EP77 Hsinchu County | Bowing to Buddha

Episode 77 explores the Hakka heartland of southern Hsinchu County — Beipu, with its hundred-year-old tea shops and the ritual of lei cha, the hand-pounded bowl of tea-and-grain drink that was once a daily staple; and nearby Zhudong, gateway to the mountain persimmon farms. We grind our own lei cha until our arms ache, and eat persimmon cake that tastes like autumn condensed into a chewy square. The story: Sun Wukong enters a kingdom controlled by three corrupt Taoist ministers, impersonates the Jade Emperor one night, then impersonates the Taoist chief the next. Classic Wukong.Location: Beipu Old Street, HsinchuFood: Lei Cha | Persimmon Cake