Nella terza parte della mia visita ad Hangzhou ci sono la zona collinare chiamata Longjing (Pozzo del Drago, 龙井) che è anche il nome di una qualità di tè cinese coltivata in quelle zone; la Montagna dell'imperatore di giada (Yuhuang Shan, 玉皇山) che è alta circa 300 m; il tempio Yue (Yue Miao, 岳庙) locato nella parte sud del lago Xi; il Parco Zhusu (Zhusu Yuan, 竹素园)che si trova di fronte al Tempio Yue.
HANGZHOU - Tea House & West Lake
“A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.” ― E. Welty
With our China tour slowly coming to an end, we prepared ourselves to relish the experiences that today’s adventures in Hangzhou offered. Our morning started with our bus weaving through the picturesque terraced tea-plantations of the Meijiawu Tea Culture Village. Prior to us arriving at the charming Tea House, our knowledgeable tour guide (a green tea connoisseur himself) described the process the farmers use to produce the fragrant West Lake Dragon Well Tea. At the Tea House a qualified tea expert explained and demonstrated the processes for picking, drying and grading the leaves. She also amazed everyone with a ‘magical’ chemical demonstration that emphasized the health benefits of green leaf tea. And, of course we all got the opportunity to sample and purchase some high-grade tea leaves and other goodies. Michael’s sweet tooth didn’t allow him to leave the Tea House without buying a couple of packets of delicious green tea lollies!
Back on the bus for a short drive to the most popular place in Hangzhou - West Lake. This beautiful fresh water lake located in the middle of the city is the subject of many poems and paintings. Utterly mesmerising with the pagoda-topped hills rising over willow-lined waters and stunning temples, pavilions, gardens and bridges surrounding it. There were many kinds of boats, including large painted boats and small rowing boats that drifted along the lake. An aura of romance was added to our boat trip as Joe told us the legendary story originating in West Lake …. isn’t love grand!
After our lake cruise we had some time to ourselves for arranging lunch and strolling around the nearby shops. We then wandered back to the bus and admired the beautiful tree-lined streets and stunning parks with manicured garden beds. Then it was all aboard for our scenic 2hr bus ride to Shanghai.
The scenery was remarkable! We goggled at the vast rice fields and sprawling farmlands interwoven with impressive farm houses. The dense high-rise apartment buildings extended towards the horizon (as far as the eye could see) and all of this was intertwined with an abundance of cranes signalling further development and construction.
As we neared Shanghai, we took a moment to reflect on our day’s adventures (so far) and agreed that the picturesque scenery was nothing short of SPECTACULAR!
Time to hit the road! Michelle & Michael – The travel addicts
Hangzhou , China in October 2018 Longjing tea plantation
Filmed with the DJI Mavic Air Hangzhou , China in October 2018 #4K
Hangzhou - Longjing Tea Village
The process to make the famous Longjing green tea - 19 December 2011
Longjing Tea Mountains
Here is a clip of the Dragon Well hills surrounding the ancient capital of China, Hangzhou. You may appreciate the beauty of the women picking tea leaves who work during spring for one month of the year and all the work for a cup of tea.
Dragonwell
Picked at 8 am on Shi Feng mountain in Long Jing Village on the morning of the 30th of March, this is ultra- premium Pre- Qing-Ming Dragonwell. A superfine fragrance of chestnuts and fresh grass, sweet notes of star fruit and a full body finish. This is a superlative Dragonwell that has yielded up to 5 steepings.