Chun Shui Tang

Chun Shui Tang is a Taiwan-based teahouse and restaurant chain headquartered in Taichung. Founded in 1983 by Han-chieh Liu as Yangmu Tea Shop, the business was built around a modern interpretation of Chinese tea culture. Its early identity combined traditional tea-house rituals and decoration with an emphasis on carefully prepared tea and a broader cultural dining experience. The business later adopted the Chun Shui Tang name and developed into a multi-location restaurant brand serving tea beverages, Taiwanese food, snacks, and light meals. The brand is especially associated with the origin of bubble milk tea, although the drink's invention is also the subject of competing claims in Taiwan. According to Chun Shui Tang's account, Liu began experimenting with chilled tea after observing the popularity of cold coffee during a trip to Japan. Because hot tea was less attractive during Taichung's summer months, he used a cocktail shaker to prepare cold tea drinks. The unexpected popularity of these beverages encouraged the company to expand its cold-tea offering. In March 1987, employee Lin Hsiu Hui is said to have added tapioca pearls to a tea drink on a whim, creating the combination that became known as bubble milk tea or pearl milk tea. Chun Shui Tang's proposition differs from that of a beverage-only chain. Its teahouses combine prepared drinks with Taiwanese and East Asian cuisine, including rice dishes, beef noodle soup, lu wei, tofu products, pig's blood cake, mochi, and other snacks. The brand has also offered seasonal beverage collections, including matcha and herbal-jelly variants. Its menu has historically included around 80 drinks, and the company states that substantial training is required before a bar worker can prepare the full beverage range consistently. The company began international expansion in 2013 with a store in Tokyo's Daikanyama district. Additional Japanese locations helped introduce the brand's interpretation of Taiwanese tea culture and bubble tea to a wider Japanese audience. Chun Shui Tang subsequently expanded into Hong Kong, including a location at the West Kowloon railway station and further branches in areas such as Causeway Bay and Mong Kok. The chain also operates TP Tea, a separate take-out-oriented bubble-tea chain focused primarily on beverages. Chun Shui Tang's present identity rests on three connected elements: Taiwanese tea-house heritage, the global recognition of bubble milk tea, and a restaurant format that offers substantial food alongside drinks. Its historical importance comes less from a conventional packaged-goods business than from its role in transforming tea preparation into an experience combining craft, hospitality, food, and contemporary beverage culture.

Chun Shui Tang began in Taichung on May 20, 1983, when Han-chieh Liu established the business under the name Yangmu Tea Shop, also rendered in English references as Yanghsien Tea Shop. Liu was strongly influenced by the formal traditions of Chinese tea culture. The early shop was designed as more than a beverage counter: its atmosphere included traditional paintings, incense, and a deliberate emphasis on tea-house customs. This cultural and hospitality orientation later remained part of the Chun Shui Tang identity. The business's development was shaped by an effort to make tea attractive in warmer weather. Hot tea was less popular during Taichung's summer months, and Liu began experimenting with chilled tea drinks prepared with a cocktail shaker. His interest in serving tea cold was reportedly reinforced by a trip to Japan, where he observed cold coffee being served. The chilled drinks performed better than expected and gave the company a basis for expanding its beverage program beyond conventional hot tea. Chun Shui Tang is closely linked to the history of bubble milk tea. The company's account places the creation of the drink in March 1987, when Lin Hsiu Hui added tapioca pearls to a tea beverage spontaneously. The resulting combination of tea, milk, sweetener, and chewy tapioca became the product now commonly known internationally as bubble tea, bubble milk tea, or pearl milk tea. Other businesses and individuals have also claimed roles in the drink's invention, so the historical attribution remains contested; nevertheless, Chun Shui Tang is one of the best-known brands associated with its early development and commercialization. Over time, the business grew from a tea-focused shop into a restaurant and teahouse chain. Its menu expanded to include Taiwanese and East Asian dishes and snacks, such as rice-based meals, beef noodle soup, lu wei, dougan, pig's blood cake, mochi, and other small plates. The brand continued to emphasize beverage variety, with a menu reported to include roughly 80 drinks. Training became an important part of operations, with new bar workers requiring approximately six months to learn the preparation of the complete drink range. Seasonal offerings, including Uji matcha and herbal jelly series, allowed the chain to introduce variations while retaining its tea-centered identity. Chun Shui Tang started documented overseas expansion in 2013, opening its first store outside Taiwan in Tokyo's Daikanyama district. The Japanese locations contributed to the growing visibility of Taiwanese bubble tea in Japan and helped establish the brand in an international market. In 2018, the company opened a location in Hong Kong's West Kowloon railway station. Further Hong Kong branches followed, including stores in Causeway Bay and Mong Kok. By late 2020, reference material reported eight Hong Kong branches. In addition to its restaurant-format teahouses, Chun Shui Tang owns TP Tea, a separate chain centered mainly on take-out bubble tea. This gives the broader business a second format oriented toward faster beverage service, while Chun Shui Tang itself continues to present tea, food, and cultural ambiance together. The brand's historical significance therefore spans both the Taiwanese teahouse tradition and the international rise of bubble tea.

• 2020

  Hong Kong network reaches eight branches

  [1]Chun Shui Tangen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reported eight Chun Shui Tang branches in Hong Kong by late 2020.

• 2018

  Hong Kong expansion begins

  [1]Chun Shui Tangen.wikipedia.org

  The company opened a store at Hong Kong's West Kowloon railway station and later added more locations in the city.

• 2013

  First overseas store opens in Tokyo

  [1]Chun Shui Tangen.wikipedia.org

  Chun Shui Tang opened its first location outside Taiwan in Tokyo's Daikanyama district.

• 1987

  The brand's bubble milk tea origin story

  [1]Chun Shui Tangen.wikipedia.org

  Chun Shui Tang attributes the creation of bubble milk tea to Lin Hsiu Hui, who reportedly added tapioca pearls to a tea drink in March 1987.

• 1983

  Yangmu Tea Shop is founded in Taichung

  [1]Chun Shui Tangen.wikipedia.org

  Han-chieh Liu founded the original tea shop on Siwei Street in Taichung on May 20, establishing the business that later became Chun Shui Tang.

A Taiwanese humanistic teahouse and restaurant brand combining traditional tea culture, prepared tea beverages, bubble milk tea, and regional food.

• Tea beverage · 1987

  Bubble milk tea

  Chun Shui Tang's signature association is bubble milk tea, a chilled tea beverage containing chewy tapioca pearls. The company attributes the drink's creation to an accidental addition of tapioca to tea in 1987. It remains the product most strongly connected with the brand's international reputation.

• Tea beverage

  Traditional and chilled tea beverages

  The brand serves a broad range of tea drinks rooted in Taiwanese and Chinese tea-house traditions. Its chilled tea program developed from experiments intended to make tea more appealing in hot weather. The menu has historically included approximately 80 drinks, with preparation consistency supported by extended staff training.

• Seasonal beverage

  Seasonal tea series

  Chun Shui Tang periodically introduces limited or seasonal beverage collections. Reference material identifies Uji matcha and herbal jelly series as examples, showing how the brand develops variations around tea, texture, and regional flavor preferences.

• Restaurant food

  Taiwanese and East Asian dishes

  Unlike a beverage-only outlet, Chun Shui Tang's teahouses serve a substantial food menu. Offerings described in reference material include rice dishes, beef noodle soup, lu wei, dougan, pig's blood cake, mochi, and other Taiwanese snacks. Food helps position the brand as a cultural restaurant and teahouse rather than solely a bubble-tea retailer.

• Take-out beverage chain

  TP Tea

  TP Tea is a related chain owned by Chun Shui Tang. It primarily operates as a take-out beverage concept focused on bubble tea, providing a more streamlined format alongside Chun Shui Tang's restaurant-oriented teahouses.

• 2018

  Expand the teahouse network into Hong KongStrategy

  Background

  The company continued its international growth after entering Japan and selected Hong Kong as another overseas market.

  Action taken

  Chun Shui Tang opened a store at West Kowloon railway station and later established additional branches in Hong Kong.

  Aftermath

  The Hong Kong network expanded to eight reported branches by late 2020, including locations in Causeway Bay and Mong Kok.

  Source

• 2013

  Begin international expansion through JapanStrategy

  Background

  After developing its Taiwanese teahouse and beverage business, Chun Shui Tang selected Tokyo's upscale Daikanyama district for its first store outside Taiwan.

  Action taken

  The company opened an overseas location in Tokyo and subsequently added further stores in Japan.

  Aftermath

  The Japanese expansion increased the brand's international visibility and coincided with wider interest in Taiwanese bubble tea in Japan.

  Source

• 2020

  Chun Shui Tang operates eight Hong Kong branches by late 2020[1]Chun Shui Tangen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Reference material reported that the chain had eight Hong Kong branches by late 2020, including locations in Causeway Bay and Mong Kok.

• 2018

  Chun Shui Tang expands in Hong Kong[1]Chun Shui Tangen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The company opened a location at Hong Kong's West Kowloon railway station and subsequently developed a wider Hong Kong presence.

• 2013

  Chun Shui Tang opens its first store outside Taiwan in Tokyo[1]Chun Shui Tangen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The brand opened its first overseas location in Tokyo's Daikanyama district, beginning its documented international expansion.

1. 1Chun Shui Tangen.wikipedia.org