Monks of Mount Putuo perform in a ritual of tasting Buddha tea in Zhoushan City, east China's Zhejiang Province, April 12, 2011. The Buddha Tea of Mount Putuo, which is planted around the local temples, is well-known for its good taste and its connotation of Buddhist culture. The history of Buddha Tea can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the tea was used to be tribute to Buddha or gift to noble guests. Currently, the Putuo District of Zhoushan City has 4,080 mu (272 hectares) of Buddha tea planting area with annual yield at 120 metric tons (tonnes), which is able to annually create more than 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) of production value for the local economy. Photo: Xinhua |