Boba has basically become the ‘trending #1’ item in Asia these years. As you walk around Waseda and Takadanobaba, there is no doubt that the bubble tea stores are on the rise. Two days ago, I finally visited the Suck my Culture exhibition in Songshan Cultural Park, Taiwan. To put it in other words, the exhibition is about the evolution of tea making and tea drinking.
The colorful entrance of Suck My Culture exposition at Songshan Cultural Park, Taipei, Taiwan.
As I stepped into the venue, I am surprised to see the colorful setting of tea dispensers and tea containers. Drinking tea or tea-based beverages has become a trendy and modern concept for adults and children alike all around the world. However, the Suck My Culture exhibition dives deeper into the process of brewing a cup of tea and the mileage of tea. This exhibition perfectly displays how Taiwan can be crowned the “kingdom of tea” due to the suitable weather conditions all over the island ranging from North, South, East, and West to flatland and high mountains. Taiwan alone boasts over 30 types of tea, including green tea, black tea, oolong tea and mountain tea.
The different types of tea located in Taiwan, including various types of oolong tea.
The exhibition venue heavily utilizes the concept of incorporating visuals, as well as the interactive concept. At the entrance of the venue, numerous piles of yellow papers clipped to the wall immediately attracted my sight. On the yellow paper, it asked “if you were a cup of tea beverage, what would you be?” You can pick the type of tea, topping, sugar, ice, and milk to add. At the end, you can also write the beverage’s name at the top of the paper. In the middle of the venue, there were a few iPads set up in which visitors could play a game. The rules are exactly the same as the yellow paper memo; in the end, you can take a picture of your tea creation on your phone.
Visitors can write on the yellow papers. My choice of tea is Jinxuan oolong tea (beautiful name), and the beverage name is genuine heart with love.
This picture shows all the different types of toppings that can be added to a tea beverage, such as cranberry, rose petals, and cloves.
At the end of the Suck My Culture exhibition, there is a distinct room which displays hanging portrait scrolls that include 6 interdisciplinary groups of people (e.g. entrepreneurs, tea brand inventors). The scrolls show their viewpoints about current tea beverages and the creativity concept of tea modernology. I’ve visited the Songshan Cultural Park several times for its unique exhibitions, and this one is no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed the detailed planning of this special tea exhibition that integrated the history of tea making and the current bubble tea phenomenon perfectly.
The scrolls that illustrate viewpoints of tea for different groups of businessmen and businesswomen.
[Image source: all photos in this article were taken by myself at the exhibition]