photo #9142294

Men carrying tea bricks by Ernest H. Wilson The Ancient Tea-horse Road emerged during the 7th century and flourished during Ming and Qing dynasties(1368-1911). After 1949, free trade was restricted and the ancient footpaths were largely abandoned in favor of paved roads. The high altitude of Tibet made it unfavourable for tea planting, as a result it was necessary for the Tibetans to import tea from China and India. The main route of transportation was foot and horse, across then narrow paths and snow capped mountains. The journey took several months so the Tibetan porters invented the tea brick, known as Ja bak-chung, this compressed packing method maintained the freshness of their tea.