Tea, turtle, peaches and berries

Scenic charm aside, the park is also an agricultural ‘ lab’ that produces the best tea cultivars and island fruits in Dinghai. The Tea Valley that constitutes the centerpiece of the park’s Datanggang area is the sole production site of “Sea Fragrance”-the signature Buddha Tea variety of Zhoushan. The park’s Tea Square is a nice place to savor the tea’s unique fl avour nourished by the balmy oceanic climate and the fertile sub-acid soil about 400 meters above sea level. The harvest season of the tea is a very short period of about three weeks in April.

The Tea Valley also serves as a truly organic orchard fruit cornucopia. The ‘ honey juicy peach’ grown here ranks among the country’s best.

Water Square is the fi rst view most people reach when entering from the main entrance. The rolling green hills and puffy white clouds are refl ected on the still body of water.A set of stepping-stones leads to a cascading waterfall where the stream spills over the rocks making a beautiful water feature.

If you are lucky, you may spot the lucky turtle on his golden throne, waiting patiently to endow visitors with good fortune. When entering the turtle’s house filled with candles and trinkets, his octagonal seat was laid bare, but his guardian quickly whisked him in after a bath and placed him back to be center of attention The old and wise turtle is patted by visitors for a range of reasons, from excelling in exams to maintaining good health. Surrounded by 10-yuan notes, the income the turtle raises from well-wishers is used to buy fruit.

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