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Insight Asia

Asian Corridor in Heaven

Tea Makes the Road Open

In the jungle,

primeval trees form dense forests.

This is Puer, China,

adjacent to Myanmar and Thailand.

The Hani people of Puer penetrates
deep into the jungle.

Every March, the Hani people
offer sacrifice to their god.

A live chicken is brought and
its blood is spilled before the god.

Their god is no other than
this tall tea tree.

In the thickness of it all, the divine tree
has stood for more than a thousand years.

To these people,
tea leaves are a gift

from god that had sustained them
for several millennia.

An old man of the Hani prays
for yet another abundant harvest.

There are 26 ethnic groups living in Puer.

Each group has their own tea god.

Failan, the tea god of the Blang people,

introduced tea to the Blang people
2 thousand years ago.

Women of the Blang set apart
the very first tea

harvest for their ancestor every year.

What do you have there?

This is tea from Qingmai

Why did you prepare tea?

I brought it from the fields
to serve to the ancient gods.

This is the tea field of
the Blang people.

The tea trees are no less than
4 to 5 meters tall,

and the women have to climb to
the top to pick the leaves.

These centuries-old trees are called
the ancient tea tree.

For many years, the ancient tea trees
were all they had.

00:05:50,015
you will have them disappear
in less than 6 generations.

You must protect and respect the tea trees and
pass them down to your descendants.

You will be safe from the invasion and robbery.

The Blang people have
their own way of drinking tea.

First, they roast the tea leaves

and let it soak in the hot water.

This is how they drank their tea
since the distant old days.

They also used tea as medicine and food.

To them, tea has been the source of life.

Thus, their tea is both the beginning and

the center of all teas around the world.

The southern part of Yunnan Province in China
is where tea originated.

Tea Trees in Yunnan Province

This tree standing here is
the mother of all teas.

The tree is 1,800 years old.

It is the oldest tea tree in the world.

A vast plain of lush green
expands into distance.

This is the tea field in Puer.

As the name suggests,
Puer is the home of the famous Puer tea.

The short trees are a variant of
the tall tea trees.

For the ease of tea harvest,
these are naturally shorter.

The Ancient Tea Horse Caravan Road
begins in Puer, the home of all teas.

Chinese royalty and aristocrats

began drinking tea
even before the Han Dynasty.

The common people finally got to taste tea

starting from the Tang Dynasty.

The modern Chinese cannot do without tea.

In Sichuan Province

one person drinks up
to 4 liters of tea each day.

The Mengding Mountains in Sichuan

The Mengding Mountains in Sichuan.

This is where tea for the emperors

was grown.

It's the imperial tea garden.

Two thousand years ago,
a Taoist monk named Wulizhen

first began tea cultivation to offer
to the emperors.

The Chinese see Wulizhen
as the progenitor of tea,

the one who brought the gift
of tea into their lives.

Wulizhen

Puer, Yunnan Province in China

The parade is to commemorate
the return of Puer tea

offered to the Qing Emperor
150 years ago.

The 150-year-old,

tea had been stored in neglect
in the basement of the Palace Museum

until one researcher found it.

Unlike the destiny of all other teas that
had been reduced to ash,

this Puer tea survived to
finally return home to Puer.

Wanshoulongtuan, which was
once offered to the emperor,

is the oldest existing tea in China.

Even after 150 years,
it still retains its colour and shape.

The price of the imperial drink is
beyond anyone's imagination.

Experts estimate it to be at least $500,000.

The tea-loving Chinese call Puer tea,

the living antique, the drinkable relic.

While most teas change
in taste after a year,

Puer tea becomes
even more savoury and fragrant.

Old tea is rarely traded,
but when they are,

the price is phenomenal.

According to the sales record
of tea in 2002,

the most expensive Puer tea

was priced at $100,000 for 500 grams.

But that tea was produced around 1937
during the Sino-Japanese War,

relatively newer than this one.

This tea is from 1927,

which is about a decade older.

So we can say this one is better in quality

and fermentation than the $100,000 tea.

What is the secret of Puer tea that
grows more savoury, fragrant,

and not to mention expensive, with time?

The making of Puer tea
is a bit peculiar.

Roasted tea leaves are placed
under a large grindstone,

and men tread on it for half an hour.

The leaves are pressed
into a round flat disk,

which makes it easy to transport and

does not crumble in the process.

Each disk weighs 357 grams.

But why do they insist on
making it 357 grams

Seven disks are packed in one

with bamboo and its leaves.

One package weighs 2.5 kilograms.

Twelve packages are then slung
over each side of the mule,

which equals to 60 kg the total weight
that a mule can carry a day.

Merchants had carefully standardized the weight
for the safe travel over the road.

The southern regions of Yunnan is
hot and humid all year round.

In the spring and summer when tea cultivation
is concentrated, the rainy season starts,

and there's no way the tea can stay completely
dry from the rain during transport.

After some time on the road,

the tea becomes fermented
even before it reaches its destination.

The tea stored in a well ventilated bamboo is
fermented just right,

giving it the right colour and aroma.

At first, the caravan
could have been disheartened

by the yellowed tea.

But who could have known that

Puer tea tastes and smells better

when it is fermented longer

Dali, Yunnan, China

This is Dali, the gateway city to
the Ancient Tea Horse Caravan Road.

The town had served as
the capital of Nanzhao Dynasty

that united ethnic minorities
in Yunnan 1,300 years ago.

From Puer, the caravan travelled
with their tea

and stopped to lodge here in the city.

The caravan brought tea from Puer

and sold it to other caravan
and retained huge profits.

Based on the vibrant trading,
Dali grew to be a prosperous city.

Just 5 decades ago
the stores that bought

and sold tea filled the city.

The smooth slabs of stones on the pavement
silently prove the past prosperity.

In the past, there were many houses
where the caravan stayed

and traded tea.

At some point, there were
so many people that

a great number of the caravans
had to stay in stables.

People with various ethnic backgrounds
still come to Dali to shop.

Dali is still one of the biggest market towns
in the region.

The Nanzhao Dynasty had monopolized

the tea trading in Yunnan and
their influence grew ever formidable.

Their growing power
however wasn't very pleasing

in the eyes of the traditional
Han Chinese dynasties.

The Tang Dynasty, in particular
wanted the tea trading all to itself.

In 724 A.D., Emperor Xuanzong
of Tang marched

his 200,000 troops into the Nanzhao territory
to steal the tea trading.

However, the massive Tang troops were

drowned in Lake Erhai.

Currently, Dali is the home of
the largest tea factories in Yunnan.

All of them produce Puer tea.

As the demand for fermented tea soared,

they've been mass producing tea with
the development of artificial fermentation

in the late 1970s.

The tremendous popularity

dates back to the Tang Dynasty.

And in the center of it all was Tibet.

Our caravan brought tea from Puer

to Dali, Lijiang and Tibet.

There had been and still are lots of
tea factories here.

When tea is produced at the factories,

we would take the cheapest kind to Tibet.

The tea is loaded on the mules
to begin the 5,000 km long journey.

From Puer in Yunnan,
we travel through Dali

and over the Hengduan Mountains
at the eastern

end of the Himalayas to
Lhasa, Nepal, and India.

The locals say that only
the birds and rats can finish

this treacherous caravan road,
stretching from Yunnan to Tibet.

The caravans are the only ones
that travel on this road.

They carry tea from Yunnan

for some 3 months to reach Lhasa.

Ahead of them, only a narrow path winds
around the precipitous mountains.

Why did they have to travel
such a perilous road

They did because they wanted
horses in return for tea.

The trading of tea and horse is
what paved the caravan road.

Lhasa in Tibet

In the 7th century, King Songtsen Gampo
of Tibet united his kingdom

and became a threat to the Tang Dynasty.

Based on great power,
Songtsen Gampo

took Princess Wencheng of
Tang as his bride.

This was when tea was introduced to Tibet.

Not a single soul guessed that

mere tea would determine
the destiny of Tibet.

The Tibetan plateau is bleak
and desolate beyond description.

The shepherds and yaks roam the wilderness

all day long for the trace of scant grass.

In the land that yields
no crops or vegetables

Tibetans rely heavily on yaks.

Most of their nutrients
come from the yak meat.

Because of this, their diet
seriously lacked vitamins.

For them, the only source of vitamin is tea.

Thus explains the nickname that
Tibetans gave to tea, "Black Gold."

Tibetans drink more than 50 cups of

yak butter tea every day.

These avid tea drinkers are said to drink
more tea than anyone else in the world.

A day never passes without tea.

To Tibetans, tea is
their blood, flesh, and life.

Dongzhulin Temple

Deep echoes of a horn reverberates
through the morning air at the temple.

Tibetan monks carry out worships daily
in the morning, noon, and evening.

The long training of lamas is never complete

without one thing.

It's the drinking of tea.

While the worship continues,

the monk on the tea
duty prepares the butter tea.

The sheer amount of tea alone
reveals the size of the temple.

The first persons to drink tea in Tibet
were the lamas.

It was also by the monks who

first mixed yak butter with tea.

To drink tea at the temple,
the lamas must abide by strict rules.

They are to drink tea 3 times a day
at morning, noon, and evening.

Tea must be poured
according to the training ranks and

should be drank silently.

The demand for tea that
started at the temples soon expanded,

becoming the necessity of the Tibetan life.

In return for tea, the only things
Tibetans could trade were horses.

Tibetan horses ran faster and were best
in war than any other horses.

The Chinese dynasties quickly
jumped into the tea-horse trading to get

their hands on the fast Tibetan horses.

China needed strong horses to fight off

the hostile nomads from the north

and they wanted a steady
supply by way of the tea-horse trading.

Ya'an, Sichuan Province

Ya'an, Sichuan Province

The town used to house
the booming tea-horse market.

The modern day Ya'an is still
the largest tea producer.

Most tea factories in Ya'an

make tea specifically for Tibetans.

They call the tea biancha,
because the tea is supplied to bian,

the outlying regions.

Unlike Puer tea from Yunnan,

biancha is cheap and of low grade

as it is made of broad tea leaves and stalks.

Biancha is usually used by Tibetans

to make yak butter tea.

Being the center of biancha production,

Ya'an prospered since the Song Dynasty.

The Song Emperor set up the Tea Horse Office
in Ya'an to wield exclusive

control over the tea-horse trading.

Under the Song Dynasty, a horse was
equal to 1,800 jin, approximately 1080 kg.

However, it became 120 jin of tea per horse
during the Ming Dynasty.

Tea became more expensive

whereas horses became cheaper.

Once, the Tibetan kingdom was powerful

enough to occupy
all the land west to this river.

With tea however, their decline also came.

Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of Ming decreed

a ban on the tea trading
that crossed the Dadu to Tibet.

By that time, Tibet couldn't live
without tea and

had to give in to them.

They were able to obtain tea

after offering a mass number of horses.

Ya'an alone produces
110,000 tons of biancha per year.

With that, each of the 6 million Tibetans

can consume nearly 20 kg for a whole year.

The current Sichuan-Tibet Highway was built

over the ancient caravan road.

The pioneers of the ancient road were

the Chinese dynasties
trying to control Tibet with tea.

There were 2 means of transport at the time.

One is men and the other is horses.

Without men and horses,
tea couldn't go anywhere.

The carriers would travel for some length
and stay the night in towns.

This process was repeated every day.

Before the road was paved

the Hans in Sichuan used to

carry the load themselves to cross
the mountains.

When they reach the snow-capped
Hengduan Mountains,

they delivered tea to the Tibetan caravan.

Because these tea-horse markets were

all located in the Chinese regions,

Tibetans would trudge 2,000 km

to bring tea back to Lhasa.

While the Tea-Horse Road from Yunnan

was for private trading,

the one leading from Sichuan was for

government trading only.

Meili Snow Mountains

Tibetans on the road faced
the towering Meili Snow Mountains.

At the foot of the summit covered with perpetual
snow runs the 2,000 m long icy river.

The caravan could
only travel in June

when the snow begins to melt.

The Meili is one of the
8 most sacred mountains in Tibet.

Those who pass visit

the great fall of melted glaciers.

With devout faith,
people circle the fall

and pray for their safe trip
over the Meili.

With a long hard road ahead,

the caravan also prays for
safety at the Meili.

When they finally cross
the snow mountains,

they arrive at a farm
at the 4,000 m altitude.

When the snow melts,
the shepherds

gather here in search of green grass.

The yak herders rely on
yak milk for a living.

They make goods to sell to
the caravan headed for Lhasa.

Yak milk in a big wooden container is
churned up all day long.

The yellow batch is yak butter.

Tibetans mix it with tea leaves to make tea.

Along with tea, yak butter is
a must for the Tibetan diet.

The shepherds have long sustained
themselves with yak butter

they make and sell to the caravan
travelling over the Meili to inland Tibet.

We make it every 17-18 days.

How much is each yak butter?

It's 17-18 Yuan per 500 grams.

Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China

Lijiang is a UNESCO designated heritage

located on the caravan road.

It was the heart of transport

and trade for all who passed the road.

From across China,
merchants came to Lijiang to

establish a joint caravan.

As recently as the 1950s,

the streets were busy
with caravans and horses.

Merchants bought tea
from the Yunnan caravan

and resold it to the Tibetan caravan,

or they formed the caravan for themselves

and took tea to Lhasa and India.

The size of the caravans
in their time of glory was enormous.

Thousands of horses left Lijiang every morning.

And the Tibetan yaks used as pack mules
numbered at 8,0009,000.

No, at least 10,000.

It was an unimaginable amount.

This monument found near Lijiang
belongs to the ancient Tibetan kingdom.

It was carved 1,300 years ago

to guide the caravan coming to Lijiang.

It also warned people
against the prowling beasts.

The Paved Stone Path of
the Caravan Road

To make it easier for the horses,
rich merchants paved

the dirt road with slabs of stones.

The deep prints come from
the hooves of the pack mules.

Many caravan merchants
who only recently stopped

travelling to Lhasa and

India with horses still live
close to the caravan road.

I worked for the caravan for 50 years

since I was 14 years old.

I'm the third generation,
ever since my grandfather.

My father also handled horses
and it was all for the family.

At first, I started handling horses for others.
After I earned some money,

I had my own 10 horses.

The road the caravan travel is
very dangerous and difficult.

But I had to continue for decades

since my family depended on me.

My grandfather, father, and husband

had to travel far to transport tea.

When my husband left, all I could
do was stay home and miss him.

But I didn't complain. I just prayed that

my husband would return
from the dangerous roads.

Why did you marry me if you are leaving?

Why are you leaving after marrying me?

You are a cruel man.

I was in debt when I married you.

I cannot pay the debt if I do not leave.

I do not mind if you are in debt.
We can sell

the mule and pay.

You are a cruel man.

Even the stones speak,
but why won't you answer me

Many unfortunate caravan merchants in fact lost

their lives crossing gorges and rivers.

Picture of caravans crossing the river in 1920s

Sometimes, they would cross the gorge
on a single rope bridge.

Other times they inflated the lambskin bag
and swam across.

They did all of this to sell tea
and earn money.

In Lhasa, we resold tea at a much higher rate.

If it was 10 Yuan here, it'd be 5060 Yuan

in Lhasa.
It's several times more expensive.

Why is it that expensive?

It is expensive because the road is too long
and the caravan has to travel 3 months.

For those months, we spend
a lot of money as well.

Since it costs us money,

if we don't sell at higher prices, we can't live.

Jinsha River

The caravan passes the Three Parallel Rivers

where the Jinsha, Lancang,
and Nu flow into one.

The winding path flanked by a sheer cliff is

notoriously dangerous.

After years of neglect, the world again
paid attention to the road in the 1930s.

It was when the Japanese
invasion had cut off

all the trading routes going into China.

The Ancient Tea Horse Caravan Road
was the only open road.

This was because no one

but the caravan could travel the road.

The Tea Horse Caravan Road is one of
the oldest roads humans paved.

It has persisted 1,400 years
since the glorious trading days

under the Tang Dynasty.

Blocked by the Hengduan

and the Himalayas,
the caravan road had been

reluctant to allow
humans to pass through.

The only ones who travelled
were the caravans.

After months of struggle on the road,

they reached Lhasa,

unloaded their horses, and delivered
the source of life, the tea.

A district in Lhasa

Tea that travelled over the road
is sold here and

distributed throughout Tibet.

Since the old days

Tibetan nomads come here to buy tea.

Lhasa was the destination of
the caravan road

but also another starting point.

We sell the tea we bought in Ya'an,

Sichuan, in Lhasa.

From Lhasa, we don't go back home,

but to India to sell some more.

We take tea and medicinal herbs
to India and Nepal for sale.

On our journey back,

we bring textiles to sell in Lijiang
and Dali in Yunnan.

Beyond the Himalayas, the road continues.

To India and Nepal.

Now the tea, on the back of the yaks,
climb over the Himalayas.

At the end of the road that

stretches ahead, people will wait for the tea,
their source of life.