THIS is the peak season to enjoy sweet osmanthus, the city flower of Hangzhou, and the Manjuelong Village is filled with thousands of fragrant sweet osmanthus trees.

It's an autumn tradition to visit the mountainous area and enjoy the sight and scent of trees with tiny flowers in the color of gold, silver and orange.

It's time to relax in the shade of osmanthus trees, sip osmanthus-flavored tea and enjoy traditional countryside dishes, many flavored with osmanthus.

Manjuelong, south of the West Lake, is known as one of the "10 New Sceneries of West Lake." Tourism is developing, renovation of farm buildings is underway, and a tea street with tea houses is being developed.

So, before the developers succeed in drawing big crowds, this is the time to visit the spot with 9,000 flowering osmanthus trees that fill the air with their fragrance. The tree is known as osmanthus frangrans.

Trees are everywhere around the village and nearby hills.

Manjuelong Village has three zones - Upper Manjuelong, Lower Manjuelong and Siyanjing.

Upper Manjuelong features tea trees, the lower one has the most osmanthus trees and Siyanjing is filled with charming youth hostels.

Processing

Many households in the lower valley have their own osmanthus groves of towering trees, and they run tea houses, restaurants and hotels by opening their backyard and houses to visitors.

The flowers are processed into osmanthus sugar and dry osmanthus, which can be infused with tea leaves and can be used to produce osmanthus-scented jam, sweet cakes, dumplings, soups and even liquor.

Hu Jingyong in Manjuelong has run a large osmanthus-processing workshop with his family for more than 20 years. He produces osmanthus sugar and dry osmanthus for many big food factories, restaurants, supermarkets and department stores in Hangzhou.

"The osmanthus blossoms and withers three times in the season," says Hu. "We collect the early ones in late July, the next in mid-September and the last blooms at the end of October."

The 70-year-old gentleman and workers grind, dry and process them into seasoning.

Lower Manjuelong features the Osmanthus Fragrans Hall, which is actually a grove around 40 meters long. More than 20 of the gold- and silver-blossoming trees are more than 200 years old. Records show many were planted in 1785.

In the woods under the shady trees, almost every seat is occupied, even on Mondays.

"Hangzhou is a heavenly city, and we came all the way from Shanghai for the osmanthus," says Lu Jirong and a group of retired workers from Shanghai.

"It is delightful to try osmanthus-flavored food under the osmanthus trees with sweet-scented air. This lifts our hearts and refreshes our minds."

To improve its appearance and get more tourists, the village has just finished a renovation and facilities upgrade.

Workers now have removed the huge awnings that used to filter strong sunshine. In those days blossoms might drop right into a visitor's tea or food °?- most enjoyed the experience.

Now the awnings have been lowered to ensure the trees receive enough sunshine and rain, and to prevent insects or dust falling upon visitors and their food.

These days only the visitors in unsheltered seats without awnings can enjoy blossoms dropping into their tea cups.

To improve watering the trees' roots, cement has been removed from the ground and replaced with spaced slate paving stones that allow grass to grow between them. Builders have contructed a winding slate path leading into the woods.

Newly planted maple trees add golden and red colors when the leaves turn in autumn.

Renovation

Newly renovated farm houses have been turned into traditional Chinese-style houses with white walls and black slate eaves. Some of these are now restaurants and youth hostels.

The roads have been widened and more than 100 parking spaces are available to drivers.

The completion of the renovation coincides with the last blooming of the osmanthus.

"The flowers usually bloom from the end of July to the beginning of October," says tea house owner Qiu Wenwei, who started business in 1986. "But the late summer and changeable weather delayed the blooming and now visitors can enjoy it through the end of October."

Many kinds of osmanthus bloom in the Guiyu Garden and Haihua Garden of Haihua Hotel in the Manjuelong Village.

"Many regular customers stay in our hotel for every osmanthus festival," says Zhou Jun, hotel sales manager. "They enjoy sipping a cup of Longjing tea under the osmanthus trees, playing cards or fishing in the shade. Many family gatherings and conferences are held at the hotel during this time of year."

The hotel also lauched many osmanthus-related dim sum and dishes.

There's more to enjoy besides osmanthus. Upper Manjuelong is ready to open a new tea street with fashionable restaurants.

Youth hostels in Siyangjing are popular.

Siyanjing lies along Hupao Road, and modern restaurants there have their own osmanthus gardens and groves. Waiters shuttle among tables with delicate food and cooks expertly grill seafood and other prepared dishes. Many restaurants have buffets. A dozen youth hostels are concentrated in Manjuelong Village, especially in Siyanjing zone. Here are some:



Jiangnanyi International Youth Hostel

Address: No. 87 Siyanjing

Feature: Wooden stairs, floor and furniture; cheap and popular food.

Website: www.jiangnanyi.com

Twelve Constellations Youth Hostel

Address: No. 61 Siyanjing

Feature: Every room has a constellation theme in matching decor.

Website: www.12-q.com

Starlight Youth Hostel

Address: No. 228 Siyanjing

Feature: Large outdoor bar, restaurant and tea house. Countryside dishes and grill and specialties.

Website: www.xgk.com.cn

Barn Lantern Tribe Youth Hostel

Address: No. 238 Siyanjing

Feature: Barn lanterns spread everywhere around the yard, mini golf and snooker.

Website: www.greeninn.net



How to get there:

Y3 to Manjuelong stop

K527, K504, K514, K822, K808, K4, 315, J9, J5, J1, Y7 to Zoo stop. (beside Siyanjing)