Yunnan III - Pu’er (Tea Horse Road)
Ancient Tea Horse Road Relic Park - wall and gate
We took another high speed train to Pu’er City and then drove to the outskirts to a wonderful flat near the Ancient Tea Horse Road Relic Park,[1] where we would be staying for 2 nights. It also had a lovely garden and tea room.
Tea Horse Road (茶马道)
The Ancient Tea Horse Road [2] is actually a network of roads leading east from different tea areas of China. It was established in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD)to trade tea for horses with Tibet, and continued into the 20th century when it was replaced by more modern transportation. It was part of the Yunnan-Tibet section that we visited which starts at the Relic Park outside of Pu’er City. The hike includes exhibition halls along the trails that represent the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing (1636-1912) dynasties. Not only can you learn about different periods of history along the route, but it makes for nice breaks during the ascent. As an archaeologist I found this visit particularly interesting.
Display of some of the pottery found along the Ancient Tea Horse Road.
From the signage: “Community of the Castle Peak eternal show, the temple toward the green water long years”, the land altar is the Yunnan Tibetan tea house starting point of the sacrifice, each team to help before the departure of the altar. In the altar held a solemn prayer ceremony (for) peace of mind, security of goods, early return home and family reunion.”
Translation (Google) of the butter box note (above right):
“Tibetan caravans use special ghee boxes to store ghee, which protects it from rain and sun. On the Ancient Tea Horse Road, both people and horses need ghee. Tibetan caravans feed their livestock ghee before entering Tibet, as only by eating enough ghee can the animals develop the cold resistance to ensure a safe journey to Tibet.”
Amazing view from the top!
Ma Bang Museum (马浜博物馆)
At the peak is a post station with a wonderful museum. I’ve highlighted some of the objects below.
Horse statue
outside of the museum
I’ve only shared a small fraction of my photos here. I highly recommend this hike. It has cobble trails that could be slippery when wet, but I would say it is light-moderate difficulty. Take your time and enjoy nature and the stops along the route. The museum at the top is worth the hike!
Let me know if you have been, or would now like to go!
Yunnan: Part I - Pre-trip Research; Yunnan II - Kunming; and more photos can be found under my Travel section.
[1] CGTN (2026) Pu'er Tea Horse Road Relic Park: New life for an ancient trail. Posted online March 3, 2026.
[2] More general info here: Tea Horse Road. I also recommend this video by Canadian explorer Jeff Fuchs who spent a year documenting the old routes: The greatest Trade Route that the world has never heard about: The Tea Horse Road.
