Information about the ancient tea-horse road.

The "Tea-Horse Ancient Road" is an ancient trade route between Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet. Because tea from Sichuan and Yunnan is traded with horses and Tibetan medicinal materials and transported by caravans, it is called "the ancient tea-horse road". The "Ancient Tea-Horse Road" connects Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet, and extends to Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal and India, until the red coast of West Asia and West Africa. According to the existing ancient cultural relics and historical documents, as early as the Han and Tang dynasties, this ancient road characterized by caravan carrying tea began to play a role. War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression's central and coastal areas fell, and the Yunnan-Myanmar Highway was cut off by the Japanese invaders. At that time, the "Tea-Horse Ancient Road" became the only international land passage in China. Brief introduction of ancient tea-horse road

The ancient tea-horse road-the highest ancient cultural exchange channel in the world.

Every time I open the map, my eyes will be immediately attracted by the strange landforms in the middle of the Asian continent. Here, the mountains are stacked, and the rivers converge, which is vertical in the north and south, as if it were the frowning brows of Mother Earth. This is the famous Hengduan Mountains. On the west side of the mountain range is the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the roof of the world; To the north is the Loess Plateau, the cradle of Chinese civilization; To the east is the wonderful Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan area; To the south are rich countries in Southeast Asia and South Asia. Incredibly, just between the dangerous mountains and the evil waters in Hengduan Mountains, in the high mountains and valleys in the "Great Triangle" of Yunnan, Tibet and Sichuan and in the jungle of Yuan Ye, there is a mysterious ancient road circling constantly.

Stepping on the ancient road, the horseshoe prints embedded in the stone slab of the ancient road are vivid, and what I want to say is dust; The roadside piles depict various Buddha statues and religious proverbs, which have experienced vicissitudes; In the caves in the mountains, under the steep rocks, dense white bones can be seen from time to time; Many caves and boulders blackened by fire on the roadside are telling the legendary experience of countless generations of caravans sleeping in the wind and rain. The old man drank butter tea and told people the story of tea entering Tibet for thousands of years with a desolate voice. ...

This is one of the highest, steepest and farthest ancient cultural exchanges in the world-the ancient tea-horse road.

The Chinese nation has a geographically self-contained living space. To develop and communicate, we must break the shackles of geographical environment. "Tea-horse Ancient Road" has played a very important role since ancient times as a way to connect regional culture and open up foreign exchange channels in Southwest China.

Generally speaking, there are two main routes of the ancient tea-horse road: one is from Yunnan (now Xishuangbanna and Simao), the origin of Pu 'er tea, through Dali, Lijiang, Zhongdian, Benzilan and Deqin to Zuogong, Bangda, Ranwu, Chayu or Qamdo in Tibet, Luolong, Bianba, Kerry, Gongbu Jiangda and Lhasa, and then to Myanmar through Gyangze and Yadong respectively. One starts from Ya 'an, Sichuan, passes through Luding, Kangding, Litang, Batang and Qamdo (or from Kangding to Ganzi Dege and Qamdo), overlaps with the above routes, goes to Lhasa, and then to Nepal and India; Or go west to Kashmir via Ali. Along the two main lines, there are countless branches, large and small, which are densely distributed in every corner of this area, closely linking the "big triangle" area of Yunnan, Tibet and Sichuan.

In the past, these roads were all connected by caravans and yaks without exception. It was they who walked out of the ancient tea-horse road step by step. It was this caravan and yak gang in Qian Qian that abandoned their families and lived in the wild, often coming and going for more than a year. From one valley to another, from one village to another, they just stepped out of a mountain road, and finally "flowed" into the "life" artery, which became a link connecting the southwest and another channel for China to communicate with the outside world. Those caravans focused on stopping and distributing goods, and often became later towns. A large number of exchanges of economic materials on the ancient road will inevitably bring about the spread and mutual influence of other cultures. Moreover, due to the extremely special "carrier" of the caravan traveling on the ancient tea-horse road, the ancient tea-horse road has gradually formed political, economic and cultural ties connecting various regions along the way.

The Historical Origin of "Tea-Horse Ancient Road"

Nowadays, with the development of land, sea and air transportation, for many people, the "tea-horse ancient road" that entered the roof of the world from Yunnan and Sichuan on the east side of Hengduan Mountain has never been heard of. The "Tea-Horse Ancient Road" began in the remote and open Tang Dynasty until the Yunnan-Tibet and Sichuan-Tibet highways were built in the 1950s and 1960s. It is still used in short-distance areas.

(A) the origin of the ancient tea-horse road

1. In the old society, the path of communication between Qamdo and foreign people and animals was naturally formed because people and animals walked for a long time.

Digging extremely simple plank roads and ladders on steep narrow paths and cliffs is very steep and difficult to walk. 1930 published the book "Outline of Tibet", describing the traffic situation in Tibet, saying: "There are many rocks and roads, and there are many risks and dangers, which cannot be described." Due to historical reasons and natural environment, the transportation in Changdu area has always been in the original state of mule-horse post roads with people carrying livestock.

Road conditions in Qamdo area in the 2nd and 7th century.

During the period from Tang Yifeng to Tiaolu, Tubo occupied a vast area in northwest Yunnan, and set up the Shenchuan Governor's Office at the top of Jibi, which was in charge of a member of Da Lun, and set up a 16 military stronghold in northwest Yunnan, which was called Tieqiao 16 territory in history. There are paths connecting people and animals in all counties of Changdu, and there are zip lines and zip lines in rivers and streams in mountainous areas. There are also cantilever bridges and iron cable suspension bridges with layered stone and wood structures on a few rivers. Tang Dongjiebu, a Buddhist monk of the Kagyu Sect in the15th century A.D., edited and performed Tibetan operas, and raised iron to build bridges. Legend has it that he once built 58 cable bridges and 60 wooden bridges, and Changdu cable bridge is one of them. In the past, there were the most cable-stayed bridges, dry bridges and cantilever bridges in Changdu.

3. In the early Tang Dynasty, Tubo went south, built an iron bridge on the Jinsha River in Zhongdian, and opened the Yunnan-Tibet passage.

Tubo introduced the relatively developed plateau animal husbandry, water conservancy and smelting technology into Zhongdian and northwest Yunnan, while the traditional craft and tea of Nanzhao were loved by Tubo people. Shenchuan Railway Bridge has become the hub of livestock products and tea trade, forming the beginning of "tea-horse exchange" and "silk-horse trade". During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the post road traffic further developed, and the post road from Chang 'an via Xingyuan, Lizhou (now Guangyuan), Jianzhou (Jiange), Chengdu and Pengzhou could reach Changdu. After the marriage of Tang and Fan, there were three post roads from Sichuan via Changdu to Tubo: Xishan Road, Lingguan Road and Hechuan Road.

4. In Song Dynasty, the main market of tea-horse trade moved to the southwest.

According to historical records, Tibetans had the habit of drinking tea in the Tang Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, "tea-horse exchange" became the main trade activity of Tibetan-Chinese folk exchanges. Therefore, the route into Tibet is also known as the "ancient tea-horse road". There are two ancient tea-horse roads in Sichuan and Yunnan. One is brick tea (obtained tea) produced in Ya 'an, Sichuan, with Kangding as the distribution center. The caravan traveled on this road, passing through Ganzi and Changdu to Lhasa and being transported to all parts of Tibet. The other is Qiancha (bowl tea) produced in Banna and Simao, Yunnan Province, with Dali as the distribution center, and the caravan marching on this road. Through Lijiang, Zhongdian and Deqin to Bangda, Chaya, Qamdo, Luolong, Gongbu Jiangda, Lhasa, and then to Gangzi, ... Xigaze, Ali and other places in Tibet.

5. Yuan Dynasty vigorously opened up post roads and set up post stations.

According to the historical records of China and Tibet, from the border between China and Tibet to below Xu Sa, * * * has set up 27 major stations, and only the Xuanwei Department of Duogan Temple (which governs Yushu in Qinghai, northern Ganzi Prefecture, northern Qamdo area, northern Naqu area, etc.) has nine stations. ). The post station is the institution that receives and sees off travelers who are mainly gold messengers, and it is also the road for messengers from Sasha, Jan Benzien, Mongolia and Tibet to come and go. Several small stations have been set up in the area where the main station is responsible. The distance between stations is a long distance for riders. Prepare users to ensure the supply and response of the station in the form of Uracha. There are thousands of households in big stations and hundreds in small stations.

6. The Ming Dynasty continued to strengthen the construction of post roads.

In the Ming Dynasty, the Mu Tusi in Lijiang occupied Zhongdian. Yunnan businessmen bring tea, sugar, bronzes, grain and non-staple food from Lijiang, Heqing, Dali and Pu 'er to Zhongdian, Kangnan, Jiangka and Yanjing every year, and also bring mountain products medicinal materials such as wool, ghee, Tibetan incense, Cordyceps and musk from these areas, and the trade is very frequent. In the fifth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1407), Tibetan areas were ordered to release the Ming King, protect the King, praise the King and Buddhist teachers to lead all ethnic groups in Sichuan and Tibet to jointly restore the post station, and opened the Ya 'an Post Station, so that the post road leading from the Central Plains to Tibetan areas in Wu Si remained in the north and south. Regardless of South Road and North Road, Changdu is a must. At that time, the important stations in Changdu were Dogan, Lingzang, Longan, Shangxiaqiong and so on.

7. In the Qing Dynasty, Tibet's postal service was renamed "Tang", and the management of Tang Station was more strict and meticulous.

In the 27th year of Kangxi in Qing Dynasty (1688), the local government of Tibet requested to exchange markets in Zhongdian, which was approved by the Qing emperor. Zhongdian was formally established, and firms, lamas, Tibetan merchants and ancient carriages appeared one after another. Zhongdian mining and handicrafts are developed, and foreign businessmen are increasing. Zhongdian has become the main market and commodity distribution center of Yunnan-Tibet trade. In the Qing Dynasty, the scale, number of people, accommodation and geographical environment of the post station were registered, and the post road from Xining to Lhasa via Yushu and Changdu was added. The Draft of the History of Qing Dynasty records that in the fifty-ninth year of Kangxi (1720), in order to expel the invasion of Junggar Army, the Qing Dynasty sent troops to Tibet, and built and improved the post road from Kangding to Lhasa. 19 10, the minister stationed in Tibet sent Tibetan and Chinese officials to inspect the road from Lhasa to Qamdo, and reported that the Qing dynasty requested that the road be built to "one and a half feet wide, which can accommodate two oxen and carts", but it could not be implemented in the Qing dynasty. Xianfeng and Tongzhi years. Because of the war, the business road was blocked, and it was restored in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China.

8. In the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, the number of tea merchants increased greatly.

In addition to Tibetan businessmen, there are Han and Naxi nationalities. Merchants brought tea, salt and cloth into Tibet, and then transported Tibetan skins, medicines and other local products to Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. When transporting goods back and forth in Tibetan areas, sometimes people have to be hired to carry them back and forth, and the only way to encounter rapids is to rely on zip lines and cowhide boats.

9. The situation of the ancient tea-horse road in War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in the middle and late period.

In War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression more than half a century ago, especially in 1942, Myanmar fell into the hands of Japanese invaders. At that time, the Yunnan-Myanmar Highway, the only international traffic artery in China, was cut off, and it turned from Lijiang to the Indian tea-horse ancient road via Tibet, and suddenly became the main international commercial corridor in the southwest of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in the middle and late period. At that time, there were many merchants and caravans along the way, and its busy scene is unimaginable today. On the Yunnan-Tibet traffic line, there are more than 10,000 caravans every year, the two-way traffic volume is more than 1,000 tons every year, and the total financial and trade value is nearly 10 million yuan every year.

In the history of China, there is a mysterious ancient road, which originated in Simao and extended southward to Southeast Asia. Go straight north to Kunming, and you can go straight to Beijing after entering Kunming; Go west until you come to Gao Qing Tibetan Garden. She has a long history of 1800 years ... There are high mountains and canyons along the ancient road, with beautiful scenery, changeable climate and simple folk customs. She witnessed the ups and downs of Pu 'er tea trade, and she is an important carrier of profound Pu 'er tea culture. She is a famous ancient tea-horse road. ...

Cuiyun District and Pu 'er, the source of the ancient tea-horse road, are inhabited by ethnic minorities in the southwest frontier of China and the origin and distribution center of Pu 'er tea. The exchange and circulation of Pu 'er tea and other products are mainly carried by caravans, which is the channel for China folk international trade and tea culture exchange. The ancient road starts from Simao and enters Tibet via Jingdong, Dali, Lijiang and Zhongdian. Along the way, there are sparsely populated high mountains and deep valleys, virgin forests, steep snow-capped mountains, hot Lancang River, Jiang Lixian, Yuanjiang River, Jinsha River Valley, Ailao Mountain, Wuliang Mountain and Meili Snow Mountain, with an altitude of 1000 meters to 4,000 meters, away from the origin of Pu 'er tea. The ancient road is vast and endless, which makes the world deeply feel the hardships and fearlessness of the pioneers.

In Cuiyun District, Pu 'er and other places, there are still stones, stone strips and slate in Malipo, Nakeli and Chama Ancient Road sites. After hundreds of years of wind and rain, the slate is now covered with moss and weeds. There are still horseshoe prints several centimeters deep on the stone slab of the ancient tea-horse road, which is a historical proof.

The ancient tea-horse road is a two-way material exchange channel. After the caravan transported Pu 'er tea at home and abroad, it also transported the industrial products and local products there to Pu 'er, Simao and other places in Yunnan to exchange the needed goods for mutual benefit.

The mountain bell rang and the caravan came. The clanging hooves and the crisp and melodious cymbals make remote mountain huts and silent forests full of vitality. It also makes the mountain people full of reverie about the outside world. The caravan of the ancient road is generally composed of 20-50 people to 100 people. Everyone must carry knives, guns and other tools with him. Some horse drivers also know the languages, customs and routes of ethnic minorities along the way, know the appropriate time and place, and know whether there is forage in the caravan camp. On the ancient tea-horse road, the caravan was connected for 3-5 kilometers. From one valley to another, from one village to another, it is vast and spectacular.

The main routes of the five ancient tea-horse roads are:

North Road: Cui Yun to Kunming, via 15 post station. Due to the increase in the flow of people and horses, in the thirty-sixth year of Daoguang (1850), the ancient tea-horse road from Cui Yun to Kunming was changed from the original dirt road to the embedded stone road, and later this road extended to Liudao Tea Mountain, which is the famous Pu 'er tea-horse road at home and abroad.

Xidao, also known as Houlu caravan, enters Shimonoseki via Cui Yun, Jinggu, JD.COM, Midu and other 13 stations, and then divides into two roads: one road enters Myanmar and India via Baoshan; All the way through Lijiang, Zhongdian and Deqin into Tibet is an ancient Yinsheng tea-horse road.

South Road is divided into three lines, east to Laos and Vietnam, south to Myanmar and Thailand, and west to Myanmar and India.

Either way, it's for Simao and Banna. Therefore, Cuiyun District is the source of the ancient tea-horse road.