Travel in China
The terraced home of China's most celebrated green tea - walk the rows, pan-fry your own batch, drink the emperor's infusion.
Longjing (Dragon Well) Village, in the hills west of West Lake, is the original source of what is widely regarded as the finest green tea in China. The village and its surrounding terraces have been growing tea since the Tang dynasty, and the name 'Longjing' has become synonymous with the highest grade of pan-fired green tea.
The tea is hand-picked in early spring - only the top two leaves and a bud are taken. The harvest is then pan-fired by hand in woks heated to 200 degrees, a process that requires years of training to master. The finished leaves are flat, smooth and jade-green, producing a tea that is grassy, nutty and sweet without bitterness.
Visitors can walk the terraced fields, visit the China National Tea Museum (free), watch tea being pan-fired in the village houses, and taste the tea in a farmer's home. The best time to visit is late March to early May during the harvest, when the hillsides are alive with pickers.
Highlights
The Terraced Tea Fields
Rows of tea bushes climbing the hillsides - the classic Longjing landscape.
The Pan-Firing Demonstrations
Watch tea masters hand-fire the leaves in woks at 200 degrees.
The China National Tea Museum
A free museum covering the history and culture of Chinese tea.
The Dragon Well Itself
The spring that gives the tea its name - still flowing in the village.
Tea Tasting in a Farmer's Home
Drink Longjing brewed with local spring water at a farmhouse table.
The Spring Harvest
Late March to early May - the hillsides alive with pickers.
Photo Gallery
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