The Ultimate Spring Tea Map: China's Most Beautiful Springscapes Revealed

The scenery is infinitely beautiful, yet we vie for just one branch of spring.

When warm breezes and greenery silently arrive, the idea of venturing out to explore spring's beauty takes root, and the call of the wild becomes irresistible.

Spring, the Chinese people's most cherished moment of renewal and vitality, is also the season when tea buds sprout and flowers bloom. It is a time of reverence for the beauty of nature's growth and nourishment.

Tea fields spread across the land like emerald silk.

When mountains, water, clouds, mist, tea, and flowers converge in a single frame, they compose scenes of grandeur or subtlety in Eastern aesthetics—capturing China's most beautiful spring.

Tea, born in China's picturesque landscapes, has since perfumed the world. From ancient brewing methods to modern bottled tea and milk tea, it has become deeply woven into Chinese life and spirit. In spring tea gardens, the fragrance of tea mingles with the season's aroma, vibrant flowers saturate the hues of spring, towering mountains embody its majesty, and flowing streams paint its essence...

Mountains, water, clouds, mist, tea, flowers...

All these sublime images can be witnessed in a tea garden.

Left photo by Kang Lin, right photo by Liu Yanhui.

For those long confined to urban life, the urge to reconnect with nature grows stronger as spring paints the land green and rain dyes blossoms red. Beyond flower-viewing and outings, tea-loving Chinese may seek a more immersive spring experience in tea gardens.

Spring tea's verdure spans the nation, closer than we think. Wondering where to find the finest spring scenery in China's tea gardens? Follow our "Map of China's Most Beautiful Spring Tea Gardens" and set off!

As spring winds arrive, southern tea regions at lower latitudes are first touched by green. While the north still battles cold, the earliest tea shoots in Hainan's Baisha茶园 already herald spring.

By March, southern tea mountains are cloaked in green.

Here, one finds not only the earliest green but also spring's colorful tapestry—like Fujian's Zhangping Yongfu Taipin Sakura Tea Garden, where cherry blossoms weave pink ribbons through emerald hills, and steam trains chug through like scenes from anime.

Yongfu Taipin Sakura Tea Garden, with pink cherry trees dotting the fields.

Fujian's spring dazzles not just in flowers but also in tea. A bowl of Zhangping Narcissus tea releases tangible floral notes, while glutinous rice wine and savory rice balls offer unique spring flavors. At the headwaters of the Jiulong River, Zhangping's民俗 culture shines, with hundred-meter-long bench dragon lanterns and vibrant festivities enchanting visitors.

The spectacular sight of a thousand people dancing with bench dragons.

Journeying west to Yunnan's Jingmai Mountain—a UNESCO-listed tea cultural heritage site—reveals a true emerald wonderland. Home to vast, ancient cultivated tea forests like Dapingzhang, its towering trees merge with clouds, sheltering abundant wildlife.

Jingmai Mountain Tea Garden, a natural marvel of harmony between heaven and earth.

Villages hide like arks in this sea of tea, with mossy rooftops and stilted houses preserving ethnic minorities' timeless routines. Visiting in April? Witness the Blang people's grand tea ancestor worship ceremonies in festive attire.

In this land where tea and forests coexist, the wild aroma of tea is exceptionally rich. Although Jingmai's Pu'er tea has a slight astringency, it is mellow, sweet, and long-lasting. The tiny tea leaves also showcase a myriad of forms at Jingmai Mountain's full tea banquet—tender and fragrant ancient tree tea stir-fried eggs, refreshing and spicy cold-tossed tea tips, crispy and fragrant stir-fried ancient tea leaves... The flavors of early spring are all condensed on the tip of the tongue.

Incorporating tea into dishes can create even more refreshing flavors.

Left photo by Li Ruoyu, right photo by Shezhang's Travel Diary.

The fortunate people of Guangdong and Guangxi also guard their own "tea gardens." The Chaozhou Fenghuang Mountain tea plantation is lush in the spring mist, while the Wuzhou Shizi Mountain tea plantation rolls with endless green waves. In Fujian, the Daping Ecological Tea Garden in Anxi County, known as "China's Top Tea County," stretches freely like an emerald sea, making it the most heavenly place to visit in spring.

"Spring river water green as indigo"—Jiangnan has always been a prosperous paradise on earth. Here, many spring tea gardens hide in plain sight, each a reclusive master with unparalleled elegance.

"Comparing West Lake to the beauty Xi Shi, light or heavy makeup suits her equally well."

If the bustle around West Lake feels too overwhelming, a quieter retreat lies just beyond the mountains—the "Ten-Mile Meiwu" stretching over ten miles along both sides of Meiling Road. The deeper you go, the more enchanting it becomes, with terraced tea fields shrouded in mist, forming the nearest green fairyland to downtown Hangzhou.

The "peace within chaos" of Hangzhou's Meijiawu Tea Garden.

Meijiawu, Longjing, Wengjiashan... These villages,世代 dedicated to tea picking and processing, hide among the tea fields. While tourists flock to West Lake for spring scenery, Hangzhou locals prefer stealing leisure time in Meijiawu, savoring a pot of pre-Qingming West Lake Longjing or a plate of Longjing shrimp for a fresh taste.

Stir-fried shrimp is common in Jiangnan, but adding brewed Longjing tea to the dish elevates it with unparalleled tea freshness and spring flavors, evoking a literati charm that spans millennia.

Longjing paired with shrimp—elegant and understated, all the beauty lies within.

Left photo by Wu Xuewen, right photo by Pitu.

Each corner of Jiangnan holds its own charm. Beyond the small bridges and flowing waters of Suzhou and Hangzhou, there are majestic mountain paradises. Huangshan's beauty is unparalleled—strange pines, bizarre rocks, and seas of clouds, each a masterpiece. The high-altitude tea gardens, steeped in natural splendor, nurture the equally renowned Huangshan Maofeng tea.

As far as the eye can see, endless green waves of tea gardens.

Fuxi Township is the core production area of Huangshan Maofeng. Amidst mountains over 400 meters high, rolling tea fields appear and disappear in the mist. At the foot of Huangshan, the gray-tiled Hui-style architecture perfectly embodies the cultural beauty of Jiangnan.

Spring peach blossoms contrast beautifully with white walls and black tiles.

Hui tea is uniquely delightful, and the "magical" flavors of Hui cuisine are equally worth trying. From signature dishes like stinky mandarin fish, Huangshan stewpot, and hairy tofu to crispy dried vegetable pancakes that pair perfectly with tea, each bite leaves a lasting fragrance.

Both Hui tea and Hui cuisine are treasures for the palate.

Left photo by Wu Xuewen, right photo by =G.

The phrase "The road to Shu is hard" has long inspired awe for Sichuan's majestic mountains. Here, towering peaks enclose secluded valleys rarely tread by humans, creating undisturbed tea mountain paradises.

The mist-shrouded Mount Emei nurtures over 3,000 species of higher plants, among which Emei tea is one. The vast high-mountain tea plantations, where tea trees coexist with forests and interplanted with fruit trees, create an ecological paradise. Due to the high altitude, heavy snow blankets the area every deep winter. The tea trees are covered with a thick layer of snow, and by early spring, tender buds emerge nourished by the melting snow.

Visiting Emei in winter reveals a fairy-tale world of frost-covered trees.

On Mount Emei, 27 ancient Buddhist temples are built along the mountainside, serving as both architectural treasures and spiritual sanctuaries. Visitors in spring, after admiring the scenery and paying homage to Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, often stay to savor a cup of Zen tea, completing a perfect experience.

To the south, in Guizhou, a province rich in mountainous parks, the natural high-altitude, low-latitude, and misty environment forms a "Little Jiangnan in Northern Guizhou."

In Meitan, the world's largest contiguous tea plantation stretches as far as the eye can see in spring, resembling a green ocean. In the distance, simple white houses of northern Guizhou nestle among the dark green valleys—a fleeting moment of tranquility.

In Meitan, one can also enjoy hearty northern Guizhou cuisine: fragrant red-braised lamb, savory cured pork ribs with bamboo shoots, and tender, spicy Wujiang River fish... offering a symphony of sour, spicy, and fresh flavors.

Meitan County, a tea garden island in the center of a lake.

Photo by Tianqi TIANQI

The Southwest boasts many scenic landscapes, such as Yongchuan's Tea Mountains and Bamboo Sea in Chongqing, once praised by Zhuge Liang as the "No. 1 Hidden Mountain," and the Yigong Tea Plantation in Nyingchi, Tibet, where rapeseed flowers bloom in bright yellow, and herds of cattle and horses roam the lakeside pastures, depicting the idyllic life of Tibet.

The world's highest-altitude tea field—Yigong No. 6 Tea Field.

Though tea trees favor the warm, misty climate of the south, tea plantations are not exclusive to the region. Thanks to the efforts of tea enthusiasts in "introducing southern tea to the north," spring tea now thrives in northern China.

For instance, in Henan, the Huai River flows through the north, and the Dabie Mountains encircle the area, creating a "Jiangnan in the North" for Xinyang. The vast Maojian tea gardens are the soulful retreat of Xinyang locals.

Xinyang Maojian tea gardens, where endless greenery stretches across the mountains.

Moving inland to the coast, one tea garden embodies both the elegance of mountains and the vastness of the Yellow Sea—the Laoshan Tea Plantation in Qingdao, offering stunning sea views.

The winding coastline of Laoshan Tea Plantation.

Along the azure coastline, the unique spring-green tea fields sprawl across Laoshan's slopes, backed by mountains and facing the sea. Sipping Laoshan green tea, born from this majestic landscape, one can almost embrace the northern sea breeze.

Qingdao's long, pristine coastline also brings abundant seafood delights: mackerel dumplings, fresh and tender marinated seafood, squid, sea cucumber, abalone... all contributing to a feast of flavors.

Devouring seafood and tea in hearty gulps is the simple joy of Qingdao life.

Left photo by YIRAN, right photo by Liu Weifang.

North of the Yangtze River, more tea gardens defy conventional perceptions: Hanzhong's Wuzi Mountain Tea Plantation in Shaanxi with its majestic peaks, Longnan's vast Dabashan Tea Forest in Gansu, and Shiyan's Wudang Mountain Tea Plantation in Hubei, where rich forest hues blend with Taoist cultural charm...

The fleeting beauty of spring tea's emergence cannot be fully captured by digital data alone—only by stepping into the tea fields and immersing oneself in the harmony of tea fragrance and natural scenery can one truly honor the season and its gifts.

Viewed from above, the tea plantations resemble the earth's fingerprints.

Across China’s vast landscapes, the breathtaking vistas of countless tea mountains await more people to complete their map, and the enchanting encounters between humans and tea should continue endlessly.

Friends not near tea plantations can still join this event by sharing snippets of their daily tea-drinking routines.

With March’s spring glow at its finest, let’s embark on a tea-field walk in this most beautiful season!