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Longjing tea cultivated on an 11th-floor roof in Hangzhou

ezhejiang.gov.cn| Updated: April 25, 2024 L M S

The transparent white buildings of Tianmuli, designed by renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano, in Hangzhou city, Zhejiang province house a rooftop tea garden spanning approximately 10 acres. This garden has filled the air with the scent of its tea for the past four years.

The tea garden hosts two varieties: mostly Longjing No. 43 and some Anji white tea. This year marks the fourth year this tea has been harvested, with professional tea pickers enlisted for assistance. The first batch of leaves has already been processed into dry tea.

The building has been finely tuned to accommodate the Longjing tea. For instance, an automated drip irrigation system has been installed, which prevents drought in summer and frost in spring, adjusting the water supply according to seasonal conditions to meet the growth needs of the tea plants.

In recent years, the yield of rooftop Longjing tea has been around 60 kg. Last year, a professional tea maintenance team was hired to manage the tea garden, and the yield has gradually stabilized this year, with potential future yields reaching up to 75 kg.