Hi, I'm Steve Lee! I'm born and raised in Chiayi, Taiwan. I spent many years in the trading business before I started my eco-farming journey about 9 years ago after my parents passed down our family farm to me. I mainly spend my mornings holding tea ceremonies and drinking tea with friends and customers at my tea shop and love sharing the process with others. In the afternoons I generally go to my farm and work on any current projects as well as general farm upkeep. I also run Alishan tea tours for visitors who want to experience local tea culture. The farm's about 30 minutes from Chiayi City Center, and the tea shop is in the city at which I've hosted amazing volunteers and travelers from all over the world. I love sharing my culture, local foods, and life here in Chiayi.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I used to host volunteers for many years, but these days I don't really have the energy to guide people with farm work as my age is catching up to me. Still, I really enjoy cultural exchange and hosting new people, so I thought Couchsurfing would be more suitable now. It's a more relaxed way to connect while still sharing my culture, local food and snacks, and Alishan's famous tea and coffee. I also love showing guests around Chiayi and recommending local spots that most tourists don't know about.

The teashop where the couch surfers stay is right in Chiayi City Center. It's about a 5-minute drive or a 20-minute walk from Chiayi TRA Station, so it's super convenient for exploring the city.

Interests

• music
• drums
• teaching
• languages
• farming

Music, Movies, and Books

I am an amateur drummer and always happy to connect with people who love music, especially other drummers or anyone who enjoys a good jam session. I mostly listen to pop rock and artists like Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, Irama, Marco Mengoni, Suzan & Freek, Keratin Ott, and the Spanish band Elefante.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Over the past 9 years, I've been nurturing an eco-farm using permaculture principles. Along the way, I've combined farming with simple tea appreciation sessions and had the joy of hosting volunteers from around the world. Sharing Taiwanese tea culture and learning from the people I meet has been a truly rewarding experience. Hence, I would like to extend this experience to the couch surfing community.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach Mandarin or Taiwanese and love music exchanges. We can also cook and learn together, I will share my cooking skills and take you to experience Taiwanese night market food. You're welcome to visit the farm from free, and I can bring you on my full-day Alishan tea tour (about 10 hours) for 3,800 TWD, which includes two meals.

If you need, I can provide a bicycle or help rent a scooter to explore Chiayi (a valid license required).

If you're interested in farming, I'm happy to share about farm life. I can also introduce you to local temples that teaches about Buddhism and Taoism for those curious about religion. If you're interested I can also organized local factory tours such as tofu-making tours or pottery workshops. Also, I can share with you our local delicacies like xiao long bao and stinky tofu.

Countries I’ve Visited

Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

Taiwan