China’s Ambassador to India Xu Feihong recently posted on X about the historic Tea Horse Road.
It spanned more than 2,000 km, and connected China to India via Tibet.
It witnesses the exchanges and interaction between China and India.
Origin – It can be traced to the rule of the Tang dynasty in China (618-907 CE).
The Tea Horse Road does not refer to a single road but a network of branching paths that began in southwest China and ended in the Indian subcontinent.
Pathways - The 2 main pathways passed through cities like Dali and Lijiang in Yunnan province, and reached Lhasa in Tibet, before entering the Indian subcontinent.
They branched into present-day India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
These routes were perilous to travel on, passed through difficult terrain, and reached an elevation of up to 10,000 feet.
Buddhist monk Yijing (635-713 CE) mention
Products like sugar, textiles, and rice noodles being transported from southwestern China to Tibet and India while
Horses, leather, Tibetan gold, saffron and other medicine herbs went to China.
Over time, the trade focused on teas and horses during Song dynasty (960-1279 CE).
The main driver for the road is believed to be the demand for tea among Tibetan nomads.
In 1912, as the time of the Qing dynasty came to an end, the Horse Tea Road would continue to remain significant.
Cultural and technological exchanges over 800 years have created unique local architecture, art, landscape, culture and social life.
These incorporate the quintessence of Han, Bai, Tibetan and other ethnic groups.
Declination - With the establishment of the People’s Republic in 1949, the Tea Horse Road witnessed a gradual decline.
