Hangzhou · Neighbourhood ·
Longjing Tea Villages
龙井茶村 · Working tea-growing hillsides west of the lake — small villages strung along narrow lanes, tea houses on every other doorstep, and the source of the most famous green tea in China.
About this neighbourhood
Longjing — Dragonwell — is grown commercially across roughly twenty villages in the hills west of West Lake. The strict appellation is the four villages of Shi (Lion's Peak), Long (Dragon Well), Yun (Cloud), and Hu (Tiger Run), with Mei Family Village (Meijiawu) added as a fifth recognised producer. Tea grown elsewhere may be marketed as "West Lake Longjing" with caveats; tea grown in any of the four core villages is the genuine premium grade.
The harvest window is short — March 20 through April 5 in most years — and the early-season Mingqian (before Tomb-Sweeping Festival) leaves command the highest prices. Prices for top-grade hand-fried Mingqian Longjing have reached 30,000 RMB per kilogram in recent years; ordinary Yu Qian (between Tomb-Sweeping and Grain Rain festivals) is more accessibly priced.
The China National Tea Museum, on the road from Hangzhou into the tea hills, is a substantive introduction to Chinese tea history with a working tea garden and a tasting room. Its certified shop is the most reliable place to buy verifiable Longjing.
The Nine Streams Eighteen Gullies hiking trail (Jiu Xi Shi Ba Jian) follows the streams from Longjing village down to the southwest corner of West Lake — about 5 km, all downhill, through tea hills and bamboo. It is the recommended walking circuit for a half-day visit.
What to see
Longjing Village (the official Longjing tea origin site), Meijiawu Tea Culture Village, Mei Lingjun's tea-picking demonstration plots, China National Tea Museum, the Nine Streams Eighteen Gullies hiking trail.
What to eat
Tea-leaf shrimp (longjing xia ren) at every village restaurant; tea-infused braised pork; cold tea jelly. Most villages have a small canteen serving Hangzhou home cooking with green tea on the table.
Transit
Bus Y3 from West Lake area; bus 87 from Hubin terminus. Most visitors take a Didi or join a half-day tour. Roads are narrow — large coaches struggle.
Where to stay
Boutique tea-house guesthouses in the village conversions; a few four-star resort hotels on the village fringes. The area is residential rather than hotel-dense.
Hazards & notes
Tea purchase scams: village-edge tea hawkers may overprice or mis-grade tea. Buy from the named family-tea shops with traceable production photos, or from the China National Tea Museum's certified shop.