Tea leaves ripe for picking on Junshan Mountain

A visiting mother shows her child freshly-picked tea leaves. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

The spring tea harvest has begun on Junshan Mountain in Nantong, Jiangsu province, with dozens of visitors joining in on the experience, local media outlets reported on March 30.

A girl picks tea leaves on Junshan Mountain. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

The visiting participants not only picked tea leaves themselves under the guidance of local farmers, but also took part in tea ceremonies, watched the stir-frying of tea leaves, and even tasted the tea brewed with the freshly-fried leaves.

Freshly picked Junshan Mountain tea leaves are stir fried. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Junshan Mountain tea is a niche branch of Chinese tea found along certain stretches of the Yangtze River.

The tea originates from biluochun, a well-known type of green tea in South China, and is known for its premium prices. Due to limited cultivation areas, the annual production of Junshan Mountain tea leaves is no more than 50 kilograms.

A bird's-eye view of the Junshan Mountain tea. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

It usually takes about two hours to process fresh tea leaves into Junshan Mountain tea, which features a long-lasting unique fragrance, clear soup, and a refreshing and mellow taste, according to Liu Lili, a representative from the Junshan Mountain scenic area.