Ancient Tea Horse Road
The Ancient Tea Horse Road refers to trade passages in southwestern and northwestern China in ancient times, which mainly traded tea and horses, using caravans primarily. The large transportation network offered three major routes, Sichuan-Tibet, Yunnan-Tibet, and Qinghai-Tibet route, as well as many branch routes. Tea from across China was transported to Tibet, then shipped to Kolkata, India, via the Himalayan passes, and sold in Europe and Asia on a massive scale, gradually making the Ancient Tea Horse Road an important channel for international trade and cultural exchange. As recently as WWII, it offered important access to China for the transportation of all kinds of supplies from the outside world when other transportation lines were cut off. The Road runs through plateau territory having the world's highest elevation and being the most difficult to traverse. It not only facilitated cultural integration between Han Chinese and Tibetans, but also contributed to the unity and harmony of China as multi-ethnic society.
茶马古道
茶马古道是古代中国西南和西北地区的商贸通道，以茶叶和马匹为主要交易内容，以马帮为主要运输工具。茶马古道以川藏道、滇藏道与青藏道为主，延伸出各条支线，构成了庞大的交通网络。茶叶从中国各地经藏区，通过喜马拉雅山口运往印度加尔各答，大量行销欧亚各国，茶马古道逐渐成为国际经贸和文化交流的大通道。第二次世界大战期间， 世界各地通往中国战区的通道被切断，茶马古道成为运送各种物资的重要通道。茶马古道是人类历史上海拔最高、通行难度最大的高原文明古道，不仅是汉藏民族文化融合之路， 也是中国各民族团结和睦之路。茶马古道是中国统一的多民族国家的历史见证，也是民族团结的重要象征。
