Mei Jia Wu Village

from REDSTAR Hangzhou Dec 2018

by REDSTAR Works

Eggplant with spicy garlic

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A PEACEFUL AFTERNOON IN

MEI JIA WU VILLAGE

By Annie Clover

When you think of China, one of the first things that is likely to cross your

mind is Chinese Tea. One of the most famous of these teas is named ‘LongJing’ Tea, which literally translates to ‘Dragon Well’ Tea. Just West of Hangzhou’s touristic (and almost always crowded) West Lake, is a peaceful tea plantation where the leaves for LongJing Tea are grown, right around the corner from the quaint village of MeiJiaWu. Everything about this place revolves around the growing, preparing, and drinking of tea. If you come during the month of January, you may even be lucky enough to see the unique beauty of tea trees in full blossom.

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You can get to MeiJiaWu by public transport using any of the following bus routes:

Another of the more famous attractions of MeiJiaWu Village is one of its oldest residents, an 80-year-old man known by the locals as the ‘grandpa’ of the village. Always dressed in traditional Chinese clothing, he welcomes visitors in to the village with a warm smile. Follow his friendly face and long silver beard a little further and you may find yourself sitting in his restaurant, where you can try some of the local delicacies, as well as a cup of freshly-picked LongJing Tea to wash them down.

After lunch, make sure you stop by the tea fields to see how the best leaves are picked to ensure the high standards that surround LongJing Tea are met. Only the top part of the plant, the baby leaves, are selected, then roasted immediately to prevent natural oxidation.

The result is a natural tea rich in vitamin C as well as amino acids. LongJing Tea leaves are unfermented and have the highest concentration of catechins (an anti-oxidant) among all the many

different types of teas. As for the taste, LongJing Tea has very mild flavour with a little sweetness, a unique fragrance and a pleasant flowery aftertaste. If you are interested in knowing more, ask one of the villagers to share with you the legend of Long Jing or Dragon Well Tea.

So next time city life gets a bit too much for you, escape to the nearby village of MeiJiaWu and enjoy a peaceful afternoon sipping tea and taking in the green surroundings!