Longjing Tea Plantations

Tour Route Design Introduction of Longjing Tea Plantation

1. Core Positioning

"The birthplace of China’s Longjing Tea — Step into the story of a world-famous tea amid thousand-year-old tea mountains beside West Lake."

Longjing Tea Plantation is not a single scenic spot, but a living cultural landscape scattered across the West Lake mountains of Hangzhou. Its core zones cover Longjing Village, Longjing Asking Tea Scenic Area, Longwu Tea Plantations and Meijiawu Tea Culture Village. Its core selling point: this is the origin of West Lake Longjing Tea, ranking top among China’s Top Ten Famous Teas — a "tea plantation museum" integrating thousands of years of tea history, imperial relics, magical springs and rolling tea terraces.

Longjing Village serves as the core producing area of West Lake Longjing Tea, with tea from Lion Peak boasting the finest quality. Longjing Tea is celebrated for four unparalleled merits: emerald green hue, rich aroma, sweet taste and delicate shape. Its hand-stir-frying craft is inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. For overseas visitors, the charm of Longjing Tea Plantation lies in its dual identity: it is both an accessible natural scenery and a living cultural history that can be "tasted". From Monk Biancai planting tea to entertain guests in the Northern Song Dynasty to Emperor Qianlong’s eighteen imperial tea trees designated as tribute tea in the Qing Dynasty, every step on the land is steeped in tea heritage.

2. Core Attractions — "Asking Tea at Longjing" & Marvelous Famous Springs

Asking Tea at Longjing, a Cultural Landmark of New Ten Views of West Lake

As one of the New Ten Views of West Lake, "Asking Tea at Longjing" unites renowned mountains, ancient temples, West Lake, famous springs and premium tea. Perched on Fenghuang Ridge, west of West Lake, Longjing Spring sits close to Longjing Village. Originally named Longhong or Longqiu, Longjing had already become a tourist destination in the Northern Song Dynasty. Poet Su Dongpo often came here to brew tea and compose poems, leaving the praise: "People say the mountains are fine and the water fine too; beneath lies a pool where flood dragons dwell."

The meaning of "Asking Tea at Longjing" is to inquire about mountains, water, tea, tea ceremony and the profound affection for Longjing. More than mere tea fields, it is a scenic blend of humanity and nature, encircled by green peaks, jagged rock formations, towering ancient trees and lush pine and bamboo groves.

Longjing Spring — the "Water Dividing Line" Wonder, One of Hangzhou’s Three Great Springs

Together with Hupao Spring and Jade Spring, Longjing Spring forms Hangzhou’s three most celebrated springs. It features a one-of-a-kind natural spectacle: when the spring water is stirred with a thin stick, a wriggling water dividing line emerges on the surface, resembling a swimming dragon. This phenomenon stems from the difference in specific gravity and flow velocity between underground spring water and surface runoff; the line fades gradually as the underground water sinks back down. Beside the spring stand relics of Eight Sights of Longjing including Divine Transport Rock, Dipping Heart Pool and Single Cloud Rock, adding delight to visitors’ trips.

Eighteen Imperial Tea Trees & Emperor Qianlong’s Footprints

During his southern inspection tours, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty hand-picked tea leaves and watched farmers stir-fry tea here, enshrining Longjing Tea as imperial tribute. The eighteen tea trees he plucked from still grow beside the former Hugong Temple on Lion Peak, known forever as the Eighteen Imperial Tea Trees. Qianlong inscribed the five characters "Finest Scenery by Lake and Mountain", and named the Eight Sights of Longjing one by one: Cross Stream Pavilion, Dipping Heart Pool, Single Cloud Rock, Fenghuang Ridge, Square Round Nunnery, Longhong Stream, Divine Transport Rock and Green Peak Pavilion.

3. Core Tea Plantation Zones — Distinctive Tea Villages

Longjing Village: The Heart of West Lake Longjing

Nestled southwest of West Lake, Longjing Village is the core producing area of West Lake Longjing, with Lion Peak tea recognized as the top grade among the five categories Lion, Dragon, Cloud, Tiger and Plum. The village holds around 800 mu of tea terraces, enclosed by Lion Peak and Tianzhu Peak, forming a unique Y-shaped mountain terrain with misty, humid microclimate ideal for tea growth.

The village delivers an immersive sensory experience: rolling green tea ridges blanket the hillsides, filling the air with fresh tea fragrance. Old residences, tea houses and farm courtyards scatter across the village, where visitors can sit down to sip authentic Longjing and chat with tea farmers about tea-making traditions. Historical relics such as Hugong Temple, Old Longjing Imperial Tea Garden and ruins of Longjing Temple still stand within the village. Longjing Spring is the soul of Longjing Village — brewing Longjing tea with its spring water embodies the traditional experience of "Asking Tea at Longjing".

Meijiawu Tea Culture Village: A Gold-standard Tea Cultural Destination Visited by Premier Zhou Enlai Five Times

Tucked in a mountain valley west of Yunqi, Meijiawu is a first-class protected zone and major producing region of West Lake Longjing, boasting over 2,300 mu of tea terraces. This 600-year-old ancient village is surrounded by overlapping green mountains and layered tea terraces, with Meiwuxi Stream winding through its heart.

Premier Zhou Enlai visited Meijiawu five times to guide local tea production. The village built the Premier Zhou Memorial Room, reconstructed from the old building that hosted the Premier with donations from villagers, displaying historical materials, photos and artifacts recording his inspections across eight exhibition sections. Meijiawu has also hosted heads of state and government from the Soviet Union, the United States, Vietnam, Romania, Cambodia and other nations.

Today, Meijiawu stands as Hangzhou’s iconic tea cultural tourism landmark. Visitors can taste authentic Meijiawu Longjing at farmers’ homes, enjoy farmhouse meals amid green mountains, and stroll along Meiling Road to admire the ten-li scroll of tea terraces known as "Ten Li Plum Valley".

Longwu Tea Plantation: Origin of 70% of Hangzhou’s Longjing, with Blue Waters Comparable to Jiuzhaigou

Located in Xihu District, Hangzhou, Longwu Tea Plantation supplies roughly 70% of West Lake Longjing Tea. Far quieter and more open than bustling Longjing Village, its signature landscape is Guangmingsi Reservoir — a turquoise lake mirroring layered tea terraces, earning it the nickname "Little Jiuzhaigou of Hangzhou".

Three highlights of Longwu Tea Plantation:

1. Guangmingsi Reservoir: The lake glows turquoise on sunny days. Visitors can hike around the reservoir, picnic or fly kites.

2. Lone Tree on Tea Terraces: A solitary tree stands atop the mountain ridge amid stepped tea fields, creating cinematic views favored by photographers.

3. Riverside Markets & Cafés: Artisan markets and mobile coffee carts scatter around the plantation, allowing young travelers to sip coffee surrounded by endless green tea hills, a new viral check-in spot.

Shuangling Tea Village: Serene Hometown of Jiuqu Hongmei Black Tea

Situated in Shuangpu Town, Xihu District, Shuangling Tea Village is the birthplace of Jiuqu Hongmei, a historic local black tea. Far less crowded than Longjing’s core tea zones, it offers quiet seclusion. The mountain-top viewing platform overlooks tens of thousands of layered tea terraces encircled by hills, with gentle stone paths perfect for easy hiking. It is an ideal escape for visitors seeking exclusive, undisturbed tea sea scenery.

4. Cultural Depth — Living Inheritance of Thousand-Year Tea History

From Monk Biancai to Su Dongpo: A Millennia of Tea Heritage

Tea cultivation in the Longjing region dates back to the Tang Dynasty, with tea production recorded in Lingyin and Tianzhu areas. In the Northern Song Dynasty, Monk Biancai retired to Longjing, planting tea at the foot of Lion Peak to entertain literati friends including Su Dongpo, who composed poems praising Longjing Tea such as "Beneath White Cloud Peak unfurl two new tea shoots, lush green and fresh in the Grain Rain spring", and inscribed the horizontal plaque "Old Longjing", preserved to this day.

Hand Stir-frying Craft: Intangible Cultural Heritage Passed Down Through Generations

The stir-frying technique of West Lake Longjing Tea, a precious intangible cultural heritage, features ten core hand movements including shaking, stacking, pressing, spreading and tossing. In traditional tea villages such as Wengjiashan, farmers inherit generations of experience judging tea-making by weather. Hand-fried tea remains the most prized variety; controlling temperature and strength during fixation and final shaping relies entirely on the craftsman’s physical intuition, transforming tender fresh tea leaves into a cultural symbol.

Integrated Tea & Tourism: From Production Base to Cultural Narrative

Modern tea villages in West Lake have evolved from pure tea production to integrated tea tourism. Tea plantations serve both as agricultural bases and scenic attractions. Visitors can watch tea picking and stir-frying at farmers’ homes, listen to the thousand-year history of Longjing, and even experience hand-frying tea themselves. This complete "from tea field to teacup" journey turns tea from a mere beverage into an immersive cultural experience.