Soaking Up Local Culture - Longjing Tea Village
My mum was in China last week and I took her to a few of the cultural sites – including the Longjing Tea Village. It was my third trip to the village this year and I have to say, I think it’s one of my favorite parts of Hangzhou. This city houses nearly 12 million people; it is a bustling, thriving metropolis. And the tea village is smack bang in the middle of the city. If you go at a non-peak hour time, it’s easy to forget that you’re in such a huge, sprawling city because the village boasts a real small town, rural charm. It’s less than six kilometers from my apartment so it's incredibly accessible for me, and I just love it!
Longjing tea enjoys a long history that dates all the way back to the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907AD) – China is old guys. The tea that is grown in the West Lake district I Hangzhou is among the most expensive, luxurious green tea in the world. I am always banging on about how cheap everything is in China, but I can’t say that this time. The tea is expensive! Whether you’re drinking it at one of the small sit-down restaurants in the village, or you are bagging it up to take home, expect to pay a small fortune. It’s worth it though. Longjing tea (otherwise known as Dragonwell tea) doesn’t have that strong bitter taste that most green tea has and the health properties of this particular kind of green tea are next level. Apparently, the life expectancy of lifelong Hangzhou residents is higher than the average life expectancy of other Chinese people, and it’s because they drink this tea with such dedication!
There are many great restaurants in the little village all owned and operated by folks that live there. The farmers who own the tea plantations around the village also live in the village. Harvesting month, otherwise known as the Flush, is in April and that’s when you’ll see the most activity on the hills. The Ayis are out on the mountains each day picking by hand – rain, hail, or shine! The tea that is picked during that time goes for an insane amount of money!
My mum was blown away that something so quaint and picturesque was located right in the middle of the city. The gorgeous green lush tea fields that dot the mountain sides surround a small, yet thriving, restaurant and tea house culture below. People come here to sit and eat, and drink tea obviously, and just hang out and soak up the local vibes. Local Hangzhou residents come to the village to get in some exercise and hike the steep weaving fields right to the top – the views from up there are quite spectacular.
I’ve eaten at three different restaurants in the village now and I am yet to have a single bad experience. The food is all very traditional local Hangzhou cuisine, and while Hangzhou is not really known for having great food, I can’t complain when I’m here in Longjing village.
Now that the weather is cooler and I can enjoy the outdoors, I expect I’ll spend quite a lot of time meandering these fields and getting in some hiking myself! For anyone who comes to Hangzhou to visit me, this will always be the first place I take them. I heart Hangzhou, but I especially heart Longjing Tea Village.















