A nice break from the lake is the Longjing tea plantation area. Hidden away in the southwest corner of the lake are some secluded walks and the village of Longjing itself.

     Longjing actually means, "Dragon Well" and according to legend, the Dragon Well was discovered in about 230AD! This fresh spring water encouraged the people of Hangzhou to develop their own quality tea, and thus Longjing tea was born. The dominant thing here is tea! Whether it be drinking, picking, smelling or buying. A trip to the village of Longjing is a 30 minute cycle ride and most of the hotels in Hangzhou have bikes for hire. Tea terraces rise up on either side of the village and it's an interesting area to walk around and watch the locals at work. So many places here have tea for sale and it is difficult to recommend which type or flavor is best. Prices for the tea range from RMB500 for one kilo to RMB10,00 per kilo! But you can buy a nice tea for between RMB500 and RMB2000. The best thing to do is to sample as many as you can (some of the locals will invite you in if you are lucky) and then make your decision!