Jin De Chun Old Tea House Introduction
Jin De Chun Tea Shop was founded in the seventh year of the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1868) and has been passed down to the fifth generation. The tea shop remains in its original location to this day. Mr. Lin Ying-Long, the fourth-generation owner, attended elementary school at Liren Elementary School and recalls playing in the areas around Wu Temple, Mazu Temple, and Guandi Harbor during his childhood. At that time, there were other businesses in the alley, such as haircutting and fine craftsmanship for lice combs, and there was a shop at the corner selling lighting decorations used on theater stages, which impressed visitors with its brightness. This alley became known as "Draw Lots Alley" due to the popularity of fortune-telling involving drawing lots. A distinctive feature of the shop is its row of large tea urns, which have a history of over a century. These urns were brought to Taiwan for sale by merchants from Tangshan during the Qing Dynasty. During the Japanese occupation, American bombings destroyed many buildings in the area, and many of the tea urns were also damaged; now, fewer than ten remain in the shop.
