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Infuse your day with fun at tea grove attractions
By Xu Wenwen |
March 18, 2013, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
TEA groves shimmer beneath spring sun; ducks swim in murmuring streams; while golden reeds rustle and magnolia blooms and cherry blossom bob in the gentle breeze.
This is the idyllic scene that greets visitors to the Longjing area in the west West Lake area at this time of year.
Longjing - dragon's well - is a hilly village famous for its top-quality green tea, and since last week its bushes have been in bud with the year's new leaves.
Leaves collected before Qingming Festival - Tombsweeping Day, which falls on April 4 this year, are very expensive. Dried pre-Qingming tea leaves sells for tens of thousands yuan a kilo.
Despite the big money at stake, the Longjing area is very inviting; for beautiful scenery charges nothing. It also features fine spots for visitors, such as teahouses, hostels, restaurants and museums.
The area stretches along Longjing Road. At the west side lies Longjing Village, where most of the Longjing tea on the market comes from.
Tea farmers live there and many also run teahouses offering home-made cuisine along with their famous beverage.
In the middle part is Shuangfeng Village, while in the east end is Maojiabu Village. Both boast tea groves and feature refined restaurants, youth hostels and teahouses, all just a 10-minute drive from urban Hangzhou.
Shanghai Daily took a tea tour, today introducing Shuangfeng and next Monday exploring the sights of Maojiabu.
China Tea Museum
China Tea Museum is not only a center of beverage culture and history, but also a 7,600 square-meter park of tea plantations and babbling streams.
The museum is free and a must-see attraction for many travel groups. It has a southern China style, evident in its numerous ponds and traditional pavilions and other buildings.
At this time of year, visitors can appreciate the cherry blossom, camellia and magnolia in full bloom, and watch their petals fall onto the surface of the water.
The museum features five exhibition halls which introduce Chinese tea history and culture, including tea tasting and the tea ceremony.
There are six rooms where visitors can try different teas, and the tea ceremony is also available, though must be booked in advance.
Address: 88 Longjing Road
Tel: (0571) 8796-4221
Website:http://english.teamuseum.cn/
Green Tea Restaurant
This restaurant chain has five branches in Hangzhou, two in Shanghai, and queues of customers.
Shuangfeng Village is home to the original Green Tea Restaurant, set at the edge of a pool.
French windows and a glass ceiling allow for the maximum sunlight, while its wooden pillars also bring diners closer to nature.
As the queues indicate, its dishes come highly recommend. Many are creative adaptations of local cuisine, such as Longjing Wencha (Looking for Dragon Well Tea), which includes Longjing tea, shrimp and pidan (century egg). Another favorite is green tea barbecued pork, which uses pork preserved for four hours, so much of the fat is gone before cooking.
The "Attractive Series" is also recommended - including beef, fish heads and bread. An English menu is available.
Address: 83 Longjing Road
Tel: (0571) 8788-8022
Blue Lotus Restaurant
This garden restaurant offers greenery wherever you look. So even though its location - where a tunnel and small lane cross - is not an ideal restaurant location, it can always attract customers to fill its tables in the garden and two small buildings.
Outdoors and in a conservatory are tens of tables made of rough wood. In warm weather it's the perfect place to enjoy the sunshine.
The menu includes Thai staples, plus fusion and creative dishes adapted from Hangzhou cuisine, with an emphasis on fresh ingredients.
Recommended dishes include curried mashed potato (Thai style), seafood congee in a stone pot (Korean style), fruit and youtiao - fried flour stick - salad (Taiwan style) and Blue Lotus BBQ chicken (local dish). An English menu is available.
Address: 1-1 Inside Jilong Hill
Tel: (0571) 8715-6551
Jura Town Restaurant
Just 50 meters north of Blue Lotus, Jura Town is another popular Shuangfeng Village restaurant. It offers creative dishes, barbecue and nice desserts, and doubles as a bar in night providing home-made alcohol.
The decor is rustic-style and customers order from a black board. A long section that can seat 50 people facing the tea bush grove is the best spot for this season. The windows can be opened letting in the fresh scent of the tea bushes.
Barbecue options include classical dishes like BBQ fish, lamb kebabs and lamb chops - which go great with a beer. Desserts and beverages, like milk tea and juices, are also recommended.
Address: 68-4 Jilong Hill
Tel: (0571) 8797-9012
This is the idyllic scene that greets visitors to the Longjing area in the west West Lake area at this time of year.
Longjing - dragon's well - is a hilly village famous for its top-quality green tea, and since last week its bushes have been in bud with the year's new leaves.
Leaves collected before Qingming Festival - Tombsweeping Day, which falls on April 4 this year, are very expensive. Dried pre-Qingming tea leaves sells for tens of thousands yuan a kilo.
Despite the big money at stake, the Longjing area is very inviting; for beautiful scenery charges nothing. It also features fine spots for visitors, such as teahouses, hostels, restaurants and museums.
The area stretches along Longjing Road. At the west side lies Longjing Village, where most of the Longjing tea on the market comes from.
Tea farmers live there and many also run teahouses offering home-made cuisine along with their famous beverage.
In the middle part is Shuangfeng Village, while in the east end is Maojiabu Village. Both boast tea groves and feature refined restaurants, youth hostels and teahouses, all just a 10-minute drive from urban Hangzhou.
Shanghai Daily took a tea tour, today introducing Shuangfeng and next Monday exploring the sights of Maojiabu.
China Tea Museum
China Tea Museum is not only a center of beverage culture and history, but also a 7,600 square-meter park of tea plantations and babbling streams.
The museum is free and a must-see attraction for many travel groups. It has a southern China style, evident in its numerous ponds and traditional pavilions and other buildings.
At this time of year, visitors can appreciate the cherry blossom, camellia and magnolia in full bloom, and watch their petals fall onto the surface of the water.
The museum features five exhibition halls which introduce Chinese tea history and culture, including tea tasting and the tea ceremony.
There are six rooms where visitors can try different teas, and the tea ceremony is also available, though must be booked in advance.
Address: 88 Longjing Road
Tel: (0571) 8796-4221
Website:http://english.teamuseum.cn/
Green Tea Restaurant
This restaurant chain has five branches in Hangzhou, two in Shanghai, and queues of customers.
Shuangfeng Village is home to the original Green Tea Restaurant, set at the edge of a pool.
French windows and a glass ceiling allow for the maximum sunlight, while its wooden pillars also bring diners closer to nature.
As the queues indicate, its dishes come highly recommend. Many are creative adaptations of local cuisine, such as Longjing Wencha (Looking for Dragon Well Tea), which includes Longjing tea, shrimp and pidan (century egg). Another favorite is green tea barbecued pork, which uses pork preserved for four hours, so much of the fat is gone before cooking.
The "Attractive Series" is also recommended - including beef, fish heads and bread. An English menu is available.
Address: 83 Longjing Road
Tel: (0571) 8788-8022
Blue Lotus Restaurant
This garden restaurant offers greenery wherever you look. So even though its location - where a tunnel and small lane cross - is not an ideal restaurant location, it can always attract customers to fill its tables in the garden and two small buildings.
Outdoors and in a conservatory are tens of tables made of rough wood. In warm weather it's the perfect place to enjoy the sunshine.
The menu includes Thai staples, plus fusion and creative dishes adapted from Hangzhou cuisine, with an emphasis on fresh ingredients.
Recommended dishes include curried mashed potato (Thai style), seafood congee in a stone pot (Korean style), fruit and youtiao - fried flour stick - salad (Taiwan style) and Blue Lotus BBQ chicken (local dish). An English menu is available.
Address: 1-1 Inside Jilong Hill
Tel: (0571) 8715-6551
Jura Town Restaurant
Just 50 meters north of Blue Lotus, Jura Town is another popular Shuangfeng Village restaurant. It offers creative dishes, barbecue and nice desserts, and doubles as a bar in night providing home-made alcohol.
The decor is rustic-style and customers order from a black board. A long section that can seat 50 people facing the tea bush grove is the best spot for this season. The windows can be opened letting in the fresh scent of the tea bushes.
Barbecue options include classical dishes like BBQ fish, lamb kebabs and lamb chops - which go great with a beer. Desserts and beverages, like milk tea and juices, are also recommended.
Address: 68-4 Jilong Hill
Tel: (0571) 8797-9012
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