Ranking the first among the ten famous teas in China, Dragon Well tea is well-known for its green, fragrance, sweetness and pretty shape. As Lu Yu, a tea expert of the Tang dynasty had mentioned the Dragon Well tea in his famous book "On Tea", the tea must have enjoyed a history of more than 1200 years. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty once named the 18 tea trees growing at the foot of Lion Peak Hill as "royal tea", where Su Dongpo, a famous poet of the Song dynasty, wrote three Chinese characters meaning Old Dragon Well. The late Chairman Mao Zedong was very fond of Dragon Well tea. During his two visits to Liu's Villa by the West Lake in early 1960s, he picked Dragon Well tea with his own hands, which was roasted and infused with water from Running Tiger Spring. Mao loved the taste so much that he said: "Nothing could be compared with Dragon Well tea infused with water from Running Tiger Spring". The Dragon Well tea tree from which Mao had picked tea was transplanted into the company's courtyard in commemoration of Chairman Mao, with the approval of relevant governmental departments. Beside the tree a pavilion and a memorial monument with inscriptions by Jiang Hua, the former Party secretary of Zhejiang Province and the president of the Supreme Court, were built for tourists to pay respect. The late Premier Zhou was concerned about the production of Dragon Well tea very much. He had been to the home of Dragon Well tea for five times. Other late Party and State leaders like Deng Xiaoping, Zhu De, Chen Yun, Chen Yi, Ye Jianying were all very fond of Dragon Well tea and had visited the place for many times. The Dragon Well tea also enjoys a good reputation abroad. The CPC Secretary-General Jiang Zemin once invited Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom to taste the Gong brand Dragon Well tea. Other Party and State leaders including Li Peng, Qiaoshi, Zhu Rongji, Li Ruihuan once accompanied heads of foreign states to visit the home of Dragon Well tea. Among the VIPs who have tasted the tea, there were Nixon and Kissinger. The tea also serves as a gift tea for visiting heads of foreign states. The Gong brand Dragon Well tea grows on the hills west to the West Lake. The place has all that are essential to the growing of quality tea-fertile soil, moderate climate, plentiful rainfall, mist and cloud that enclose the hills all the year round. Extra care in breeding and picking and unique traditional hand roast method also contribute to the superior quality of the tea. Every 500g special grade Gong brand Dragon Well tea need about 26,000 pieces of tender shoot picked before April 5 which are then roasted by hand with extra care for about 10 hours. The Gong brand Dragon Well tea is flat-shaped, stiff, of even size and smooth. The tea comes out in lobes when infused in a glass with clear water. The bright green of the tea infusion, the long-lasting fragrance, the refreshing and sweet taste bring real enjoyment to the drinker. In addition the tea has the functions of healthcaring, such as refreshing one's mind, making one's eyes clear, diuresis, reducing fatness, anticancer and antiageing, to name just a few. 　 Gong brand Dragon Well tea serves as a state gift tea and tea for state banquet. 　 Popular among the consumers, the Gong brand Dragon Well tea has won the title of Famous Trademark at municipal and provincial levels for consecutive years and won honors at provincial and national competitions. The tea was awarded the prize of "China Famous Cultural Tea" at the International Tea Culture Festival held in Hangzhou, China in 1991, and the "Tianma" gold medal for national tourists goods in 1992. In 1993 the tea was listed among the "Famous Brand Products" with recommendation by China Standards Information Center, Hong Kong Xinhua News Agency and two other institutions. It was appraised as Famous Brand Product in food industry in China in 1994. It was named "Famous Farm Products" by the Government of Zhejiang Province and won a gold medal for farm and sideline products of Zhejiang province in 1998.