Taiwan-exclusive！A “tea longevity” flask woven from straw， filled with 40 years of warmth from grandma

Reported by Reporter Chen Ruizhong / Miaoli

“Is this a big rice bowl? Or maybe a treasure basin?” Many people are full of curiosity when they see this peculiar object about the size of a basketball, woven from straw and complete with a lid. In fact, this item is called a “tea longevity,” a unique teapot insulation device from Wenshui in Miaoli, and inside it carries an elderly grandma’s boundless love and care for her family.

Back in the 1960s, rural insulation equipment was not as advanced as it is today. “How to ensure that family members could still enjoy a cup of hot tea after a hard day’s work, or have warm tea while working in the mountains during winter” became a question that Grandma Song Chen Damei deeply pondered.

▲ The Wenshui tea longevity, handmade using straw, floral fabric, and cotton. (Photo / Reporter Chen Ruizhong, the same below)

After much thought, Grandma used straw to weave a nest-like tea holder and lid, and then sewed in a cotton-lined inner layer, creating an “insulation tube” that was both aesthetic and practical. Later, through gradual improvements by Liu Yuying, it evolved into its current form and was named “tea longevity.”

The round and plump tea longevity exudes the simplicity of handmade craftsmanship; when you open the lid, the Hakka floral fabric lining, puffed up by the cotton, emanates a strong sense of local warmth; and if you sniff closer, there’s also a faint scent of straw.

▲ The craftsmanship of the tea longevity is intricate, requiring immense patience to complete.

“At first, I didn’t even know what to call it. It’s used to hold teaware, and drinking tea can promote long life, so I named it ‘tea longevity’!” said Liu Yuying, who has been weaving tea longevities for over 40 years. Placing a teapot inside the tea longevity can keep it warm for 6 to 8 hours, allowing you to enjoy a cup of hot tea at any time.

The simply designed tea longevity requires incredible patience and meticulousness to make. The dried straw must be hand-selected and processed before it can be used as raw material for the tea longevity, and then, with skilled hands, it is woven layer by layer. In all of Taiwan, only one shop in Wenshui makes tea longevities. Liu Yuying, wearing reading glasses and continuously weaving, revealed that a small tea longevity takes two days to complete; larger ones take three to four days.

▲ The largest tea longevity in the shop can even fit a large teapot for insulation.

On the day of our visit, all the tea longevities on display had already sold out. Liu Yuying told us that since the New Year, many people have come specifically to Wenshui to buy tea longevities to take home. Some use them for insulation, while others buy them purely as decorations. “Some people buy tea longevities to place on single-legged tea tables—it looks really nice,” Liu Yuying said.

Some rustic items carry the wisdom of our ancestors and are symbols of bygone times. Although the functionality of the tea longevity has now been replaced by electric kettles and water dispensers, the simplicity preserved within each strand of straw remains. Originally designed by grandma out of love and care for her family, the tea longevity also embodies the warmth between people. As we said goodbye to the shop, 76-year-old Liu Yuying smiled and said to us, “Please bless me to stay healthy so I can keep weaving tea longevities!”

▲ Recently, many people have come specifically to buy tea longevities, and the display shelves have been emptied.

Wenshui Tea Longevity
Address: No. 44, Lane 17, Wenshui, Zhushu Village, Shitan Township, Miaoli County