vTea-Horse Trade Route--Linking Tibet with the Hinterland

vTea-Horse Trade Route--Linking Tibet with the Hinterland
Oct 30, 2009 04:29
MAGIC01 Points: Join Date: Oct 30, 2009 Status: offline	The Tea-Horse Trade Route reminds one of the trading routes from Tibet to Yunnan and Sichuan that has enjoyed a long history. Tea-Horse Trade Route The Tea-Horse Trade Route between the hinterland and Tibet evolved from the Tang-Tubo Silk Road. Actually, the trade ties between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the hinterland began much earlier than the Tang Dynasty. During the Sui Dynasty, the emperor issued an edict for expanded trade ties with various states in the Western Regions. When Princess Wencheng married into Tibet, she brought along with her a large batch of materials and books, including a statue of Sakyamuni equal to the height of the Buddha when he was 12 years old, 360 volumes of sutras, 20,000 pieces of silk fabrics, 300 volumes of books on divination, 60 kinds of books on technology, medicine that could be used to treat 404 kinds of diseases and tea. Tea had already been introduced into Tubo, but the trade priority remained silks to satisfy aristocrats. What Tubo exported to the Tang Dynasty were mainly local products or gold and silk vessels transported from Central Asia. There is a legend in Tibetan historical records about the introduction of tea to Tubo: King Dorsum Monbuchi (676-704) fell seriously ill. One day, a beautiful bird came to him with a twig in its mouth. The king felt curious about this, and tasted the leaves, which he found very delicately fragrant. After being boiled with water, it became a superior drink. He ordered his liegemen to look for more samples of this twig. At last, they found it in the area inhabited by the Han people. They brought back the leaves to Tubo and the king soon recovered. Then, he ordered his liegemen to look for vessels carrying this drink, and they also found porcelain bowls in the tea growing area ruled by the Tang Dynasty. According to this view, tea and tea sets all came from the hinterland and were introduced into Tubo in the period about 676-704. Tea soon became a favorite of the Tubo people. The Tea-Horse Trade Route had already been opened during the Tang Dynasty, and tea finally became to rival silk as a trading commodity, with a flow of horses primarily going in the reverse

Oct 30, 2009 04:29

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The Tea-Horse Trade Route reminds one of the trading routes from Tibet to Yunnan and Sichuan that has enjoyed a long history.

Tea-Horse Trade Route

The Tea-Horse Trade Route between the hinterland and Tibet evolved from the Tang-Tubo Silk Road. Actually, the trade ties between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the hinterland began much earlier than the Tang Dynasty. During the Sui Dynasty, the emperor issued an edict for expanded trade ties with various states in the Western Regions.

When Princess Wencheng married into Tibet, she brought along with her a large batch of materials and books, including a statue of Sakyamuni equal to the height of the Buddha when he was 12 years old, 360 volumes of sutras, 20,000 pieces of silk fabrics, 300 volumes of books on divination, 60 kinds of books on technology, medicine that could be used to treat 404 kinds of diseases and tea.

Tea had already been introduced into Tubo, but the trade priority remained silks to satisfy aristocrats. What Tubo exported to the Tang Dynasty were mainly local products or gold and silk vessels transported from Central Asia.

There is a legend in Tibetan historical records about the introduction of tea to Tubo: King Dorsum Monbuchi (676-704) fell seriously ill. One day, a beautiful bird came to him with a twig in its mouth. The king felt curious about this, and tasted the leaves, which he found very delicately fragrant. After being boiled with water, it became a superior drink. He ordered his liegemen to look for more samples of this twig. At last, they found it in the area inhabited by the Han people. They brought back the leaves to Tubo and the king soon recovered. Then, he ordered his liegemen to look for vessels carrying this drink, and they also found porcelain bowls in the tea growing area ruled by the Tang Dynasty. According to this view, tea and tea sets all came from the hinterland and were introduced into Tubo in the period about 676-704.

Tea soon became a favorite of the Tubo people. The Tea-Horse Trade Route had already been opened during the Tang Dynasty, and tea finally became to rival silk as a trading commodity, with a flow of horses primarily going in the reverse

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