Artists perform during a tea ceremony on Mt. Mengding when ten top prize winners of CRI knowledge contest on "Charming Sichuan" visit the mountain on May 28, 2009. Mt. Mengding is located in Mingshan County in Sichuan Province. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

By Qin Mei

If you are fond of Chinese tea, you can go for a cup at Mt. Mengding, known to the world over as "the hometown of the holy tea" and "the cradle of the tea culture".

Top ten prize winners of CRI's knowledge contest on "Charming Sichuan" were invited to visit Mt. Mengding, one of the holy tea mountains located in Mingshan County in southwest China's Sichuan Province, on May 28, 2009.

Getting off the bus, I was immediately hit by the invigorating fragrance of the forest and its misty, humid yet pleasant air. No wonder the tea trees grow well here in the mountains with all the fertile soil, rain and consistent warm temperature which are all ideal for many kinds of plants.

Mt. Mengding boasts a wide variety of rare plants such as the dove, ginko and wild tea trees. Some were planted centuries ago during the Ming Dynasty.

Sitting in the tram, people can enjoy an amazing scenery of mountains covered by dense foliage. This, coupled with the tranquility and harmony of the place is often enough to inspire visitors to break into renditions of old Chinese folk songs.

At the foot of the mountain, we were fortunate to have a break and taste each a cup of green tea that is full of rich fresh flavor while enjoying a wonderful tea ceremony at a tea service area. Andrew Peterson, one of the top prize winners was just impressed.