Ancient Tea Horse Road

The Ancient Tea Horse Road refers to trade passages in southwestern and northwestern China in ancient times, which mainly traded tea and horses, using caravans primarily. The large transportation network offered three major routes, Sichuan-Tibet, Yunnan-Tibet, and Qinghai-Tibet route, as well as many branch routes. Tea from across China was transported to Tibet, then shipped to Kolkata, India, via the Himalayan passes, and sold in Europe and Asia on a massive scale, gradually making the Ancient Tea Horse Road an important channel for international trade and cultural exchange. As recently as WWII, it offered important access to China for the transportation of all kinds of supplies from the outside world when other transportation lines were cut off. The Road runs through plateau territory having the world's highest elevation and being the most difficult to traverse. It not only facilitated cultural integration between Han Chinese and Tibetans, but also contributed to the unity and harmony of China as multi-ethnic society.

茶馬古道

茶馬古道是古代中國西南和西北地區的商貿通道，以茶葉和馬匹為主要交易內容，以馬幫為主要運輸工具。茶馬古道以川藏道、滇藏道與青藏道為主，延伸出各條支線，構成了龐大的交通網絡。茶葉從中國各地經藏區，通過喜馬拉雅山口運往印度加爾各答，大量行銷歐亞各國，茶馬古道逐漸成為國際經貿和文化交流的大通道。第二次世界大戰期間， 世界各地通往中國戰區的通道被切斷，茶馬古道成為運送各種物資的重要通道。茶馬古道是人類歷史上海拔最高、通行難度最大的高原文明古道，不僅是漢藏民族文化融合之路， 也是中國各民族團結和睦之路。茶馬古道是中國統一的多民族國家的歷史見證，也是民族團結的重要象征。