了各式茶飲，讓登山遊客都能休息解渴。

這些茶水當然不是憑空出現，都靠著熱心山友自發性的揹著20公升、30公升水桶上山，還組成柴山奉茶隊傳為佳話，高雄市運發局長也特別體驗揹水上山。

[[高雄市運發局長侯尊堯]]
“不容易，很辛苦，但是個好的體驗，柴山揹水隊每天把愛帶進來柴山，而且是用腳在愛高雄”

[[山友]]
“還蠻佩服他們，除了體力，我覺得有這樣的熱情，應該是蠻犧牲奉獻的”

柴山奉茶隊，無私奉獻數十年如一日，也成了當地特殊的文化。

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