Expats pose for a group photo at a tea garden in Changzhou on April 20. [Photo by Xiao Da/chinadaily.com.cn]

As gardeners smiled and basked in the questions from tourists as they showed them how to harvest Queshe tea leaves in Jintan district, Changzhou on April 20, a group of expats joined them to explore local tea culture on the very special day that also marked Gu Yu, the last solar term of spring, which can also be translated to Grain Rain.

The group of 10 expats participated in the opening ceremony for the Go Jiangsu: Enjoy Spring Tea and Coffee in Elegant Changzhou event and learned how tea leaves are picked and the process of making Jintan Queshe Tea.

Locals harvest Queshe tea on April 20, which marks Gu Yu, also known as Grain Rain, which is the last solar term of the spring in the Chinese lunar calendar. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

It was not until siting down to have a taste of the Queshe tea that they noticed the uniqueness of this specialty of Jintan.

“I’ve tasted different kinds of green tea in China, but it was the first time I see the leaves stand erect in the boiled water neatly this way,” said Kolosova Antonina, from Russia.

Queshe tea has a distinct appearance when dried, resembling a sparrow’s tongue, and can stand like a bamboo shoot in water for several hours.

A barista extracts Queshe tea using a Siphon coffee maker in Changzhou on April 20. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]