「越」界臺茶：臺越茶貿易中的移動、劃界與本土爭辯

Mobility, Bordering, and the Contested Localness of the Tea Trade between Taiwan and Vietnam

本文結合邊界（border）與移動（mobility）的理論取徑，從茶作為物在臺灣、越南之間的農技轉移與跨境貿易中，重新思索臺灣茶與越南茶之間貌似對立卻又互依的關係，並藉此再思考食物農業產銷中的本土所謂何物。越南茶與臺灣茶之間的關聯，隱含臺灣的南向政策、農技轉移，臺灣茶進出口市場的消長、食安議題、食農體系全球化與本土農業保衛戰等多層意義；同時越南林同（Lam Dong）省地區跨境農技移轉的茶葉地景，其生成與轉變背後有著臺灣、中國兩岸政治經濟動態過程下的臺越關係。臺灣茶的品種、製茶技術、產業經營者往越南跨境移動，當臺灣國內開始強化本土茶的意涵，從而形塑與包括越南茶在內的境外茶的對立時，邊界與移動的力道的確並存於臺灣茶與越南茶兼具互斥與互依的複雜關係中。要解讀境外越南茶與本土臺灣茶之間的互斥和互依，研究者必須參與到茶生產消費的日常生活中，從中獲取詮釋邊界與移動如何互為表裡的資料。茶的物質性牽起非線性的人與非人的組裝，讓越南茶鬆動臺灣茶的本土劃界，移動進入臺灣的通路，形成本土與境外，邊界與移動互為表裡的實作過程。 Taking tea trade between Vietnam and Taiwan as an example, this essay aimsto reconsider the re-localization of agro-food production and consumptionthrough understanding the politics of (de)bordering and (im)mobilization inlocal food system (LFS). Starting from the early 1990s, a group of Taiwaneseentrepreneurs and tea merchants started their tea plantations and productionin Vietnam, especially in the Province of Lam Dong. Instead of using thetea trees that originally grew in Vietnam, these Taiwanese entrepreneursand tea merchants transplanted tea trees of improved varieties from Taiwan.Additionally, they also brought along the whole “package” of processingtechniques. In other words, they believed they also produced Taiwanese tea,whereas the production location was in Vietnam instead. In Taiwan, the“local” production of tea has declined due to a variety of reasons. Nevertheless,the market demand of tea has increased mainly because of the increasingconsumption of bottled teas, handmade tea drinks at chain stores, and the teafor touristic souvenirs. As a result, strong demand for imported tea, mainlyfrom Vietnam, has increased to meet the growing consumption. However, theemerging ethos of LFS in Taiwan has created a discourse of local authenticityin agriculture, including tea production. In consequence, the decreasing localtea production in Taiwan has been labeled as the only authentic tea productof Taiwan. In accordance, many people regard Vietnamese tea, including thoseproduced by Taiwanese tea entrepreneurs in Lam Dong, as a threat tarnishingthe authenticity of local tea in Taiwan. Based on the empirical data collectedin both Taiwan and Vietnam, we argue that the local food movement has beena circulation assemblage with an interface between border work and materialmobility. From that, we problematize the emerging pursuit of a purified andessentialized local food, Taiwanese tea in particular.