明前 / 雨前春茶
Mar 15 – Apr 20
Longjing 43 opens in mid-to-late March; heirloom Longjing Qunti peaks around Qingming to Guyu.
国家质量监督检验检疫总局 / 国家标准化管理委员会 (AQSIQ / SAC)
杭州
Hangzhou
Capital of Zhejiang encompassing the West Lake (Xihu) core sub-zone of Longjing green tea and the Yuhang monastery hills of Jingshan Cha.
- Level
- Prefectureprefecture-level city (地级市)
- Within
- Zhejiang
At a glance#
Garden elevation
30–800 m
国家质量监督检验检疫总局 / 国家标准化管理委员会 (AQSIQ / SAC)
Rainfall
1,450 mm a year
国家质量监督检验检疫总局 / 国家标准化管理委员会 (AQSIQ / SAC)
Mean temperature
16.5 °C
国家质量监督检验检疫总局 / 国家标准化管理委员会 (AQSIQ / SAC)
Mean relative humidity
77 %
国家质量监督检验检疫总局 / 国家标准化管理委员会 (AQSIQ / SAC)
Fog days
120 a year
国家质量监督检验检疫总局 / 国家标准化管理委员会 (AQSIQ / SAC)
Location
- Garden elevation
- West Lake Longjing hills sit at 30–350 m; Jingshan monastery gardens in Yuhang and Jiukeng hills in Chun'an reach 400–800 m.
Where it lies#
Tea places nearby, plotted by their coordinates. Only physical positions are shown, no boundaries.
97 places shown Across the view · 672 km
55 places shown Across the view · 441 km
Altitude#
Garden elevations here and in neighbouring places, as sourced.
Picking calendar#
Terroir#
- Rock
- Devonian quartz sandstone (西湖石英砂岩) around Shifeng and Longjing; limestone and volcanic tuff in outer West Lake and Yuhang.
- Soil
- Friable, acidic white-sand loam (白砂土) weathered from quartz sandstone (pH 4.5–5.5) in core West Lake hills, plus yellow-red mountain soils.
- Slope and light
- The three-sided amphitheatre of hills around West Lake and the Qiantang River funnels moist southeast breezes and valley fog across the tea terraces.
国家质量监督检验检疫总局 / 国家标准化管理委员会 (AQSIQ / SAC)
Cultivation#
- Cultivars grown
- Longjing seed populationLongjing 43Jiukeng populationZhongcha 108
- Landraces
- West Lake Longjing landrace (龙井群体种) and Chun'an Jiukeng seed population (鸠坑种).
- Practice
- Hand-pressed flat pan-firing (十大手法) for West Lake Longjing; Zen monastic steamed/pan-fired craft at Jingshan; twisted fermented black tea at Jiuqu Hongmei in Shuangpu.
国家质量监督检验检疫总局 / 国家标准化管理委员会 (AQSIQ / SAC)
Local words#
| Local words | Dialect | |
|---|---|---|
| 龙井茶 Wu IPA: loŋ˨˩ tɕin˥˧ dzo˨˩˧ | Wu (Hangzhou) | Hangzhou Wu pronunciation for Dragon Well green tea, named after the karst spring and monastery hamlet in the West Lake hills where flat pan-firing was perfected. |
People#
- West Lake Longjing village tea growers and Jingshan monastic heirs 西湖龙井茶农与径山禅茶传承人
- Hereditary tea-farming households across the West Lake protection villages and monastic-lay artisans in Yuhang preserve bare-handed iron-wok flattening and Song-lineage Zen tea rituals.
Market#
- Primary trade channel
- Smallholder households in the West Lake scenic villages and Yuhang cooperatives sell pre-Qingming lots directly to collectors and state-certified brand enterprises under traceable GI origin labels.
- Trading towns
- Longjing Village (Xihu) · Meijiawu · Jingshan (Yuhang)
- Output
- Hangzhou encompasses the high-value West Lake (Xihu) core sub-zone and the broader Qiantang Longjing production zone, alongside Yuhang's Jingshan Cha and Xihu's Jiuqu Hongmei black tea.
- Prices of teas claiming this origin
- Pricing is dominated by strict geographical-indication boundaries (first-rank Xihu villages vs. Qiantang sub-zone), pre-Qingming harvest date, and traditional Qunti seed-population vs. Longjing 43 leaf.
History#
- 742Monk Faqin establishes Jingshan Temple in Yuhang, founding the Jingshan Zen tea banquet tradition (径山茶宴).
- 1751Qianlong Emperor visits West Lake Longjing gardens at Huagang/Shifeng and designates the Eighteen Imperial Tea Bushes.国家质量监督检验检疫总局 / 国家标准化管理委员会 (AQSIQ / SAC)
- 2001National geographical indication protection established for Longjing tea (West Lake, Qiantang, and Yuezhou sub-regions).国家质量监督检验检疫总局 / 国家标准化管理委员会 (AQSIQ / SAC)
Notes#
Identity and history#
Centred on the hills framing West Lake and the bamboo-forested ridges of Yuhang along the lower Qiantang basin, Hangzhou anchors both imperial tribute pan-fired green tea and medieval monastic steamed-tea heritage. Within the statutory West Lake Longjing protection zone, primary and secondary villages cultivate heirloom population bushes and clonal selections on quartzose sandstone and limestone soils, hand-flattening spring shoots in heated iron woks through ten classic palm movements. Northwest in Yuhang, Jingshan Cha preserves a floral, lightly baked green-tea profile alongside the intangible heritage of Southern Song Zen tea banquets.
Prices of teas claiming this origin#
International retail
Show as table
| Product | Vendor | Channel | per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Jing Superfine Green Tea | In the Mood for Tea | International retail | $30.05 |
| Shi Feng Dragon Well Longjing Green Tea | TeaVivre | International retail | $40.62 |
| Long Jing Reserve Green Tea | In the Mood for Tea | International retail | $43.96 |
| Jiu Qu Hong Mei Red Plum Black Tea | The Tea Torino | International retail | $51.59 |
| Long Jing Grand Cru Green Tea | Terre de Chine | International retail | $94.21 |
| Shi Feng Longjing | Sazen Tea | International retail | $232.15 |
| Master Luo's Meijiawu Old Tree Longjing | Postcard Teas | International retail | $399.73 |
Listings claiming this origin 7#
Price ranks compare recorded retail offers for the same tea, including offers outside the current delivery filter. Shipping and import charges are excluded.
Prices compared in the selected currency; unknown values appear last.
| Product | Vendor | Price | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
Long Jing Superfine Green Tea
Details and price notesCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
50 g pack at SEK 149; 100 g (SEK 289) and 200 g (SEK 569) also available |
In the Mood for TeaSelected destinations |
SEK 149.00 / 50 g | $30.05 SEK 298.00 / 100 g |
Shi Feng Dragon Well Longjing Green Tea
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
TeaVivreWorldwide |
$45.90 / 113 g | $40.62 |
Long Jing Reserve Green Tea
Details and price notesCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
25 g pack at SEK 109; 50 g (SEK 209), 100 g (SEK 399), and 200 g (SEK 789) also available |
In the Mood for TeaSelected destinations |
SEK 109.00 / 25 g | $43.96 SEK 436.00 / 100 g |
Jiu Qu Hong Mei Red Plum Black Tea
Details and price notesCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
25 g pack at EUR 11.50 |
The Tea TorinoSelected destinations |
€11.50 / 25 g | $51.59 €46.00 / 100 g |
Long Jing Grand Cru Green Tea
Details and price notesCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
25g option at EUR 21.00; 50g (EUR 41.00) and 100g (EUR 79.00) also available |
Terre de ChineSelected destinations |
€21.00 / 25 g | $94.21 €84.00 / 100 g |
Shi Feng Longjing
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
Sazen TeaWorldwide |
€20.70 / 10 g | $232.15 €207.00 / 100 g |
Master Luo's Meijiawu Old Tree Longjing
Details and price notesCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
10g Refill option at GBP 29.95; 10g Postcard caddy at GBP 31.95 |
Postcard TeasWorldwide |
£29.95 / 10 g | $399.73 £299.50 / 100 g |
Prices recorded on the dates checked. Conversions use ECB rates dated 2026-10-20; original prices appear alongside. Origin, age and cultivar are stated by the vendor.
Teas associated with this place#
龙井茶
Longjing Lóngjǐng chá
Flattened green tea from Zhejiang, with West Lake, Qiantang and Yuezhou production areas.
reviewed
西湖龙井
West Lake Longjing Xīhú Lóngjǐng
The West Lake origin branch of Longjing green tea, associated with Hangzhou.
reviewed
径山茶
Jingshan tea Jìngshān chá
Green tea associated with Jingshan in Hangzhou’s Yuhang district.
reviewed
九曲红梅
Jiuqu Hongmei Jiǔqū Hóngméi
A black tea from Hangzhou, Zhejiang, associated especially with Shuangpu. Its slender, curled leaves distinguish it from the flat green Longjing teas of the same wider area.
reviewed
Sources#
- 王镇恒、王广智主编. 中国名茶志. 中国农业出版社, 2000年12月第1版. ISBN 7-109-06510-3 / 9787109065109.
Show all sources 8Show fewer sources
- GB/T 18650-2008 地理标志产品 龙井茶 (Product of geographical indication — Longjing tea)
- 中国茶树品种志 (2001)