Sichuan-Tibet Tea Horse Ancient Road

Sichuan-Tibet Tea Horse Ancient Road

The Sichuan-Tibet Tea Horse Ancient Road is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Era: Tang Dynasty to the Republic of China

The Tea Horse Ancient Road refers to a folk international trade route that existed in China’s southwestern region, using horse caravans as the main mode of transport. It served as a corridor for economic and cultural exchanges among the ethnic groups in Southwest China. The Tea Horse Ancient Road is a very unique regional term, representing one of the world’s most spectacular natural landscapes and most mysterious cultural travel routes, and it holds boundless cultural heritage waiting to be explored.

The Tea Horse Ancient Road originated from the ancient tea-for-horse trade along the southwestern and northwestern frontiers of China. It flourished during the Tang and Song dynasties, reached its peak in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and was most active in the mid-to-late period of World War II. The Tea Horse Ancient Road consists of two main routes: the Sichuan-Tibet and Yunnan-Tibet roads, connecting Sichuan, Yunnan, and Tibet, and extending into Bhutan, Nepal, and India (this being the Yunnan-Vietnam Tea Horse Ancient Road), all the way to West Asia and the Red Sea coast of West Africa.

The Yunnan-Tibet route starts from the tea-producing areas around Erhai Lake in western Yunnan, passing through Lijiang, Zhongdian (today’s Shangri-La County), Deqen, Markam, and Chaya to Chamdo, and then from Chamdo to the U-Tsang region.

The Sichuan-Tibet Tea Horse Ancient Road began in the Tang Dynasty, starting from Ya’an, the production site of border tea in Yazhou, traveling through Dajianlu (today’s Kangding) in the west, reaching Lhasa in Tibet, and finally extending to Bhutan, Nepal, and India. With a total length of nearly 4,000 kilometers and a history of over 1,300 years, it carries profound historical significance and cultural depth. It served as an indispensable bridge and link between ancient Tibet and inland China.

In May 2013, it was announced by the State Council as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.