The aerial shot of the Zhang's Ancient Tea Garden in Jiaxing. [Photo/tidenews.com]

The Zhang's Ancient Tea Garden in Jiaxing won the gold award at the MUSE Design Awards in April of this year.

This accolade not only recognizes its innovative preservation of Jiangnan's tea heritage, but also signifies Jiaxing's entry into the international arena of historical and cultural spatial design.

The MUSE Design Awards, jointly organized by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and the International Awards Associate (IAA), celebrates and honors the world's best in design and innovation.

The 2025 competition attracted nearly 10,000 entries from 46 countries and regions. The Zhang's Ancient Tea Garden project impressed the judges with its perfect balance between preserving historical authenticity and recreating contemporary living scenes, making it a benchmark case in cultural heritage design for the year.

Situated on Tanghui Street, Jiaxing, the Zhang's Ancient Tea Garden is the only preserved ancient tea garden in the plains of Jiaxing, with a history dating back over 300 years. Established during the Emperor Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), the garden spans approximately 0.18 hectares and features a rare wild ancient tea tree community over two meters tall.

Since its opening, the Zhang's Ancient Tea Garden has rapidly become a cultural landmark in the region. The annual tea culture festival has been held for 11 consecutive years, attracting visitors with activities like cold-brewed tea tasting, tea-making demonstrations, and tea ceremonies around the stove.