Steeped
In Tradition

On a mountainside in Alishan, a farmer waits through the night for a leaf to tell him it is ready. An entire culture has been built on that kind of patience.

Steeped In Tradition follows the tea leaf from soil to cup, and the farmers, makers and drinkers whose lives move to its rhythm. Shot in an observational, cinematic style across Taiwan's tea regions, it is a portrait of an island told through the craft it has quietly perfected.

The film

The camera follows the leaf. Picked by hand in the early morning, spread to wither, turned and turned again as it oxidises, rolled, fired, dried, and finally brewed. Much of this happens overnight, by people who judge readiness by smell and touch rather than by clock.

For the people who live with tea — farmers, producers, traders, scientists and everyday drinkers — tea shapes when they wake, when they work, when they meet and when they stop. In their hands, an ordinary leaf becomes a connection between land, labour and generations.

Alongside it are glimpses of contemporary Taiwan: high-speed trains crossing tea-growing country, hillsides rising behind modern cities, laboratories putting numbers to what the senses already know. Heritage and innovation are not in tension here. They share the same space.

Filming takes place across Wenshan, Beipu, Nantou and Alishan.

Where it stands

• Initial exploratory filming has been completed in the Alishan and Beipu regions, following a full overnight production cycle of wild mountain tea and oolong, alongside test interviews with local producers.
• At least 25 further days of principal photography are planned across Taiwan's major tea-growing regions, capturing the diversity of landscapes, producers and tea traditions in 4K.
• Production will be based in Taichung and Chiayi, working with a Taiwanese crew throughout production and post-production.
• Access has already been established through five visits to Taiwan since 2023, building long-term relationships with farmers, filmmakers and cultural practitioners.

The film is designed for the international festival circuit, with subsequent distribution through streaming, educational and public broadcast channels. Conversations are open with production partners, cultural institutions and funding bodies.