Tea Horse Road: Chinas Ancient Trade Road to Tibet Free

FREE TEA HORSE ROAD: CHINAS ANCIENT TRADE ROAD TO TIBET PDF

There are numerous surviving archaeological and monumental elements, including trails, bridges, way stations, market towns, palaces, staging posts, shrines and temples along the route. Besides the route's importance for commercial activity, more significantly it was crucial for cultural exchange between the Indian subcontinentTibet and Southwest China. Especially, it was vitally Tea Horse Road: Chinas Ancient Trade Road to Tibet for the interchange of Buddhism between China and South Asia. Sichuan and Yunnan are believed to be the first tea-producing regions in the world. Ya'an has been an important hub of tea trading till the 20th century. It is believed that it was through this trading network that tea typically tea bricks first spread across China and Asia from its origins in Pu'er countynear Simao Prefecture in Yunnan. The route earned the name Tea-Horse Road because of the common trade of Tibetan ponies for Chinese tea, a practice dating back at least to the Tea Horse Road: Chinas Ancient Trade Road to Tibet dynastywhen the sturdy horses were important for China to fight warring nomads in the north. In the 21st century, the legacy of the Tea-Horse Road has been used to promote a railway that will connect Chengdu to Lhasa. Authorities claim it will bring great benefit to the people's welfare. Mount Mengding is the place where tea was first cultivated with written records 65 BC. The surviving ancient route in Pujiang between Chengdu and Ya'an. The historical site of Ganxipo Posthouse on the route in TianquanSichuan. Markham County in the very east of Tibet. In this region, near upper Mekongthere was the junction of the Sichuan and Yunnan branches of the route. Mekong valley near Chamdowhere the river is crossed by the Tea-Horse-Route. Nathu La pass on the way from Lhasa to Calcutta. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Redirected from Ancient tea route. Chiang Mai. Cognoscenti Books, Retrieved Archived from the original on Chiang Mai, Cognoscenti Books, National Geographic. County-level divisions of Yunnan Province. Kunming capital. Part of a series on trade routes. Hidden categories: Articles containing simplified Chinese-language text Articles containing traditional Chinese-language text Commons category link is on Wikidata. Namespaces Article Talk. Views Read Edit View history. Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file. Download as PDF Printable version. Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tea Horse Road: Chinas Ancient Trade Road to Tibet tea route. Tea Horse Road - Wikipedia

It is also known as Southern Silk Road. The kilometer long trail begins with the Sichuan Province of China and stretches to Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. It is an enriched tourism route which offers one of the most fascinating landscapes along with endless cultural Tea Horse Road: Chinas Ancient Trade Road to Tibet. The Road used to be an important trade link between Yunnan which is one of the pioneering tea producing areas to Bengal through Burma and to Central Asia and Tibet via Sichuan. Apart from tea salt was also carried through mule caravans. Both horse-carriages and people were utilized to transport heavy loads. Tea porters were often found on this road carrying loads heavier than their own body weight for example kgs on their back. It is through this road that tea entered Asia for the first time and then gradually spread over. Moreover a considerable amount of local items and handicrafts used to be transported to China via this ancient road. Actually the relationship between Tibet and China was largely promoted through the development of this significant road. In fact it was named Tea- Horse Road due to the trade practice of Tibetan ponies in exchange of Chinese tea. Thus it has got enough significance in the socio-economic history of China. The growth of the tea-horse business augmented the economy and the culture of the surrounding region which helped the gradual development of the Tea Horse Road as a consequence. However in early years it used to be a risky route fraught with dangers and transportation through it was quite difficult and hazardous. There were only narrow zigzagging ways through the precipitous mountains. Moreover there were also speedy rivers along the route. Therefore only pack horses could be considered as the suitable means of transportation under this condition. The road was thus initially created with the continuous trampling of the horses with the hooves. At subsequent stages the road was slowly improved by the efforts of the traders associated with the tea- horse business as well as the Tea Horse Road: Chinas Ancient Trade Road to Tibet of the neighboring villages. And the places where the traders would stop at the Tea Horse Road: Chinas Ancient Trade Road to Tibet of their journey gradually developed into growing towns. Lijiang is a very good example of such a town which has now become a modern town at present. It further extends to India, Nepal and Burma. It got officially recognized during the Ming Dynasty which reigned between and and this resulted in the flourish of various cities and towns along the road along with enhanced commercial activities. This portion initiates from Simao, an important tea producing place, and extends to Lhasa covering Tea Horse Road: Chinas Ancient Trade Road to Tibet, Shangri and Lijiang on its way. It also stretches to Burma, Nepal and India. This was a significant trade route between Yunnan and South Asia. It was mainly developed during the Tang Dynasty. The Sichuan-Tibet Tea Horse Road Tour is truly one of the most exciting travel experiences with dangerous yet highly fascinating road route. You can enjoy great mountain passes, beautiful mountain peaks and mysterious chasms along the way. You can also visit local villages, monasteries, temples and feel the culture of the place. Tagong is a nice small town falling on the north of the Sichuan highway. The place is mainly known for its Tagong Monastery, a highly revered monastery for the Tibetans. Here you can enjoy a special kind of tea made with yak butter as you will find a good number of yaks grazing in the grassland. Situated in the southern Sichuan this is a feet tall figure curved out of a lofty cliff during the Tang Dynasty. It is the largest pre-modern Buddha statue in the world and attracts countless tourists from all over the world. Here you get a precious opportunity to witness the pandas playing joyously in their natural habitation. It is an enormous wildlife haven with as many as nine parks and seven nature reserves. It is also home to the some rare and endangered species such as snow leopard, clouded leopard and red pandas. Thus the place not only offers a great visual treat to the tourists but also serves a noble mission of preserving the precious lives that are in danger of extinction. Spreading over a land of around acres, this giant nature park has become a World Heritage Site. They are named Zechawa, Rize and Shuzheng valleys and can be by shuttle buses. Notable things in the area include colorful lakes, snow-capped mountains and attractive waterfalls. If you have an adventurous mind along with a fit physically fit body you can try out climbing the three mountains of this region namely Chana Dorje, Chenresig and Jampelyang. According to the Tibetan Buddhism the mountains represent wisdom, power and compassion. And covering the trails is considered as a great devotional sign in Buddhism. The Yunan-Tibet overland tour is another extremely fascinating adventure for the nature lovers. It includes a number of remarkable places with different kinds of charms of their own. It is a nice and well preserved village along the Tea and Horse Road. Horse caravans used to carry tea leaves produced in this place to Xiaguan where they were converted to Tuo Tea. This is an ancient town prominent for its architectural live museum which focuses the daily life of the ancient Chinese people. The Dengjue temple is also worth visiting with its twin ivory-white pagodas. It could be a nice choice for those who want to stay away from crowded options like Lijiang and Dali. Tea Horse Road: Chinas Ancient Trade Road to Tibet between Xiaguan and Weishan, Donglianhua is a place where the tea-horse trade assumes its multi-ethnic characteristics. Xizhou is well known for its Bai architecture displayed on the vast courtyards. These courtyards housed several local families involved in the tea-horse trade. Besides tea Xizhou was involved in many other trades such as silk, satin, leather, silver, gold as well as medicinal herbs. And the courtyards that still exist today bear the legacies of those ancient trades. One such courtyard has also been transformed into a nice boutique hotel called Linder Center which is also worth giving a visit. However development of mass-tourism activities around the Tea Horse Road: Chinas Ancient Trade Road to Tibet is considered to be a factor in spoiling the ancient laid-back ambiance of the place with it used to be Tea Horse Road: Chinas Ancient Trade Road to Tibet in earlier days. This is another ancient town much of which has recently been destroyed in a fire in But the main attraction of the town, Songzanlin Monastery, still survives. In early years prominent monasteries would function as logistic centers and warehouses for tea as well as other items which were traded on the Tea-Horse Road. Thus they were not sheer monasteries but had more important roles to play apart from performing religious activities. Moreover the lamas of these monasteries was directly associated with the business of trading. Actually the monasteries themselves required considerable amount of tea as it was offered to Buddha statue four times a day. In addition to that monasteries also offered tea to their monks regularly after the meditation ceremony. Exploring the Ancient Tea Horse Road can indeed be a highly fascinating experience altogether. The journey takes you through diverse natural beauties including stunning mountains and landscapes. The surrounding places along the road have got a rich cultural heritage as well. Moreover the legends left over by caravans and porters turn this ancient road even more mysterious. The resonance of the bygone days can be felt still today in the villages and valleys of the Ancient Tea Horse Road. All the towns and villages on and around the road are closely associated or benefited directly or indirectly by the Tea Horse Road. Moreover with boom of domestic and foreign tourism particularly during s many of these towns and villages have become significant places of interest for tourists whereas several of them have remained out of the limelight. Tell Us your Tibet Travel Plan. Please fill in your contact information, we will send you the Tea Horse Road: Chinas Ancient Trade Road to Tibet by email. Ancient Tea-Horse Road. Tagong Monastery. Leshan Giant Budhha. Giant Panda Sanctuaries. Jiuzhaigou National Park. Yading Nature Reserve. Lushi, Yunnan. Weishan, Yunnan. Donglianhua, Yunnan. Xizhou, Yunnan. Kailash 6. Have a Question? Have a Question about Tibet Travel? Your Travel Time:. Your Full Name:. Your Email Adress:. Recent Posts. Kailash Nepal Mt. Follow Us on Instagram tibettravelorg. History of Tea-horse Road, Chinese Ancient Tea Horse Route

One of the longest and most dramatic trade routes of the ancient world, the Tea Horse Road carried a crucial exchange for 13 centuries between China and Tibet. Tea - horse Road Tea Horse Road: Chinas Ancient Trade Road to Tibet Tea - horse Road refers to the international trade route taken by caravans in the southwest areas of Chinaalso a corridor of This road originated from tea-horse exchanges in the ancient southwest frontier of China. BricksPowderand Leaves In ancient Chinatea was prepared from tea bricksor cakes. To make tea bricksthe leaves On this routeteasugarand salt were traded for Tibetan horsescowsand furs. Puer tea has been grown for centuries in the Six Great Tea Mountains of Yunnan Province, and in imperial China it was a prized commodity, traded to Tibet by horse or mule caravan via the so-called Tea Horse Road and presented as Chab - mdo was a collecting and distributing centre for the goods produced in TibetSichuanQinghai and Yunnan. It is also a place that the ancient Tea - Horse Trade Road must pass through. Thereforeas we have mentioned above Stretched across more than 4, kilometresthe road promoted trading and civilisationattracts numerous travellers to go for High in the mountains to shorten their journey and increase The Tea and Horse Road had two the road converged with its northern profits. The use of the road first came about during Tea Horse Road: Chinas Ancient Trade Road to Tibet Tibetan Tubo dynastywhich overlapped with China's Tang dynasty A. An ancient trade route carrying teahorsesand salt between Tibet and China crossed Dequin and Zhongdian counties beneath lofty,snow-clad peaks marking the descent of the Tibetan plateau to the Chinese lowland. An isolated Buddhist Scholars consider this Her illustrated works aiready published include? Skip to content. Toggle navigation.