The launching ceremony of “Cherished Memories – Foreign Ambassadors to China Exploring Ancient Tea-Horse Road” was recently held in Kunming. Ambassadors from Bangladesh, Malaysia, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia and the Czech Republic and Vietnam  participated in the event.

In this event, the ambassadors will explore the Art Exhibitions China together, experience local culture and customs and learn about the glorious history of the Road.

According to Wang Jun, director of the China Cultural Relics Exchange Centre, the Ancient Tea-Horse Road originated from the “tea-horse trade” in the Tang(618-907) and Song(906-1279) dynasties and underwent rapid development in the Ming(1368-1644) and Qing(1616—1911) dynasties. It has been promoting business and trade along the way and has been acting as a thoroughfare of economic and cultural exchanges between China and Southeast Asian countries. Currently, the Ancient Tea-Horse Road is injecting fresh vitality into economic interconnection and cultural complementation between China and the “Belt and Road” countries.

According to Malaysian Ambassador to China Datuk Zainuddin Yahya, it used to take six months of trekking for the caravans to reach the final destination by the Ancient Tea-Horse Road. It witnessed not only trade of tea, salt and sugar but also exchanges and communication of ideas, traditions, culture, literature, technology and personnel. After more than 1,000 years, the Ancient Tea-Horse Road is now revived with the “Belt and Road” initiative.