Old route · highland trade

The Tea Horse Road

For centuries, tea from southern Yunnan moved north and west through mountain routes by mule, horse and caravan. These paths are often remembered as part of the Tea Horse Road.

The route was not only commercial. It carried language, music, salt, cloth, religious objects, news and stories across difficult terrain.

In Yunnan’s legends, roads often behave like rivers: they connect distant worlds and leave behind echoes in towns, passes and old stone lanes.