书城外语CountrysideofChina
47665200000033

第33章 Home to Longjing Tea—Longjing Village

Longjing Village,“the number one tea-producingvillage,”is famous around the world because itproduces large quantities of high-quality WestLake Longjing tea.West Lake Longing tea,known as the“queen of green teas,”is number one among the top tentea varieties of China.It comes in five varieties accordingto production locality:lion,dragon,cloud,tiger,andmulberry.West Lake Longjing tea has served as a gift andrefreshment for friends for a long time,and has becomea bridge of friendship in international exchange and astaple at state banquets and tea ceremonies.

Longjing tea is usually grown next to the mountainsand close to water on a slope where it can receive fullsunlight on clear days and the soil is acidic and drainswell after rainfalls.The soil is very fertile in the areaof Longjing Village,which is surrounded by mountain peaks and lush forests.The excellent geographical environmentand quality water source provide unique naturalconditions for tea production.Thanks to the mountainstreams and precipitation of the area,Longjing tea hasbeen given the honorary title of“number one tea of China”for its green color,excellent aroma,great taste andgood appearance.

Longjing Village is located in the Hangzhou West Laketourist zone bordering Xizi Lake on the east,WuyunMountain to the west,the eastward surging QiantangRiver to the south and the cloud-scraping peaks of thenorth-south range of mountains to the north.The village issurrounded by fog-enshrouded mountains and resemblesa green jewel embedded in the shore of Xizi Lake,a primeexample of a picturesque village.The village is rich inscenic and photographic tourist attractions such as ImperialTea Orchard,Hugong Temple and Old Dragon Well,lending a strong cultural atmosphere to this tea-growingarea.

The West Lake Longjing tea-growing region is rich incultural heritage.During the process of building a newsocialist countryside,Longjing Village has adhered toa principle of“minimum interference,preservation ofthe original flavor and environmental concerns first,”respected the wishes of local residentsand adopted measures appropriatefor local conditions and retained theoriginal appearance wherever possible.

The new Longjing Village is a concisecombination of Chinese spring culture,tea culture and Buddhist culture.Afterrenovation of the village,the beauty ofthe mountain streams and forests onceagain comprise the mountain sceneryof brooks and streams in Longjing Villageand the classical beauty of thebuildings is an ideal place for touriststo once again see the mountain sceneryand appearance of the homes of thelocal tea growers along the road windingup the mountain peaks alongsidesprings and streams.

The homes in Longjing Village arebuilt along the contour of the mountainso they are at all different heights.The teahouses ofthe local residents have plastered walls with black tileroofs and are unique in style.The streets of the village areclean and neat and the scenery is very picturesque,drawingstreams of tourists.The flat roofs were all convertedto sloping black tile roofs and the doors have all beenchanged to baked enamel aluminum doors with woodenframes on doors and windows.The outer walls of buildingswere also painted with a unified color scheme.Ata high point at the entrance to the village they erected amemorial archway 7.9 meters wide and 9 meters tall withthe three characters for Longjing Village written at thetop.In addition,the village has erected four signs in fourdifferent languages for the convenience of tourists to explainthe history,scenic spots,and public facilities of thevillage.These improvements have helped Longjing Villagebecome more attractive to tourists in the West Lakescenic area.