City still capital of China's national drink

The 2012 China Hangzhou West Lake International Tea Culture Expo will take place from March 30 to June 10 in Hangzhou, home to Longjing Tea, also known by the English name Dragon Well Tea.

More than 20 events will be held during the expo, with the aim of integrating Hangzhou's tea-themed tourism resources and promoting Longjing tea culture as a world cultural heritage.

Under the theme of a joyous and healthy tea tour, this year's expo will convey Hangzhou's easy lifestyle and its profound tea culture to visitors from home and abroad.

The expo this year is also part of an effort to develop Hangzhou into a famous tea city with prosperous tea industries and tourism, and to shore up Hangzhou's position as China's "Tea Capital" during the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015).

The upcoming expo will emphasize local characteristics by holding many tea cultural activities.

The expo is expected to become an umbrella event for a number of special activities in Hangzhou, including a teahouse managers conference, a tea-stirring contest, a tea cultural experience festival, tea feast and tea fair. There is also a tour package combining a universal tea experience tour, a high-end special tour and a rural leisure tour.

The annual tea expo is sponsored by the Hangzhou city government, the China International Tea Culture Research Association, the China Tea Society and the Hangzhou Tea Culture Research Association.

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 03/30/2012 page12)