My grandfather dipped his silver bracelet into the
water, to make sure it was not poisoned,” related Chen Dong Mei,
her eyes sparkling as she told us stories of her grandfather who drove
horses along the historical Tea Horse Road. Mei was our guide in Lijiang,
an ancient city in China’s western frontier province of Yunan.
It is in this area that the Tea Horse Road began, thirteen centuries
ago.
Driving the horses and mules from Yunan, China, through the high mountain
passes of the centuries-old trail to Tibet was a dangerous occupation.
Bandits were a constant threat and it is said that they would poison
the streams where the drivers obtained water for their campsites. The
silver in the bracelets, which the ethnic Naxi people still wear, would
change color when exposed to the poison.
Tea was introduced into Tibet during the Tang dynasty, and a trade developed
where the Chinese bartered tea for Tibetan war horses. The Chinese stopped
buying horses from Tibet in 1735, but the trade in tea continued to grow.
The road starts near the tropical city of Jing Hong, where the famous
Pu’er tea is grown. It then passes through Dali, Lijiang, Zhongdian
(in 2001 renamed Shangri-La, in the hope that the name will attract more
tourists), and onward to Lhasa in Tibet.
A second route begins in Sichuan province, the site of Yacha tea production,
and leads up through some of the most treacherous passes in the world
to Lhasa. From Tibet, branch trade routes led south into Myanmar (Burma),
Nepal and India.
Even before the Tang dynasty, in the 7th century, the trail was a major
route for migration and cultural communication, and ancient tombs along
the way have been determined to be almost 5000 years old.
The Tea and Horse Road again became a critical transportation link during
World War II, when Japan blocked highways from China and Burma to India.
More than 25,000 horses and mules were used to haul everything from sewing
machines and canned goods to whiskey and cigarettes over the ancient
trails.
Today, the Tea Horse Road is a special route for many indigenous people
in the region, which includes the greatest number of ethnic groups in
China. Naxi, Dai, Bai, and Thai all have mountains in the region which
are sacred to their various religions.
California Native’s tours of Yunan Province follow much of this
ancient route.
Click Here for information on our China Tours.
