Hello friend,
While I am writing to you, I have just wrapped up a tea training with the talented tea masters of Lan Su’s Yun Shui Teahouse. During the training, one of our newly certified tea masters guided us through three rounds of tea. One of my favorite teas today was Dragon Well, or “Longjing” in Chinese (龍井), a green tea that feels just right for this super-late spring, not-quite-summer season.
There is something about Dragon Well that always stirs a quiet memory in me. Its flat green leaves, pressed smooth and elegant, remind me of the dried flowers and leaves I used to tuck inside my journal pages as a child, little botanical treasures preserved between paper and time.
Dragon Well tea also carries one of China’s most charming tea legends.
Dry Dragon Well tea leaves.
To tell it, we travel to 18th-century Hangzhou during the Qing dynasty and meet Emperor Qianlong (乾隆皇帝), one of history’s great admirers of the Jiangnan region, the area south of the Yangtze River.
The young Qianlong Emperor, painted by Qing court artist Giuseppe Castiglione, known in Chinese as Lang Shining (郎世寧). And yes, there really was an Italian artist serving in the Qing imperial court in the mid-18th century China. This painting is now in the collection of The Cleveland Museum of Art.
Officially, his southern tours were for governance. Unofficially, one suspects he did not mind the poetic gardens, misty hills, beautiful waterways, exquisite teas, and a brief escape from the Forbidden City. Frankly, Qianlong may have been history’s most charmingly committed Jiangnan fanboy. One spring day near Longjing Village, Emperor Qianlong, again disguised in plain clothes, encountered young tea-picking girls gathering tender leaves among the green hills. Their fingers moved quickly and gracefully through the tea bushes, and the emperor, curious and confident, decided to join them.
Imagine the scene: village girls politely teaching the emperor in disguise how to pick tea while his court officials tried very hard to look dignified on a muddy hillside.
Just as Qianlong was enjoying his countryside adventure, urgent news arrived: the Empress Dowager (his mom) was ill. The emperor rushed back to the Forbidden City in
Beijing so quickly that he tucked some freshly picked tea leaves into his sleeves and forgot all about them.
And honestly, as someone who consistently leaves keys in the refrigerator, speaking from real-life experience, perhaps I should not judge too harshly.
When the emperor arrived at the palace weekly later, his mother noticed a lovely fragrance coming from his robes. The forgotten leaves were brewed, and after drinking the tea, she reportedly felt refreshed and comforted. The happy emperor declared the original eighteen tea bushes imperial, and Dragon Well’s already-glowing reputation became even more legendary.
I’d say that the Dragon Well itself is worthy of the legend. I understand that it’s usually pan-fired shortly after harvest, it preserves a fresh green character with gentle notes of roasted chestnut, fresh beans, and spring vegetation. The taste is smooth, mellow, and naturally sweet, not loud, but beautifully confident. If teas had personalities, Dragon Well would be the thoughtful friend who somehow always remembers your birthday.
My favorite part is the aftertaste. Tea lovers call it “hui gan” (回甘), or “returning sweetness.” Long after the sip is gone, a soft sweetness rises again in the throat, as if the tea has decided it is not quite finished speaking with you.
Even today, visitors can still see the original eighteen Dragon Well tea trees that Emperor Qianlong allegedly picked alongside village tea maidens during his southern travels.
Dragon Well has also long been appreciated for its wellness benefits. Rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, this green tea may support heart health, digestion, and gentle alertness. Instead of the sharp rush of coffee, it offers calm clarity, a thoughtful companion for late spring afternoons.
Starting in early June, you are invited to experience stories like this firsthand at Lan Su Chinese Garden. Book a one-hour Garden Tea Tasting with one of Yun Shui Teahouse’s talented tea masters and enjoy three rounds of tea such as our own collection of Dragon Well tea, seasonal flavors, and the fun stories steeped into every cup.
Who knows? You may leave carrying Dragon Well’s memory with you, just as one emperor famously carried it home in his sleeve.
Venus Sun
Senior Director of Experience
Lan Su Chinese Garden
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