尤加利農場（鼎豐製茶工場）
尤加利農場のストーリー
阿里山公路沿線のほかに瑞里もお茶畑で知られています。後の山とも呼ばれています。交力坪の周辺を始め、お茶畑、民宿、茶の工場もどんどん増えてきました。2009年の「莫拉克台風」侵入の前、瑞里はハイキングに訪れる人々が足を運ぶほか、阿里山茶の販売なども盛んでいました。瑞太古道のすぐそばにある尤加利農場（鼎豐製茶工場）のオーナーの劉賢談さんがお茶産業の興盛から今に至る光景に見てきました。
刘さんによって、台風で路が破壞されて、通ることされできませんでした。大型バスは昔みたに来なくなって、観光客も大幅に減少しました。「何とかしなきゃいけなくなった」と刘さんがそのときのことについて話してくれました。奥さんの黃素貴さんは観光客が来ないなら、自分たちがお茶を持って山から降りればと主張した。
刘さん娘の刘宜欣さんが台風の後に家業を立ち直そと家に戻りました。そのとき、20代の彼女は自信をもって接してきました。刘の一家にとってお茶は商品だけではなく食品でもあります。お茶の工場を新たに建て、赤外線でお茶っ葉を萎凋させ、無菌の真空パック包装室を設置、いわゆる最先端の設備に資金を入れました。
台風の被害の後、お茶作り体験を積極的に取り込んでいた。客足が激減した後、香港やマカオ、マレーシア、シンガポールからの観光客が自ら阿里山までお茶を探しにきたと彼女が驚きました。そのきっかけ、お茶作りの体験などのイベントを開き、観光客に阿里山のお茶への認識から製作過程、お茶畑の観光までを案内するのが劉さん一家の仕事となりました。「環境問題を重視しながら、お茶の文化を伝える」のは彼らの心得とも言えましょう。お茶作りの体験から生まれるお茶に対する正確な概念は消費者にとって最も重要だと彼らは思います。
「蛍いっぱいの時期、街を歩くだけて、すぐ蛍が目にしますから、瑞里は一晩泊る価値があんだ」其他に、「舞台やテレビの撮影現場と同じく雰囲気にいる竹林 もおすすめだよ」と劉氏は自慢そうに語っていました。皆様も是非、瑞里にきたら、「瑞太古道」の「尤加利農場」に寄ってみてはいかがでしょうか？美味しい お茶を頂きながら、綺麗な空気をたっぷり堪能しましょう！
Story of Yu-Chia-Li farm
Besides the main-lane area of Mt. Alishan, Ruili is also an important area for tea gardens, and it is also named “back mountain”. From Jiau Li Ping, tea gardens, Bed & Breakfast, and tea-making factories gradually convened. Before Ba-ba wind disaster, Ruili is not only a popular place for hiking, but also a hot place for the trade of Alishan tea. Located next to Rui-Tai ancient lane is Yu-Chia-Li farm (Ding-Fong tea-making factory). The owner Shien-Tang, Liu observed the number of tourists visiting Ruili and the tea industry going up and down, and he felt mostly.
Shien-Tang, Liu said “ the road was not accessible due to wind disaster, so no tourists could come. Before, the buses carrying tourists came one after one, but now none of them came, so he worried about his teas unable to sell and wondered what to do?” Mr. Liu’s wife Su-Gue, Huang intervened “what to do? We could leave the mountain. If tourists did not come, we would go out, and once we went out, there could exist the chance.”
Due to the wind disaster, Mr. Liu’s daughter Yi-Sin, Liu chose to come back home to help her family. At the age of 20s, she expressed her confidence through the conversation. She wanted to introduce Alishan tea to tourists by a new way. Liu family think that tea is not only merchandise but also food product, so they paid a great deal of attention to hygiene and safety. In addition to building a new tea-making factory, they invested in red-ray withering machine, non-bacteria vacuum packaging house, and other rare high-end equipment.
Tea-making DIY is an important part of the brand of Yu-Cha-Li farm. I-Sin, Liu said after Ba-ba wind disaster, the number of tourists coming for hiking greatly decreased, but back-packers from Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, and Malaysia came to the mountain to seek teas, which enabled her to notice the effect of “industry assisting with tourism”. These tourists came to Ruili to experience industry and local culture in-depth. Yi-Sin, Liu said “we taught them how to judge Alishan tea, and lead them to tour the manufacturing processes and tea gardens, and in the end every visitor was satisfied!” From then on, Yu-Cha-Li farm continuously received groups observing and experiencing tea-making activity. Yi-Sin, Liu said “environmental perseverance and cultural interaction are the idea we want to share with people. Tea-making experience has its importance, and once consumers acquire correct knowledge, the quality of tea market can really improve.”
The owner Mr. Liu said “Ruili is a place worth staying overnight. In the season of fireflies, one can see fireflies even just walking on the road. In normal times, one can came to see swallow cliff and bat cave, and while walking on the worry-forgotten forests of Rui-Tai ancient lane, one can experience the atmosphere of the bamboo forest.” Mr. Liu was uplifted while mentioning attractions of Ruili. Next time when you come to Ruili, Mr. Liu invites you to Yu-Cha-Li farm to drink delicious Alishan tea.
