Eight Fans are installed in the Longjing Tea Garden. They will be used to defrost the tea field when temperatures drop below 4 degree Celsius. The fans will turn on automatically. [Photo: ycwb.com]

Every year in early April, around the time of the Tomb Sweeping Festival (April 5th), it is regarded the best time to pick and enjoy spring tea. An array of activities including tea picking, tea purchasing, as well as appreciating various tea ceremonies, all together convey the message 'it's tea time now!'

When flowers are blooming and trees are budding, a trip to the hometown of different types of tea can be a refreshing and fragrant getaway for many nature lovers.

Staff at Meijiawu Tea Shop frying the fresh tea leaves. [Photo: sina.com]

1. Meijiawu, Hangzhou: Longjing tea

In east China's Hangzhou city, which is dubbed 'paradise on earth' in numerous Chinese poems, there is a rustic Meijiawu Tea Cultural Village tucked inside the greenery of the mountains and waters. Tea houses join each other at 'snaking tranquil creek', while the fragrance of tea is in the air. Fresh tea leaves are poured into a large wok, and stir fried a few times. After that, the dry tea is wrapped with kraft, and put into an urn filled with lime, so as to refine the smell of the fresh tea. In addition to watching how tea is produced you will also enjoy an authentic tea ceremony.

During holidays or weekends, Meijiawu village is extremely busy with crowds of people sipping supreme Longjing tea. But if you dont enjoy crowds a walk in the lush tea garden is also worth trying.

In the village there is a memorial hall displaying precious files and photos of late Chinese premier Zhou Enlai and other leaders.

Meijiawu offers delicious local delicacies, such as Longjing Prawns, stir fry bamboo roots, and much more.