---
title: "China's Three Treasures (Tea, Silk, Porcelain) Two-Day Tour: Pick Tea in Longjing Village, Stroll West Lake, and Make Porcelain by Hand in Jingdezhen | LyrikTrip"
description: "A two-day, one-night private tour from Shanghai or Zhejiang: pick tea by hand in Longjing village in Hangzhou, stroll around West Lake, and browse silk on Hefang Street; then head to Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital of a thousand years, to throw, paint and send a piece of porcelain that is entirely your own into the kiln. From £528 per person, with private car, high-speed rail, a four-star hotel in Hangzhou and guide all included."
type: "experience"
theme: "Tea, Silk, Porcelain"
url: "https://www.lyriktrip.com/en-GB/experience/hangzhou-jingdezhen-tea-porcelain-2-days"
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---

# Pick tea in Longjing village, then make porcelain in Jingdezhen

Two days experiencing China's three treasures: tea, silk and porcelain

*China's Three Treasures (Tea, Silk, Porcelain) Two-Day Tour*

## Key facts

- Price: From £528 per person
- Hands-on: Tea picking, throwing, painting
- Take home: A piece of porcelain you made yourself
- Duration: Two days, one night
- Departure: Shanghai or Zhejiang, hotel pickup and drop-off
- Accommodation: Four-star hotel in Hangzhou

## Chinese tea and porcelain — *have you seen where they come from*?

For centuries, the three things China sold to the world were tea, silk and porcelain — English even calls porcelain 'china'. Yet most people only ever meet them in a supermarket tea bag or a shop window. Over these two days we take you to the source. On day one, in Hangzhou, you walk into the tea hills of Longjing village, pick tea by hand with the growers, then follow West Lake at an unhurried pace. On day two you go to Jingdezhen, which has fired porcelain for more than a thousand years, sit down at the wheel, pull a lump of clay into a bowl, paint your own design on it and send it into the kiln. What you take home isn't something from a souvenir shop — it's a piece of China that belongs only to you.

## Over these two days, *what will you take home*

Not just seen, but made with your own hands

- **A cup of Longjing you know the origin of**: From now on, every sip of Longjing will bring back that tea hill and the one bud and one leaf you picked yourself.
- **A piece of porcelain that's one of a kind**: The pot you threw, the design you painted — once fired, it belongs to you alone. If you'd like it shipped home after firing, just talk to us separately.
- **A West Lake afternoon with no rushing**: No boat rides to tick off sights, just a slow walk along the shore to see the lake that has been written about in poetry for more than a thousand years.
- **Two cities, sorted in one trip**: High-speed rail, private cars, hotel and tickets are all arranged, so you cover Hangzhou and Jingdezhen in two days and just get on with making things.

## Tea, silk, porcelain — *get hands-on with each one*

Beyond tea, silk and porcelain, an evening on Hefang Street means tasting your way through these Hangzhou snacks as you walk.

### Pick tea in Longjing village (signature)

Head up into the tea hills with the growers and learn to pinch off just the one bud and one leaf. Longjing is picked in spring, summer and autumn, so you don't have to time your trip for spring.

### See Hangzhou silk

Hangzhou has been the home of silk since ancient times. At the silk museum, see how a single strand of silk is woven into sumptuous brocade and imperial robes.

### Throw a pot by hand (signature)

Pull a lump of clay into a bowl or cup on the wheel. Your teacher steadies your hands as you go, and if it comes out crooked, that's fine — that's your shape.

### Paint your own design (signature)

Paint blue-and-white on the unglazed body, or write your name, or draw a cat. Once it's fired in the kiln, it's one of a kind in the world.

### Cong bao hui

A thin pancake rolled around fried dough sticks and spring onion, pressed crisp on a griddle and brushed with sweet fermented bean sauce — a street snack of the Hefang Street area.

### Dingsheng cake

A pale pink steamed rice-flour cake stamped with the characters 'dingsheng', meaning 'certain victory' — soft, light and lightly sweet.

### Osmanthus West Lake lotus-root starch

Lotus-root starch mixed into a translucent bowlful and scattered with golden osmanthus — smooth and delicately sweet.

## *Your itinerary*

Taking a Shanghai departure as the example; times are indicative and train times are subject to the tickets issued. Departures from Zhejiang are adjusted to your starting point.

- **Day 1 · 07:30** · Leave the hotel for Hangzhou (Shanghai example): A private car picks you up at your hotel and takes you to Shanghai Hongqiao Station, with your guide alongside; the high-speed rail takes about 1 hour to Hangzhou East Station. Departures from Zhejiang are arranged around your starting point.
- **Day 1 · 11:00** · Pick tea in Longjing village and eat tea dishes: Head up into the tea hills with the growers to pick tea, then have a lunch in the village built around tea as an ingredient.
- **Day 1 · 14:00** · Stroll West Lake: A slow afternoon walk along the lakeshore.
- **Day 1 · 17:30** · Hefang Street: silk and Hangzhou snacks: Visit the silk museum to see Hangzhou silk, then eat Hangzhou snacks on the old street for dinner, and back to the hotel to rest around 19:30.
- **Day 2 · 07:30** · High-speed rail to Jingdezhen: About 3 hours by high-speed rail from Hangzhou West Station to Jingdezhen North Station; on arrival, try a few local snacks (snacks, not a full meal).
- **Day 2 · 13:00** · Throw, paint, and send it into the kiln: Your teacher guides you through throwing and painting, and the pieces go into the kiln. Firing in Jingdezhen generally takes two to four weeks.
- **Day 2 · 17:30** · High-speed rail home: About 4 hours, arriving at Shanghai Hongqiao around 21:30, where a private car takes you to your hotel.

> **The cost of day two, stated up front** — On day two, roughly 7 hours are spent on high-speed rail, with an afternoon in Jingdezhen. If you have time to spare, talk to us about staying an extra night in Jingdezhen.

## Before *you go*

- Duration: Two days, one night; day two includes about 7 hours of high-speed rail
- Departure: From Shanghai or Zhejiang, with hotel pickup and drop-off; the timings shown are for a Shanghai departure
- Accommodation: Four-star hotel in Hangzhou, twin room; for single occupancy, please ask us about the single-occupancy supplement
- Group type: Private tour, from 1 traveller (solo travellers, please ask us first); 6 or more pay the 5-person rate
- Guide: English and Chinese as standard; German, French, Spanish, Italian and others on request in advance
- Documents: Please bring your original passport — high-speed rail, the hotel and the scenic areas all require names registered to the traveller
- Ceramic pieces: Firing generally takes 2–4 weeks; if you'd like to take your piece home, talk to us separately about shipping

### Included

- Private car between your hotel and the high-speed rail station
- Three high-speed rail tickets
- Local private cars in Hangzhou and Jingdezhen
- Tea-picking experience in Longjing village
- Hand-thrown pottery and porcelain painting in Jingdezhen
- One night in a four-star hotel in Hangzhou
- Tea-dish meal, Hangzhou snacks, Jingdezhen snacks
- Guide throughout the two days

### Not included

- Lunch and dinner on day two
- Shipping of ceramic pieces
- Single-occupancy supplement
- Personal expenses
- Gratuities

## Buying a souvenir *doesn't compare with making one*

What you bring home means something quite different

- Where others take a boat and hurry to the next sight, you walk slowly along the shore for an afternoon
- Where others drink a cup in a tea shop and get sold a box, you go up into the tea hills of Longjing village and pick tea by hand
- Where others pick a mass-produced porcelain cup in a souvenir shop, you go to Jingdezhen and throw and paint one yourself
- Where others decide Jingdezhen is too far and skip it, you bring home a piece of porcelain you made

## Take the porcelain you made *home with you*

Tell us where you're starting from (Shanghai or Zhejiang), your dates and how many people are travelling, and we'll confirm the tickets, hotel and workshop slots. English and Chinese guides are standard; other languages on request in advance.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I take home the porcelain I make in Jingdezhen?

The piece has to be fired in the kiln, which generally takes two to four weeks, so you won't have the finished item that day. If you'd like the fired piece sent home, please talk to us separately about shipping.

### I've never done pottery — will I manage it?

Yes. Your teacher takes you through throwing and painting hand in hand, and if your first attempt comes out a little crooked, that's fine — that's exactly what makes it one of a kind.

### Can you still pick tea in Longjing village outside spring?

Yes. Longjing is picked in spring, summer and autumn — close to two hundred days of picking in a year.

### Can we set off from Zhejiang?

Yes. We depart from both Shanghai and Zhejiang and pick you up at the hotel you're staying in; train times and departure times are rearranged around your starting point, and the times on this page use a Shanghai departure as the example.

### Why does the price per person drop as the group gets bigger?

The private car, guide and local transport are arranged for the group as a whole, so the more of you travelling together, the less each person pays. From 5 people upwards the per-person price is at its lowest.

### What kind of hotel is it, and what happens if I'm travelling alone?

A four-star hotel in Hangzhou, twin room. Single occupancy requires a single-occupancy supplement — please contact us to confirm.

### What language does the guide speak?

English and Chinese guides are provided as standard; German, French, Spanish, Italian and other guides need to be arranged in advance when you book.

### Which languages does the guide speak?

English and Chinese guides are provided by default; German, French, Spanish, Italian, and other languages require prior arrangement at the time of booking.

## China's Three Treasures (Tea, Silk, Porcelain) Two-Day Tour

From £528 per person · Tea picking in Longjing village + West Lake + making porcelain by hand in Jingdezhen