Yixing Yunhu Scenic Area

Yixing Yangxian Tea Culture Museum

The Yixing Yangxian Tea Culture Museum is located in the picturesque Yunhu Scenic Area and is one of the eight major exhibition parks in Wuxi. It sits on the east side of Xianglin Road, south of the Dajue Temple — the ancestral temple of Master Hsing Yun — and north of Gualian Mountain. Nestled against the mountains and overlooking the lake, it boasts pleasant scenery. The Yixing Yangxian Tea Culture Museum integrates the collection and display of tea culture, science education, social research, cultural dissemination, tea art performances, and more. It also features supporting facilities for academic exchanges, VIP receptions, leisure

The Yixing Yangxian Tea Culture Museum consists of two main parts. The first part is the main building, which houses seven specialized exhibition halls and one temporary exhibition hall. Through texts, exhibits, and high-tech methods such as sound, light, and electricity, it provides a detailed introduction to the formation, inheritance, and development of “Yangxian Imperial Tea,” as well as the tea culture that emerged from it. The second part is the Scenic Tea Garden, featuring three uniquely representative teahouses where visitors can rest and enjoy tea.

The seven specialized exhibition halls are the Preface Hall, Millennium Tea History, Tang Tribute Tea Processing, Poetry and Tea Rhyme, Famous Mountains and Temples, Purple Clay and Aromatic Tea, Millennium Teahouse, and Prosperous Era Tea Industry. The Preface Hall highlights the "green" of the "Tea Oasis" and the vastness of the tea plantations through lifelike tea trees, green bamboo, and hand-painted background murals. The first exhibition hall, Millennium Tea History, showcases the scene where Lu Yu, the Sage of Tea, recommended the tea, offering insight into how Yangxian Tea became a tribute tea. The second hall illustrates the production process and tools of Tang Dynasty tribute tea. The third hall displays poetry and verses about Yangxian Tea from various dynasties, with famous scholars and poets such as Su Shi, Mei Yaochen, Wen Zhengming, Chen Weisong, and Lu Shideng having left behind elegant lines praising the tea. The fourth hall, themed Famous Mountains and Temples, is modeled after the karst caves of Yixing. The fifth hall primarily showcases Yixing purple clay teapots; since ancient times, tea has been regarded as the national drink, and teaware naturally earned the title of national ware. As Yangxian Tea was among the finest of national drinks, the purple clay teapot became a treasured national artifact. The sixth hall, Millennium Teahouse, depicts the flourishing teahouse culture in Yixing during the Tang Dynasty and the Ming and Qing periods. The seventh hall presents Yixing’s seven famous teas: Yangxian Snow Sprout, Jingxi Cloud Slice, Shanjuan Spring Moon, Bamboo Sea Golden Ming, Shengdao Longevity Eyebrow, Mingding White Tea, and Mingding Sparrow Tongue.

The Yixing Yangxian Tea Culture Museum is a landscape ecological garden integrating research, exhibition, and promotion, offering visitors a deep understanding of the profound cultural heritage of Yangxian Tea, religious Zen culture, and purple clay pottery.