West Lake Longjing Tea buds. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]

Spring has arrived, bringing with it the highly anticipated spring tea season, which is particularly popular in Hangzhou.

Staff at the China Tea Museum have begun monitoring the growth of Longjing tea buds across tea plantations near West Lake.

Through careful observation, they can record and gain insights into the growth of tea leaves. These observations will eventually be compiled into a report specifically for West Lake Longjing tea.

This year, the China Tea Museum has also invited six representative practitioners of the intangible cultural heritage techniques of West Lake Longjing tea-making and asked them to participate in mountain patrols to protect tea buds.

"This time, many experienced veterans brought their apprentices to patrol the mountains. They are all young people from tea villages. Everyone discussed and learned together during the patrol," said a staff member.

West Lake Longjing Tea is expected to hit the market in mid to late March.

Tang Xiaojun (center) teaches his apprentices how to identify tea leaves. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]