Following The Great Tea Road | This is China

Following the Great Tea Road, another documentary in the This is China series tells about the once major tea trade route to Tibet, which has now turned into a scenic tourist attraction and a natural monument to Chinese tea culture. Tea is one of the oldest and most beloved beverages native to China. One might say it is a pillar of Chinese culture. No wonder many rules and traditions surround everything connected with growing, gathering, trading, and drinking tea.

Tea was transported along the Tea Horse Road to Tibet and exchanged for horses, hence the name. Today, after new roads were built, the old Tea Horse Road attracts lots of tourists. Each stop on the way is somehow connected with the tea making process. For example, Lijiang, which received the status of UNESCO Heritage Site, has a Tea Road museum. It has mockup caravans with tea packers illustrating the tea picking process and the trade. It also has documents and artefacts at different times connected to the Tea Horse Road.

Another stop on the Tea Horse Road worth seeing is Kuanhong village, preserved in its original condition from hundreds of years ago from when the Tea Horse Road still functioned. Kuanhong market is also famous for its authenticity. Tea trees in the area are also hundreds or even a thousand years old, and it takes a lot of skill to properly and carefully pick the leaves to preserve the tree and have a decent crop.

With all that, the Tea Horse Road turns out to be about so much more than just the trade route devoted to tea and tea culture. The mysteries of Buddhist monasteries in Shangri-La, the romance of the Jade Dragon Mountain and scenic landscapes that can tell a story of their own - all of it you will see in the RTD film following the Great Tea Road.
00:00 - tea is the pillar of the Chinese culture
2:04 - Shangri-la is the gateway to Tibet
4:59 - impressive architecture of Shangri-la
5:30 - Buddhist monasteries are isles of peace in the hectic world
6:25 - the nature along the Tea Horse Road is amazing
7:00 - Lijiang - UNESCO’s heritage site
8:05 - life of an ancient tea packer
9:08 - tea caravans are the means of cultural exchange
9:43 - Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the symbol of undying love
12:01 - the Shaxi market survived from ancient times
14:44 - remote village of Kuanhing is a monument to tea culture
17:38 - tea picking process
20:10 - Puer is the last stop on the Tea Horse Road
22:37 - stages of processing tea leaves
24:05 - tea drinking ceremony
RT Documentary offers you in-depth documentary films on topics that will leave no one indifferent. It’s not just front-page stories and global events, but issues that extend beyond the headlines. Social and environmental issues, shocking traditions, intriguing personalities, history, sports and so much more – we have documentaries to suit every taste. RT Documentary’s film crews travel far and wide to bring you diverse and compelling stories. Discover the world with us!

SUBSCRIBE TO RTD Channel to get documentaries firsthand! http://bit.ly/1MgFbVy

FOLLOW US
RTD WEBSITE: https://RTD.rt.com/
RTD ON TWITTER: http://twitter.com/RT_DOC
RTD ON FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/RTDocumentary
RTD ON INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/rt_documentary_/
RTD LIVE https://rtd.rt.com/on-air/

Видео Following The Great Tea Road | This is China канала RT Documentary