A moment from the original
The trip begins with an unfamiliar place name and a book borrowed at the guesthouse. Later, a young villager describes walking down the mountain to school and being met by parents with horses for the journey home. A visitor’s outing meets a family’s everyday history.
Ask what a road meant to the people using it
Old trade routes invite questions beyond where they lead. Who travelled them regularly? What did they carry? Which journeys were work, and which were a return home? A local conversation can give a landscape a human scale.
Explore the walking and cultural stops on our Shaxi Tea Horse Road itinerary. Ruyi’s horseback excursion to Mapingguan is a separate journey; discuss any interest in that village with us before planning around it.
Read the original
沙溪出发，体验茶马古道
如意 · Ruyi
Meipian
This English reading note and commentary is by China Hike. Follow the link for the author’s full account in Chinese.
Read the original in Chinese ↗Your next step
Turn a good read into a walk.
Tell us your dates, your usual walking pace and the places you want to understand better.
Talk through your plans