Home » City specials » Qingdao
Tranquility in tea trees and water
By Tan Weiyun |
October 16, 2010, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
MILES of lush green tea trees reach into the distance, dotted with groups of local girls dressed in traditional homespun clothes picking the tea leaves merrily.
Sitting in the western seashore of Qingdao City and in the northern mountainous region of Zhuigu Mountain, Green Oasis Tea Garden in Haiqing Town is emerging to be a new tourist attraction for urbanites to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and find a moment of peace among the green land.
It boasts a tea garden covering an area of more than 333 hectares, which can produce about 75,000 kilograms of quality and environmentally friendly tea leaves every year.
A total of 233 hectares are harvestable, while around 100 hectares are home to three-year-old tea trees that are still too young to be picked. In addition, four hectares of mao bamboo (giant edible bamboo with a hairy sheath) give the tea garden an elegant touch.
It is also the research and development base of China's northern tea, as certified by the Shandong Province North China Tea Research Center.
Haiqing Town has invested more than 14 billion yuan (US$2.1 billion) to develop its northern mountainous areas into a new resort combining tea plantation, sightseeing and ecological agriculture. The project includes public facilities such as four reservoirs, two water stations, seven dams, a 6,000-meter water-saving irrigation pipe and a 2,500-meter windbreak.
Nestled among boundless green lands, the garden provides a peaceful getaway for visitors who can take a casual stroll among the winding paths, sip a cup of green tea and sit by the creeks to fish for an hour or two.
Currently, a tourist trail has been planned, which includes nine scenic spots, a tourists' service center and a large parking lot.
Iron woks to dry fresh tea leaves will be set up, and open to travelers who are welcome to pick, dry and cook the leaves themselves.
Here are some of the scenic points to explore around the garden.
Ancient ginkgo tree
The 20-meter-high ancient tree with a 15-meter crown was planted in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) to celebrate the completion of the local Yongqing Temple.
There were two ginkgo trees, one male and the other female, but the "husband" died of a lightning strike leaving the "wife" to survive and thrive by herself.
The weirdest thing is that even without the male ginkgo tree, the female can still bear ginkgo fruits every year. As a result, locals believe that it is a sacred tree blessed by the immortals, and it attracts flocks of people from nearby villages to worship it and pray for blessings.
Bamboo forest
The bamboo garden covers an area of eight hectares and features a dozen types of bamboo, including mao bamboo, gang bamboo (phyllestachys pubescens), dan bamboo (henon bamboo, which is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine and soft drinks) and black bamboo.
They were introduced from southern Anhui Province in 1966 and are growing so well in the northern Qingdao.
With a four-hectare mao bamboo forest, the garden is Qingdao's biggest place boasting the most bamboos from southern China.
A wooden plank more than 1,000 meters long has been paved and other recreational facilities such as stone chairs, tables and swings are built in the forest, offering tourist a quiet place for a causal chat in the cool shade provided by the bamboo.
Tea base
The 333-hectare tea garden is a national-rated eco-green tea base. In future another 333 hectares will be built. All the tea trees were introduced from Anhui in 1966, and are among the best and longest growing of those from southern China.
Visitors can pick fresh tea leaves in the early spring, learn the drying and cooking skills from the local tea farmers, and have a sip of the tea they make by themselves.
Water paradise
The town is rich in abundant water resources and also one of the origins of the Tianshui River that runs to the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China. The original creek is 500 meters long and 300 meters wide with a depth of five to eight meters.
The creek meanders among the green mountains, flanked by patches of tea trees and bamboo forests. The isolated location keeps the place clean and quiet, and as a result various river fish and aquatic plants are thriving. Visitors can take a boat ride and enjoy the sight of fish frolicking in the water.
Biandan Cave
The cave, located halfway up the Qianhuang Mountain, was discovered and opened in the 1960s.
Legend has it that the God Erlang, who has three eyes (the third one is in the middle of the forehead and can see things thousands miles away), was carrying loads of stone to fill the sea, but his biandan, or shoulder pole, suddenly broke. One of the holes carved on the pole was turned into the cave.
The cave is 600 meters long, running from the east to the west. A natural active well was also found, which is three meters deep.
Tianqi Temple
With a history of more than 1,200 years, the temple was built during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to worship Huang Feihu, the God of Taishan Mountain, Shandong Province. It was destroyed during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) and was renovated in 2005.
Sitting in the western seashore of Qingdao City and in the northern mountainous region of Zhuigu Mountain, Green Oasis Tea Garden in Haiqing Town is emerging to be a new tourist attraction for urbanites to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and find a moment of peace among the green land.
It boasts a tea garden covering an area of more than 333 hectares, which can produce about 75,000 kilograms of quality and environmentally friendly tea leaves every year.
A total of 233 hectares are harvestable, while around 100 hectares are home to three-year-old tea trees that are still too young to be picked. In addition, four hectares of mao bamboo (giant edible bamboo with a hairy sheath) give the tea garden an elegant touch.
It is also the research and development base of China's northern tea, as certified by the Shandong Province North China Tea Research Center.
Haiqing Town has invested more than 14 billion yuan (US$2.1 billion) to develop its northern mountainous areas into a new resort combining tea plantation, sightseeing and ecological agriculture. The project includes public facilities such as four reservoirs, two water stations, seven dams, a 6,000-meter water-saving irrigation pipe and a 2,500-meter windbreak.
Nestled among boundless green lands, the garden provides a peaceful getaway for visitors who can take a casual stroll among the winding paths, sip a cup of green tea and sit by the creeks to fish for an hour or two.
Currently, a tourist trail has been planned, which includes nine scenic spots, a tourists' service center and a large parking lot.
Iron woks to dry fresh tea leaves will be set up, and open to travelers who are welcome to pick, dry and cook the leaves themselves.
Here are some of the scenic points to explore around the garden.
Ancient ginkgo tree
The 20-meter-high ancient tree with a 15-meter crown was planted in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) to celebrate the completion of the local Yongqing Temple.
There were two ginkgo trees, one male and the other female, but the "husband" died of a lightning strike leaving the "wife" to survive and thrive by herself.
The weirdest thing is that even without the male ginkgo tree, the female can still bear ginkgo fruits every year. As a result, locals believe that it is a sacred tree blessed by the immortals, and it attracts flocks of people from nearby villages to worship it and pray for blessings.
Bamboo forest
The bamboo garden covers an area of eight hectares and features a dozen types of bamboo, including mao bamboo, gang bamboo (phyllestachys pubescens), dan bamboo (henon bamboo, which is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine and soft drinks) and black bamboo.
They were introduced from southern Anhui Province in 1966 and are growing so well in the northern Qingdao.
With a four-hectare mao bamboo forest, the garden is Qingdao's biggest place boasting the most bamboos from southern China.
A wooden plank more than 1,000 meters long has been paved and other recreational facilities such as stone chairs, tables and swings are built in the forest, offering tourist a quiet place for a causal chat in the cool shade provided by the bamboo.
Tea base
The 333-hectare tea garden is a national-rated eco-green tea base. In future another 333 hectares will be built. All the tea trees were introduced from Anhui in 1966, and are among the best and longest growing of those from southern China.
Visitors can pick fresh tea leaves in the early spring, learn the drying and cooking skills from the local tea farmers, and have a sip of the tea they make by themselves.
Water paradise
The town is rich in abundant water resources and also one of the origins of the Tianshui River that runs to the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China. The original creek is 500 meters long and 300 meters wide with a depth of five to eight meters.
The creek meanders among the green mountains, flanked by patches of tea trees and bamboo forests. The isolated location keeps the place clean and quiet, and as a result various river fish and aquatic plants are thriving. Visitors can take a boat ride and enjoy the sight of fish frolicking in the water.
Biandan Cave
The cave, located halfway up the Qianhuang Mountain, was discovered and opened in the 1960s.
Legend has it that the God Erlang, who has three eyes (the third one is in the middle of the forehead and can see things thousands miles away), was carrying loads of stone to fill the sea, but his biandan, or shoulder pole, suddenly broke. One of the holes carved on the pole was turned into the cave.
The cave is 600 meters long, running from the east to the west. A natural active well was also found, which is three meters deep.
Tianqi Temple
With a history of more than 1,200 years, the temple was built during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to worship Huang Feihu, the God of Taishan Mountain, Shandong Province. It was destroyed during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) and was renovated in 2005.
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