The Hidden Cherry Blossom Tea Garden in Liyang, Jiangsu – A Fairytale Landscape Nearly Unknown
Fuzhou's Taitai Cherry Blossom Tea Garden is renowned worldwide after appearing on the cover of ‘China National Geography’. The cherry blossoms adorn the green tea fields, which is truly stunning. Meanwhile, in Liyang, deep in the mountains, at the end of March, when the spring flowers bloom, there is also a tea garden with equally stunning aesthetics. Besides the aroma of tea and the romance of cherry blossoms, Liyang is also famous for its Rainbow Road and the surrounding mountains, which is a sight to behold.
“Watery tea and fish head are fresh” is the first impression people have of Liyang. The aroma of tea is Liyang's specialty – Tai Lake White Tea. There are nearly 70,000 acres of tea fields scattered throughout Liyang's mountains, which is the main source of income for local farmers. The tea trees, grown on the slopes, are also a rare sight in spring.
Following the winding 1st Road upwards, shrouded in mist in the deep mountains, continuous tea groves appear and disappear. This cherry blossom tea garden is not far from the roadside, on the back of a small hillside, it’s difficult to see without getting closer. Accidentally discovered, it immediately won my heart.
Li Shangyin wrote, ‘Cherry blossoms bloom in abundance for a short time; willows are green and peaches and plums are unknown.’ Romantic cherry blossoms combined with the subtle aroma of tea is a spring delight. This tea garden is located on the waist of a not-so-high small hill, and as the terrain rises and falls, the tea field looks like waves. At the foot of the hill is a lake and a marsh of withered yellow reeds, adding many colors and vitality to the tea garden.
Cherry blossoms in Fuzhou are neatly planted on the ridges, separating the tea fields into sections. In contrast, here, the cherry blossoms are more naturally scattered by nature. Pieces of green are dotted with clumps of pale pink and rose red, rather than like deliberate planting, more like a bird's work of art.
In the morning, the most beautiful time for the tea garden is when the light is most beautiful. To capture this rare light and shadow, I got up at 4 am and drove two hours from Yangzhou, which is a bit crazy, but everything I saw and photographed made me feel that it was all worth it.
The sunlight just broke through the distant mountain peaks, and the previously dark view suddenly brightened. Because the terrain is not high, from the top of the mountain to the foot of the mountain, this tea garden was quickly illuminated. The gentle morning sunlight not only illuminated clusters of pink, but also drew a long shadow on the tea field. In the distance, the mountains were shrouded in a thin morning mist, making it feel like being in a fairyland.
Anyone who has been to Liyang knows that there is a rainbow that will never disappear – the Liyang 1st Road. This cherry blossom tea garden is just an undiscovered corner along the Liyang 1st Road. The biggest feature of the Liyang 1st Road is the three-colored road marking line (red, yellow, and blue) in the middle of the road, driving on it is like traveling with a rainbow, and the surrounding bamboo forests, trees, and fields accompany Liyang's mountains, making it feel like you are walking in a painting, and the car is traveling in the scenery.
The beautiful 1st Road in America is already well-known to the world, but the beauty of Liyang is still hidden in the deep mountains. More beautiful scenery is waiting to be discovered. The Liyang 1st Road connects numerous tourist attractions centered around Liyang's three famous mountains and two lakes, allowing Liyang's beauty to step out of the deep mountains and present itself to the world.
