摘要：当清晨的第一缕阳光穿透横断山脉的薄雾，马帮的铜铃声便在崎岖山路上响起——这是千年“茶马互市”最生动的注脚。作为中国古代西南地区特有的商贸形式，“tea-horse trade (ancient commercial exchange between Han a
当清晨的第一缕阳光穿透横断山脉的薄雾，马帮的铜铃声便在崎岖山路上响起——这是千年“茶马互市”最生动的注脚。作为中国古代西南地区特有的商贸形式，“tea-horse trade (ancient commercial exchange between Han and Tibetan peoples)”不仅是物资的流通，更是文明的对话。汉族商队带着江南茶园的新茶，穿越峡谷与雪山，抵达藏地；而藏族同胞则以高原的良马作为交换，这些马匹不仅成为中原地区重要的运力，更在军事与交通中扮演关键角色。在这条绵延数千里的古道上，茶不再是单纯的饮品，它化作跨越民族的纽带，将农耕文明的细腻与游牧文明的豪迈紧紧相连，在铜铃与马蹄的交响中，书写出中国茶向外传播的第一篇章。
When the first ray of morning sunlight pierces the mist of the Hengduan Mountains, the bronze bells of the caravan ring out on the rugged mountain roads—this is the most vivid footnote to the millennium-old "tea-horse trade (ancient commercial exchange between Han and Tibetan peoples)". As a unique commercial form in southwest China in ancient times, the tea-horse trade was not only the circulation of goods, but also a dialogue between civilizations. Han caravans carried fresh tea from the tea gardens in the Jiangnan region, crossing canyons and snow-capped mountains to reach Tibetan areas; in return, Tibetan compatriots offered fine horses from the plateau. These horses not only became an important means of transportation in the Central Plains, but also played a key role in military affairs and transportation. On this ancient road stretching for thousands of miles, tea ceased to be a mere beverage; it turned into a bond across ethnic groups, linking the delicacy of agricultural civilization with the boldness of nomadic civilization. Amid the symphony of bronze bells and horse hooves, it wrote the first chapter of the spread of Chinese tea to the outside world.
宋元之后，茶马古道的脉络愈发密集，茶的传播也逐渐突破地域界限。随着海上丝绸之路的兴盛，中国茶开始搭乘商船，驶向更广阔的海洋。明朝郑和下西洋时，船队携带的武夷岩茶、西湖龙井，成为赠予沿途各国王室的珍贵礼物，让“东方树叶”第一次在东南亚、中东乃至东非留下印记。到了清代，广州十三行成为茶叶出口的核心枢纽，每年数十万担的祁门红茶、六安瓜片从这里出发，经印度洋、大西洋，最终抵达欧洲。在伦敦的咖啡馆里，曾经只喝咖啡的贵族们开始尝试用银勺搅拌杯中琥珀色的茶汤；在圣彼得堡的宫廷宴会上，中国茶成为彰显身份的奢侈品。此时的中国茶，已从茶马古道上的“生存物资”，蜕变为全球贸易中的“文化符号”，每一片茶叶都承载着东方的韵味，在世界舞台上开启新的旅程。
After the Song and Yuan dynasties, the network of the Tea-Horse Road became increasingly dense, and the spread of tea gradually broke through regional boundaries. With the prosperity of the Maritime Silk Road, Chinese tea began to be carried by merchant ships to the broader oceans. During Zheng He's voyages to the Western Seas in the Ming Dynasty, the Wuyi Rock Tea and West Lake Longjing carried by the fleet became precious gifts for the royal families of the countries along the way, allowing the "Oriental Leaf" to leave its mark in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and even East Africa for the first time. In the Qing Dynasty, the Thirteen Factories in Guangzhou became the core hub for tea export. Hundreds of thousands of dan (a traditional Chinese unit of weight) of Keemun Black Tea and Liu'an Guapian were shipped from here every year, passing through the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, and finally reaching Europe. In London's coffee houses, nobles who once only drank coffee began to try stirring the amber-colored tea soup in their cups with silver spoons; at the royal banquets in St. Petersburg, Chinese tea became a luxury symbolizing status. At this time, Chinese tea had transformed from a "subsistence commodity" on the Tea-Horse Road into a "cultural symbol" in global trade. Every tea leaf carried the charm of the East, embarking on a new journey on the world stage.
进入现代，中国茶的传播早已不止于商品流通，更成为一种生活方式的输出。从日本的茶道中可见中国宋代点茶的影子，从英国下午茶的礼仪中能寻到清代红茶的影响，从印度阿萨姆茶区的种植技术里可追溯中国茶农的智慧。如今，当你在纽约的茶馆点一杯茉莉花茶，在巴黎的超市拿起一盒普洱茶饼，或是在悉尼的家中冲泡一袋祁门红茶时，都在参与这场跨越千年的文化接力。而这一切的起点，始终是那条回荡着马帮铃声的茶马古道——“tea-horse trade (ancient commercial exchange between Han and Tibetan peoples)”不仅是一个历史名词，更是中国茶走向世界的精神源头，它见证着一片树叶如何从高原山谷出发，最终走进全球数十亿人的日常生活，成为连接不同文明、传递东方美学的永恒桥梁。
In modern times, the spread of Chinese tea has long gone beyond the circulation of goods; it has become the export of a way of life. The tea ceremony in Japan reflects the influence of the tea whisking method of the Song Dynasty in China; the etiquette of afternoon tea in the UK bears the mark of black tea from the Qing Dynasty; the planting techniques in the Assam tea region of India can be traced back to the wisdom of Chinese tea farmers. Today, when you order a cup of jasmine tea in a tea house in New York, pick up a box of Pu'er tea cakes in a supermarket in Paris, or brew a bag of Keemun Black Tea at home in Sydney, you are participating in this cultural relay that has spanned thousands of years. And the starting point of all this is always the Tea-Horse Road, where the bells of caravans still echo. The "tea-horse trade (ancient commercial exchange between Han and Tibetan peoples)" is not just a historical term, but the spiritual source of Chinese tea's journey to the world. It witnesses how a single leaf started from the plateau valleys and finally entered the daily lives of billions of people around the world, becoming an eternal bridge connecting different civilizations and conveying Oriental aesthetics.
图文｜孟瑶
来源：中国乡村振兴传媒集团
