We took the bullet train from Shanghai to Hangzhou and then had a family friend pick us up, take us for lunch in the Hangzhou village of Meijiawu and then drive us to Longjing. We stayed at the boutique hotel, Landison Longjing Resort, which is probably the closest hotel to Longjing Village.
A plantation at Meijiawu
Workers harvesting the tea
Tea plant
The resort
The view from the resort
A ten-minute walk from the Landison are the hills of Longjing village proper
The most famous peak in Longjing village - Lion Peak Mountain (狮峰)
A residence in Longjing village
A tea plant
Also a must see for any Chinese tea enthusiast – the nearby China Tea Museum (the website could really use some work).
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m fascinated by your Tao Bao project Hank. Given its high density of tea shops, I’m very curious as to how prevalent online tea sales are in China nowadays. I’ll definitely be checking back in for updates. Would love to see some video footage as well should you find the time!
David,
I would say people wouldn’t be selling tea online if people weren’t buying it. Quality is always a concern, but vendor reviews are some help. Some teas, such as Junshan Silver Needle (君山银针) are now providing certification numbers and websites to verify authenticity. More info here: http://thenetworksense.com/2010/05/31/junshan-silver-needle/.