Page 42 - JIANGSU

37 Jiangsu Glimpses

Huanglongxian Village:
A Sip of Spring

—— Ruby Chu

"Yes, that's it! It's the afternoon tea tourist attraction under China's rural
time again." The great British writer vitalization plan.
Lewis Carroll demonstrated Europeans'
enthusiasm for tea in his classic Alice in By taking advantage of the tea-growing
Wonderland. Thousands of miles away, culture as well as the abundant ecolog-
Chinese people also displayed their love ical resources, Huanglongxian provides
for tea with this inherited habit of tast- tourists an escape to the Shire-like
ing early spring tea. And these beautiful idyllic life. Be a Hobbit, and enjoy the
tea plantations in Jiangsu are no doubt fresh countryside air.
wonderland-like destinations for spring
outings. In Huanglongxian, you are also able to A taste of spring is not complete
experience tea from leaf to cup. Inside without a meal at the local restau-
When green tea harvesting time arrvies, the ancient-style Huanglong Teahouse, rants. There's a farmhouse food street
Huanglongxian Jinling Tea Culture drink some tasty tea and enjoy the scen- where visitors are invited to try the
Tourist Village becomes a perfect get- ery around. The cool lake breeze might local cuisine featured with tea flavors.
away from the hustle and bustle of a bring you back to life thousands of Come by spring and have a try of the
city like Nanjing. The 2,600-hectare tea years ago: poets and literati chatted and wild vegetables freshly picked from the
village in Jiangning District, Nanjing, wrote poems with tea in hand, and the mountains, as they are nature's gifts to
has been transformed into a popular rural scenic was their best inspiration. foodies.