茶路 · Tea Path
Jiāngsū · 江苏省
Growing region · Biluochun · Yixing · Yuhuacha

Jiāngsū

江苏省 · Jiāngsū

In a Suzhou garden, the tea carries the scent of blossoming plums

碧螺春香

Jiangsu is the birthplace of Biluochun (1 of the 10 great teas), a tea from the fruit orchards of Taihu, and Yixing — the world capital of zisha ceramic teaware. Route: Suzhou's UNESCO canals and gardens → Yixing's purple clay workshops → the ancient capital of Nanjing. Biluochun — 60,000 buds per 1 kg, nicknamed 'Astonishing Aroma' by Kangxi.

Teas of this area

Билочунь 碧螺春

1 of the 10 great teas — 'Emerald Spiral of Spring'. Dongting Shan on Taihu. Amid peaches, plums, and tangerines — fruity aroma. 60,000–80,000 buds/kg. Kangxi called it 'Astonishing Aroma' (吓煞人香).

Юйхуача 雨花茶

'Rain Flower Tea' — the symbol of Nanjing. Shape: needles resembling raindrops.

Исинские чайники 宜兴紫砂壶

NOT a tea, but an integral part: purple clay, unique in the world. Zisha, zhuni, duanni. From 500 to 500,000 ¥.

Route by days

  1. Дни 2–3

    Сучжоу · Дунтиншань 苏州·洞庭山

    Biluochun · UNESCO Gardens

    Dongting Shan — an island on Taihu. 1 of the 10 great teas. Bushes among fruit trees — fruity aroma. 60,000 buds/kg. Suzhou's UNESCO Gardens: Zhuozheng Yuan (拙政园). Canals — 'Venice of the East'. Evening: tea drinking in a garden accompanied by pipa.

    Boutique hotel by the canals — gardens and tranquility

  2. День 3

    Исин 宜兴市

    Zisha Teapots

    The only true purple clay in the world. Workshops: from molding to firing. 3 types: zisha (紫砂), zhuni (朱泥), duanni (段泥). The teapot 'remembers' the tea — porous clay. From 500 to 500,000 ¥.

    Yixing Workshop — among kilns and clay

  3. День 4

    Тайху 太湖

    Lake · Tea among Plum Trees

    Taihu Lake — the pearl of Jiangnan. Fruit orchards surrounding tea bushes — a symbiosis.

    Taihu Lodge

  4. День 5

    Нанкин 南京

    Yuhuacha · Six Dynasties

    Yuhuacha — 'Rain Flower Tea'. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. Ming Dynasty City Wall.

    Nanjing Hotel

  5. День 6

    Ляньюньган 连云港

    Yunwu Cha · Yuntaishan

    Yuntaishan — cloudy coastal tea. Mountain tea at the edge of the sea.

    Lianyungang Hotel

  6. День 7

    Нанкин 南京

    Finale

    Confucius Temple (夫子庙). Shopping. Final tasting: Biluochun from Yixing teapots.

Planning

Transport
Arrive in Nanjing (NKG) or Shanghai (PVG). Trains (the best in China!). ~800 km.
Climate
15–30°C. Humid. Light raincoat.
What to bring
Comfortable shoes, camera (gardens!), budget for Yixing teapots.
Buying tea
Biluochun: from 1000 ¥/jin (genuine). Yixing teapots: from 500 ¥ to ∞. Yuhuacha: from 300.