A bird's-eye view of Jingshan Mountain in Yuhang district, Hangzhou. [Photo/WeChat account: westlakeexpo]

The 22nd China Tea Saint Festival opened in Yuhang district, Hangzhou on Dec 18, launching the cultural brand "Heavenly Zen Tea from Jingshan".

The Jingshan Zen Tea culture has a history of over 1,200 years. The 'Jingshan Tea Banquet' has been included in the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Jingshan is an active arena for 'Tea and Zen' in international cross-cultural exchanges. It can be said that the Zen Tea culture of Jingshan not only has a profound accumulation but also has the potential for innovative development.

Yuhang's Jingshan Zen Tea joined hands with famous teas such as Nanyue Zen Tea, Emei Snow Bud, and Wuyi Rock Tea (Da Hong Pao), forming the Contemporary Famous Mountain Zen Tea Culture Exchange Alliance, extensively carrying out tea culture exchange and mutual learning activities to promote tea culture.

As the cultural calling card of Yuhang, Jingshan tea is also the key to rural vitalization. Currently, the district has over 70,000 mu (approximately 4,667 hectares) of tea plantations. In 2023 alone, the brand value of Jingshan tea reached 3.165 billion ($441.5 million), with a total output value of 5 billion yuan.

A tea ceremony. [Photo/WeChat account: westlakeexpo]