Longjing Tea Plantations
杭州, 浙江
Terraced green tea plantations in the hills west of West Lake, source of Longjing (Dragon Well) tea, one of China's most well-known green tea varieties.
为什么要去Longjing Tea Plantations？
Longjing tea has been produced in these specific hills for centuries and is considered one of China's most prestigious green teas, with the local growing conditions — soil, climate, and altitude — treated as inseparable from the tea's reputation, similar to how wine regions are tied to terroir. Visiting the plantations themselves, rather than just buying the tea elsewhere, is the difference between seeing a product and seeing the agricultural landscape that produces it.
怎么体验
The hills are walkable, with paths winding between tea bushes and small village tea houses where it's possible to sit and try tea grown on the surrounding slopes. Picking season in early spring is when the plantations are most active with visible harvesting, while the rest of the year the terraces are quieter but still a pleasant walking landscape.
小贴士
Many small tea houses along the paths offer tastings — sitting down at one of these gives a much better sense of the tea than a quick walk-through alone.