Hidden among the lush tea and coffee plantations of Luguo are a group of quiet yet essential figures — he seasonal pickers
From the first spring rains to the end of summer, Luguo enters its peak black tea season. As the weather cools from October to February, coffee cherries begin to ripen. Thanks to this staggered cycle, these hardworking women can be seen among the fields nearly year-round, upholding the backbone of Luguo’s tea and coffee industries.
張雪嬌Zhang Xuejiao – Seasonal Tea-Picker
Essential Gear for Tea and Coffee Picking
Whether harvesting tea or coffee, the pickers are always equipped with essentials: a wide-brimmed bamboo hat (斗笠), shoulder shawls, sleeve guards, gloves, and rubber boots.
To keep their feet dry from morning dew, the tea-picking aunties sew DIY shoe covers using recycled festival banners.
They also repurpose fertilizer bags to create their own harvest sacks — practical and sustainable solutions born from daily life.
During coffee season, since the fruit is heavier than tea leaves, the women switch to smaller-sized bags that are easier to carry and better suited for the task.
Auntie Xuejiao, a veteran harvester, tells us that fewer Taiwanese locals join the picking crews nowadays, but a new generation of young migrant women has started to step in.
After working together year after year, they’ve formed deep bonds — most of the younger workers now lovingly call her “Mama.”
曾秋月Zeng Qiuyue –Head of the Tea-Picking Crew
Auntie Qiuyue has led her tea-picking crew for nearly thirty years.
When she first took on the role, the crew was made up of seven or eight elder women. Today, the team is more diverse — a mix of Taiwanese and immigrant workers, old and young. She, once the youngest, is now the most experienced.
All their harvesting gear? Qiuyue sews it herself — and often makes it for others, too.
Having watched the Luguo black tea industry rise, fall, and rise again over three decades, Qiuyue sees her work as more than just a job.
It’s her way of connecting with people, caring for others, and building community — one leaf at a time.
