Tea cultural Site of Guzhu Mountain in Changxing

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Situated at the foot of Guzhu Mountain in the north of Changxing county, the site is 17 kilometers away from Zhicheng town (the seat of the county government). This place has been famous for tea culture since the Tang Dynasty. Its tea culture enjoys great fame throughout the southeastern Asia. As the original land of tea culture, the first imperial house for manufacturing tea was set up in the year of 770. The tea that produced here was listed as a tribute to the court in the Tang Dynasty. At the beginning of spring season every year, the governors of Huzhou, Changzhou, and other places nearby received the imperial assignment of going there to inspect and supervise the manufacturing of tributary tea. In those days, many elites and poets like Yan Zhenqin, Du Mu, Yuan Gao, Yu Jie, Zhang Wengui, and LiCi made their trips there and left many poetic verses and rock carvings on the hillsides. These remains add the Guzhu Mountain much culture beyond that of tea alone.

Facing towards the Tai Lake to the east, and the Tianmu Mountain to the west, Guzhu Mountain has the temperate climate. The fertility of the soil is very favorable for planting tea. To one’s surprise, some tea called Zisun is made with Jinsha spring water in a container or just poured the boiling water into a cup, the ready leaves of dry tea stretch out as the tender tips of bamboo leaves. For a while, the tea water mixed with Zisun Cha turns purple slowly. That is why this kind of tea is called “Zi Sun Tea”(purple bamboo-tip tea) in Chinese. It is worthy mentioned that Lu Yu, who completed the first work on tea in the world, chose this place for his permanent residence. He cultivated tea himself in the tea plantation and carried out his researches into tea at the same time. For these reasons, the place now is considered the birthplace of tea culture in the world. It is the qualified place to study the formation of tea culture. Fresh air, greenmountains, delicate brooks, and those activities about tea culture have constantly held visitors and audiences spellbound for ages. Gradually, this place becomes a hot tourist site characterized by tea culture.

There are many scenic and historical spots in this tea cultural tourist site with their own stories. Tourists can pay a visit to the ancient site of tea house for manufacturing tributary tea, to Shousheng Si(Longevity SaintTemple), to Bawang Tan (Pond of Xiang Yu), to Wanggui Ting(the Pavilion of Forgetting Return), to Jinsha Quan(Golden Sand Spring), to Qingfeng Lou(Refreshing Breeze Tower), to Hutou Yan (Tiger Head Rock), and so In recent years, the local farmers take the advantages of rich eco-tourist resources and provide tourists some farm work for pleasure, such as fruit picking and tea picking. The rustic tour with farm activities has a strong local flavor, espscially attracts those who like spending their weekends in the countryside. Practicing farm work with their own hands gives tourists another kind of pleasant experience in the site.