Tea picking season arrives

Tea farmers are busy picking tea leaves in South China. Tea leaves that are picked before the Tomb-sweeping Day are said to be "as expensive as gold".

Spring tea that is planted along the Yangtze River consists of "Prior-to-Tomb Sweeping Day" tea and "Prior-to-Grain Rain" tea.

The "Prior-to-Tomb Sweeping Day" tea is famous for its good quality and scarcity as not many tea leaves can be picked before the Tomb-sweeping Day. The tea also has minimal impact from pests due to low temperatures. This year's Tomb-sweeping Day falls on April 4.

A woman picks tea leaves on April 2, 2013 at a tea plantation in the city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. [Long Wei / Asianewsphoto]