Tea Museum to Longjing via Wencha Gudao & the Eight Sights Hike

Start at the China National Tea Museum (Shuangfeng campus) 中国茶叶博物馆双峰馆区. The museum is housed in a traditional Jiangnan-style building set in a landscaped garden with ponds, bridges, and tea-plant specimens. Entry is free (on-site reservation required; closed Mondays). The permanent exhibitions cover the history of Chinese tea culture, the specific story of Longjing tea, and the tea-making process. Allow 20-30 minutes for a focused visit, or longer if you wish to explore the garden grounds. From the museum exit, walk through the large tea field in front of the building — a broad, open terrace with the museum behind and the tea hills ahead. A paved path leads through the tea field to the road below.

Photo suggestion: The China National Tea Museum's Jiangnan-style courtyard with tea-plant specimens and pond.

From the museum's tea field, follow the paved path as it descends gently toward the main road. Cross the road and continue to the Wai Ji Long Shan bus stop 外鸡笼山公交站 (a small bus shelter on the roadside — not to be confused with Ji Long Shan station). The entrance to the Wencha Gudao is located directly behind the bus stop sign — a wooden signpost marks the start of the ancient path. This is the critical navigation point: the entrance is easy to miss because the bus stop is set against a wall of greenery. The wood sign reads '龙井问茶' (Longjing Tea-Asking) with an arrow pointing into the trees. Behind the sign, a stone-paved path enters a bamboo-shaded corridor following a small stream.

Caution: The Wencha Gudao entrance is behind the bus stop sign, not on the road itself. If you reach the residential lane behind the bus stop (Waijilongshan village), you have walked past the entrance. The wood '龙井问茶' signpost is the marker — look for it before the bus shelter.

Photo suggestion: The Wencha Gudao wood signpost at the entrance behind Wai Ji Long Shan bus stop.

This is the core of the walk. The Wencha Gudao is a stone-paved path approximately 600 metres long, running alongside a clear mountain stream (Longhong Stream 龙泓涧) and shaded by bamboo and mature trees. The gradient is very gentle — a slow ascent of approximately 50 metres over the full length of the path. The Eight Sights appear in sequence along the path, each marked by a stone plaque or stele: 1. Guoxi Pavilion (过溪亭, also known as Erlao Ting 二老亭) — The most significant sight. A square stone pavilion built over the stream, marking the spot where Su Dongpo and the monk Biancai crossed the stream together. Biancai had a rule: he never accompanied guests beyond the Tiger Stream (虎溪). Su Dongpo's visit was so engaging that Biancai unconsciously walked with him past the boundary. The story inspired the pavilion's construction. A stone stele inside the pavilion records the story. 2. Fenghuang Ridge (风篁岭) — A bamboo-covered ridge dividing the West Lake and Qiantang River watersheds. The name means 'Windy Bamboo Ridge'. 3. Fanyuan Temple (方圆庵) — A reconstructed temple building with an unusual square-round architectural form. Biancai, the monk who established Longjing tea cultivation, lived and taught here. 4. Yipianyun Rock (一片云) — A large, blue-green rock formation on the hillside above the path, said to resemble a drifting cloud. The Qianlong Emperor inscribed the name. 5. Longhong Stream (龙泓涧) — The stream that runs alongside the entire path, originating at the Longjing Spring further up the hill. 6. Dixiang Pond (涤心沼) — A small pond beside the path, named for the concept of 'cleansing the heart' of worldly concerns. 7. Shenyun Stone (神运石) — A six-foot-tall stone carved in the shape of a coiled dragon, with '神运' (divine fortune) inscribed on it. 8. Cuifeng Pavilion (翠峰阁) — A pavilion on Biluo Peak at the upper end of the path, now functioning as a tea house. Alongside the sights, the Qianlong Poem Stele Corridor (乾隆诗碑廊) displays 32 poems composed by the Emperor during his four visits — 17 of them are his handwritten originals or rubbings. The corridor is a covered walkway with the steles mounted on the wall.

Caution: The path is narrow in places (1.5-2 metres wide) and can be damp in the morning from stream mist. Watch your footing on the stone surface, which can be slick where moss has formed. The Eight Sights are spread along the path but some (like Yipianyun Rock and Shenyun Stone) are set back from the main path on short spur trails — look for the stone marker plaques that indicate each sight.

Photo suggestion: Guoxi Pavilion spanning the stream — the most photographed sight on the Wencha Gudao.

After passing Cuifeng Pavilion, the Wencha Gudao path meets a paved lane. Follow this lane uphill for approximately 300 metres to reach the edge of Longjing Village 龙井村. Entering the village, you will pass the 18 Imperial Tea Bushes (十八棵御茶) — a small enclosure of tea plants protected by a stone wall, said to be the bushes personally designated by the Qianlong Emperor in 1757. A short walk further brings you to the Longjing Spring (龙井泉), the natural spring that gives the tea and the village their name — the name '龙井' (Dragon Well) refers to the spring, whose water was traditionally believed to have a dragon living in it. The village centre is a 5-minute walk from the spring, with tea houses, restaurants, and the bus stop for routes 27 and 87 back to the city centre. If you wish to extend the walk, the Shili Langdang archway at the upper end of the village connects to the ridge trails (Sanfena, Meijiawu), and the Nine Creeks path begins at the lower end of the village.

Photo suggestion: The 18 Imperial Tea Bushes in their stone enclosure at Longjing Village.