Tea Horse Road: China’s Ancient Trade Road to Tibet

This is the first comprehensive visual documentation of the Tea Horse Road that takes the audience on a journey from the birthplace of the tea plant along the oldest trade route of tea in the world. It is also one of the oldest and highest trade routes. Accompanying Michael Freeman’s spectacular photographers is text drawing on first-hand experiences, primary research and extensive archival research by Dr. Selena Ahmed. Starting in tea forests in the mountains of southern Yunnan, through Tibet and into India, it explores the rich cultural practices and biological diversity of the communities the Tea Horse Road passes. The audience gets to know the plants and people, the lives and landscapes experienced through the exchange of tea. The book places the historical Tea-Horse Road in a contemporary context through a discussion on current issues including biodiversity, livelihoods, organic farming, globalization, health, and antioxidants. The book should thus be attractive to a wide audience