West Asia

The Tea Horse Road The Tea Horse Road exists in southwestern China, with horse caravans as the main mode of transportation for international trade. It is a corridor for economic and cultural exchange among the southwestern ethnic groups. The Tea Horse Road is a unique regional designation, a premier travel route featuring spectacular natural scenery and mysterious culture. Spanning nearly four thousand kilometers, it has a history of over one thousand three hundred years, with deep historical and cultural significance. It served as an essential bridge and bond between ancient Tibet and the mainland, harboring an inexhaustible wealth of cultural heritage with profound historical and cultural meaning. Historical Origins According to historical records, the earliest overseas spread of Chinese tea can be traced back to the Southern and Northern Dynasties period. At that time, Chinese merchants traded tea for goods with Turkey along the border adjacent to Mongolia. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, with the development of border trade markets and the opening of the Silk Road, Chinese tea was transported via tea-horse exchanges through the Uyghur and Western Regions to West Asia, Central Asia, and Arab countries. The route passed through Siberia before ultimately reaching Russia and European…