The ancient Tea-Horse Road was a network of caravan paths winding through the mountains of southwest China. The Tea Horse Road linked Sichuan, Yunnan, and Tibet, stretched across Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal, and India, before reaching the Middle East.
Tea porters
Sichuan and Yunnan are believed to be the first tea-producing regions in the world. The first records of tea production suggest that tea was cultivated on Sichuan's Mount Mengding between Chengdu and Ya'an earlier than 65 BC. Ya'an has been an important hub of tea trading till the 20th century.
More than a thousand years ago, the Tea Horse Road become a trade link from Yunnan to Tibet; and to Central China via Sichuan Province. 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 county in Yunnan. The route earned the name because of the common trade of Tibetan ponies for Chinese tea, when the sturdy horses were needed by China to fight warring nomads in the north.
Both people and horses carried heavy loads. Tea porters sometimes carried over 60–90 kg (132-198 lbs.) of tea bricks, which was often more than their own body weight. Porters were equipped with metal-tipped staffs, both for balance while walking and to help support the load while they rested, so they didn't need to lay the bales down.
Early Ancient Times
Tea was being traded as early as 2,000 years ago, during the Western Han dynasty (206 BC-24 AD). Chinese businessmen often bartered local products, such as tea for yaks, with Tibetan people who lived beyond the Dadu River. The trade road at the time was called Yak Road, the original ancient Tea-Horse Road.
More than a thousand years ago, the Tea Horse Road become a trade link from Yunnan to Tibet; and to Central China via Sichuan Province. 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 county in Yunnan. The route earned the name because of the common trade of Tibetan ponies for Chinese tea, when the sturdy horses were needed by China to fight warring nomads in the north.
Both people and horses carried heavy loads. Tea porters sometimes carried over 60–90 kg (132-198 lbs.) of tea bricks, which was often more than their own body weight. Porters were equipped with metal-tipped staffs, both for balance while walking and to help support the load while they rested, so they didn't need to lay the bales down.
Early Ancient Times
Tea was being traded as early as 2,000 years ago, during the Western Han dynasty (206 BC-24 AD). Chinese businessmen often bartered local products, such as tea for yaks, with Tibetan people who lived beyond the Dadu River. The trade road at the time was called Yak Road, the original ancient Tea-Horse Road.
Traditional tea bricks
The custom of drinking tea, however, had not yet developed widely in China and instead, tea was used as a valuable component of certain medical treatments. It was therefore not very commonly used by Tibetans. Consequently, tea was sold only in limited quantities to Tibetan areas during early ancient times.
Tang and Song Dynasties
During the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD), the Tibetan Tobo regime thrived in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, absorbing a great deal of the advanced culture around it. When Tang Princess Wencheng married Songtsen Gampo (the 33rd Tibetan emperor, in 641 AD) and later, when Princess Jincheng married Me Agtsom (the 36th Tibetan emperor, in 710 AD), tea-drinking was gradually introduced to the Tobo area (now Tibet). At first, however, tea was only served as a precious medical product used by the royal family, not as an ordinary drink. Slowly, it also became popular with the Tibetan upper classes and with monks.
Tea-drinking developed further in the Kaiyuan period (713-741 AD). As contact between the Tobo and the Tang increased, especially as lots of Zen monks from the inland areas went to Tobo to preach, tea-drinking was introduced to more Tibetans.
Tang and Song Dynasties
During the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD), the Tibetan Tobo regime thrived in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, absorbing a great deal of the advanced culture around it. When Tang Princess Wencheng married Songtsen Gampo (the 33rd Tibetan emperor, in 641 AD) and later, when Princess Jincheng married Me Agtsom (the 36th Tibetan emperor, in 710 AD), tea-drinking was gradually introduced to the Tobo area (now Tibet). At first, however, tea was only served as a precious medical product used by the royal family, not as an ordinary drink. Slowly, it also became popular with the Tibetan upper classes and with monks.
Tea-drinking developed further in the Kaiyuan period (713-741 AD). As contact between the Tobo and the Tang increased, especially as lots of Zen monks from the inland areas went to Tobo to preach, tea-drinking was introduced to more Tibetans.
Ancient Shaxi on the Tea Horse Road
In the late Tang dynasty, relations between the Tobo and the Tang regimes became stable, friendly and peaceful. Because of the destruction of agriculture in inland areas as a result of the An Lushan Rebellion (755-763 AD), the Tang government needed horses and cows from Tibet to carry textiles and tea. This activated official and private trade between the two regions, and thus a large amount of cheap tea flowed into Tibet, which made it available to ordinary Tibetans. From then on, the custom of tea-drinking, which had already developed in Han areas, grew more popular in the Tibetan area.
Wars broke out frequently during the Five Dynasty period (907-960 AD) and the Song dynasty (960-1279 AD). The central government needed to buy war horses from Tibet and wanted to strengthen political relations with tribes in the Tibetan area through the tea trade. A 'tea-for-horse' trade was thus established, under which transporting tea to Tibet was an important government policy.
This policy guaranteed the sufficient supply of tea to Tibet, promoted the development of tea-drinking among Tibetans, and thus greatly extended the ancient Tea-Horse Road.
Wars broke out frequently during the Five Dynasty period (907-960 AD) and the Song dynasty (960-1279 AD). The central government needed to buy war horses from Tibet and wanted to strengthen political relations with tribes in the Tibetan area through the tea trade. A 'tea-for-horse' trade was thus established, under which transporting tea to Tibet was an important government policy.
This policy guaranteed the sufficient supply of tea to Tibet, promoted the development of tea-drinking among Tibetans, and thus greatly extended the ancient Tea-Horse Road.
