A tea time to savor

Historic trade route over mountains has its origins in Yunnan province, a place where the landscape is as diverse as the inhabitants, Deng Zhangyu and Li Yingqing report.

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Southwest China's Yunnan province is home to one of the world's highest and most storied ancient trade routes. For centuries, mule caravans traversed the historic path, transporting tea from the lush regions of Xishuangbanna and Pu'er to the high-altitude snowlands above.

The route made tea an integral part of life for the Tibetans on the plateau. From there, the journey extended southward to India and to some Southeast Asian countries, and northward to Russia. Owing to the frequent exchange of tea for horses along the route, it is also referred to as the Ancient Tea Horse Road.