• The Tea Horse Road was not a single route, but a network of many small paths.
  • This route passed through the southwestern Yunnan and Sichuan provinces of China to Tibet.
  • From there it spread towards India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
  • The major cities on this route were Lhasa, Dali, Lijiang and Kolkata.
  • The journey on this route was extremely difficult, as it passed through high mountains, dangerous valleys and snowy passes.

Historical origin of the Tea Horse Road

  • This route is believed to have originated during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD).
  • The famous Buddhist monk Yijing has mentioned this route in his writings.
  • At that time, tea, Chinese cloth and rice noodles were sent from southwestern China to Tibet and India.
  • In return, horses, leather, gold, saffron and medicinal herbs were transported to China from Tibet and India.

Centre of Trade: Tea and Horses

  • The Tea Horse Road was named “Tea-Horse Route” because it mainly traded tea and horses.

Tea Trade

  • The production of tea in China was very high, but there was a huge demand for it in Tibet.
  • According to a folklore, when Chinese princess Wencheng went to Tibet after marrying Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century, she also took tea with her.
  • Soon, tea became an essential part of daily life for Tibetan nomads.
  • It proved helpful in providing warmth and maintaining energy in cold weather.

Horse Trade

  • There was a shortage of horses in the plains of China, while good breeds of horses were found in Tibet and Mongolia.
  • China needed strong Tibetan horses for military campaigns.
  • Under this trade, China used to send tea to Tibet and receive horses from there in return.
  • Horses were very important for the Chinese army, especially during the Mongol invasions.

Trading activities and government control

  • In the 10th century, the Chinese government established official centers in border counties to control the trade of this route.
  • The function of these centers was to ensure the quality of tea and horses.
  • The merchants also traded other goods through this route, such as cotton, silk, medicinal herbs and precious metals.
  • The tea was packed in the form of “Compressed Tea Bricks”, which were used as currency in Tibet.

Published by Pragyanxetu

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