Tea Horse Road Article - T-Magazin

A return to my home of 11 years, Yunnan, and that ancient highway through the sky, the Ancient Tea Horse Road, in my contribution to the latest edition of 'T-magazine'.

Story focuses upon some of the endurance and hardship that was woven into the trade routes that coursed through the Himalayas. Yunnan, tucked into the very southwest of China still carries remnants of worn stone and wispy paths that hint at another time.

Tea in its often months-long journeys went through transformation brought on through humidity changes, altitute and temperature variations, and time itself. Mules, yak, sheep, horses, and humans all participated in the transportation and trade of tea (and anything of value) in the Himalayas. As one trader (tsong-ba) remarked, "The tea that began a journey in the 'tea lands' was very different from the tea that emerged months' later in the market capitals of the Himalayas."