Tours and holidays with added interest
Tea-horse Trail
The Tea-horse Trail is an ancient trade route between the tea-growing area of Yunnan bordering Laos, known as Xishuangbanna, and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Stretching some 4000 kilometres over rugged terrain, much of which needs special permits to visit, you are unlikely to follow the whole route. However, the existence of the trail provides some interest to an exploration of Yunnan Province and its rich mix of ethnic minorities.
Background
The route starts in Mengla County some 200 kilometres from Jinghong, the access point for the area. The ancient town of Yiwu was established almost two thousand years ago and still has remnants of a flagstone path presumed to be part of the original tea-horse trail.
By the 18th century the sheer volume of tea traded and the proximity to the border justified the appointment of a military secretary to the region. Key brands were sent as tribute to the Emperor in Beijing - the most famous being 'Celestial Tribute' and Pu'er. The latter supposedly got its name directly from Emperor Qianlong. The story says that constant rains en-route made the tea bricks damp and created the conditions for some limited fermentation and it was the mellow flavour that resulted that so impressed the top man. The exact processes used in the Simao district (renamed Pu'er recently) are a closely guarded secret with good reason. Top teas sell for more than the price of gold weight-for-weight, with even those crazy values being driven up by the prestige they bring ('face'), speculation and hoarding.
Attractions For Visitors
It is possible to travel much of the route from Mengla to the Dechen, where Yunnan Province borders the Tibet Autonomous Region. Many visitors already overnight in towns like Dali, Lijiang and Zhongdian (Shangri La) without realising that these are on the Tea-horse Trail. Shaxi ancient town of Jianchun County was a notable stop and is now worth a visit in that it is has changed less.
Some sections of the route are still used for the carriage of goods by horse, especially by the Naxi people. Their horses are very precious and there are many taboos that give these beasts a position almost equal to that of people. It is also possible to visit some of the old buildings that once served as wayside inns where caravans , sometimes including over 100 horses, would stop over for the night on their long, arduous and sometimes dangerous journey.
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Current Comments
2 comments so far (post your own)Rupert
There are very few horse caravans these days. It is possible to walk with a horse along some sections, especially near to Tiger Leaping Gorge. Local guesthouses would be the best place to arrange such an experience.
Posted by China Journeys on Wed 9 May, 2012
Presumably it is the remote villages which are served by the current horse caravans. What are the chances of travelling with them ,either riding or hiking?
Posted by RupertM on Wed 9 May, 2012