Dadaocheng was once a gateway for Taiwan to the international world in days gone by, with the export trades of tea and camphor causing the blend of modern Western culture and traditional Chinese civilization in the vicinity of Rao River to create brilliant sparks. Whether it was contemporary new plays or performances by local theater troupes, or the mutual competition between European coffee salons and Chinese tea culture, the first half of the 20th century witnessed the thriving growth of Dadaocheng.
Witnessing this golden period, the "Xin Fangchun Tea Shop," was constructed in 1934. As the family home of businessman Wang Lianhe, it belonged to a family in Dadaocheng whose tea trade led the way as they migrated from Anxi, Fujian. This building, which exhibits a blend of Chinese and Western features during the Japanese colonial period, is one of the few preserved buildings in Taipei City that maintains an intact residential-commercial style. It was designated as a city landmark in 2009. Restoration of this historic site was completed in April 2015 after a four-year project from 2011 to 2015. The same year, the original landowner donated the historically significant site to the Taipei City Government.
Since formal acquisition of the "Xin Fangchun Tea Shop" by the Taipei City Government's Cultural Affairs Bureau in May 2016, the Cultural Affairs Bureau took the lead in hosting exhibitions such as "Return to the Majestic Former Life of Dadaocheng's Tea Industry," "Tales of the Old Xin Fangchun Building," "The Purple Dadaocheng Aesthetic," and "Recreating the Splendor of the Dadaocheng Tea Age" as early as September 20, 2016. These exhibitions reintroduced the cultural and industrial legacy of this site to the public, showcasing the grandeur and achievements of tea merchants in Dadaocheng.
In 2018, the Taipei City Government's Cultural Affairs Bureau entrusted the operation of the landmark to the Taiwan Cultural and Creative Development Foundation. Under the main themes "Living Tea Storytelling Museum," "Tea Cultural and Creative Development Platform," and "Tea for Friendship," the old building is infused with renewed creativity and vitality. The tea shop uses an integrated concept of display and sales to recreate past commercial scenes, planning for domestic and international tourists a unique multifunctional tea literature space offering "books, cultural and creative products, tea products, and exhibitions." The opening theme exhibition, "Charming Spring Tea Path – The Golden Age of Taiwanese Tea Exhibition," continued the legacy of the tea trade from Taiwan and its popularity on international fairs. With its rich collection of artifacts documenting the trade history of this building and the tea trade in Southeast Asia, Xin Fangchun Tea Shop shares with visitors both a glimpse of the historical Dadaocheng and its own distinguished legacy.
(Source: Cultural Affairs Bureau, Taipei City Government)