The Old Longjing Eighteen Imperial Tea Garden nestles at the foot of Shifeng Mountain within the West Lake Scenic Area in Hangzhou. It marks the birthplace and core growing zone of West Lake Longjing Tea and serves as the heart of Inquiring About Tea at Longjing, one of the New Ten Scenic Spots of West Lake.
Legend has it that during his southern inspection tour, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty designated eighteen tea trees in front of Hugong Temple as imperial tea trees. Special caretakers were assigned to tend them, and the tea leaves harvested every year were tribute to the imperial court. These trees became famous as the Eighteen Imperial Tea Trees, hailed as the jewel on the crown of Shifeng Longjing.
The garden preserves abundant historical relics. The Old Longjing Spring ranks among the three renowned springs of West Lake, with stone inscriptions of “Old Longjing” attributed to Su Shi carved on the cliff. Remains of the Song Guangfu Courtyard, a thousand-year-old Song plum tree, the Biancai Pagoda and Hugong Pavilion are also found here, tracing the millennium-long cultural heritage of Longjing tea.
Surrounded by green hills and dotted with elegant ancient buildings, the garden invites visitors to view the imperial tea trees, taste authentic West Lake Longjing brewed with spring water from the Old Longjing Spring, and immerse themselves in the history of tribute tea, natural mountain scenery and Zen tea philosophy. Integrating heritage sightseeing, tea culture experience and tea tasting leisure, it is a cultural tourism destination to explore the origin of West Lake Longjing.