A recent aerial photo of Longjing village near West Lake in Hangzhou. [Photo/IC]

Longjing village, located in the southwest of the West Lake scenic area in Hangzhou, is home to the best-quality Longjing tea, which is often regarded as China's most famous green tea variety.

The village boasts vast sloping tea gardens totaling nearly 800 mu (53.3 hectares) in area. Legend has it that Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) once drank Longjing tea at a temple in the village. Impressed with its excellent taste, he designated the title of "royal tea" to the 18 tea trees in front of the temple.