A nice break from the Hangzhou West Lake is the Longjing tea plantation area. Hidden away in the southwest corner of the lake are some secluded walks and the village of Longjing itself. Longjing actually means, "Dragon Well" and according to legend, the Dragon Well was discovered in about 230AD. This fresh spring water encouraged the people of Hangzhou to develop their own quality tea, and thus Longjing tea was born.
The dominant thing here is tea! Whether it be drinking, picking, smelling or buying. A trip to the Longjing Tea Plantation (or Village of Longjing) is a 30 minute-cycle ride (most of the hotels in Hangzhou have bikes for hire). Tea terraces rise up on either side of the village and it's an interesting area to walk around. Here you can see the harvesting and processing of the tea; you can purchase the tea as well as tea sets, local plum wine, and candies and snacks made from tea.
Address: Hangzhou's West Lake district in Zhejiang province
