The Tea Horse Road winds through the towering mountains of southwest China.

Since the Tang Dynasty in the 7th century, people from China’s inland regions and its southwestern border areas exchanged tea, horses, and other goods, carving out a mysterious trade route through the mountains with countless caravans and porters.

The barter trade on the Tea Horse Road feels familiar to David Couvidat from France. In his homeland, mule caravans carried salt from Camargue along the "Salt Road" to Rouergue (now in Aveyron), exchanging it for timber used in shipbuilding.

Having lived in China for six years, David has been actively promoting French language and culture. Moments of discovery often leave him marveling at the fascinating connections across time and space between China and France.

More often, he finds himself captivated by the unique charm of Chinese culture as he embarks on journeys across the country. This time, accompanied by Gong Liang, honorary director of Nanjing Museum, his destination is Pu’er City in Yunnan Province, where there are well-preserved remnants of the Tea Horse Road.

The mystery of the Tea Horse Road has long fascinated David. To him, tea, the primary commodity traded along the route, embodies the distinct flavor of China. The fact that this ancient pathway leads to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau—often called "the roof of the world"—adds an air of wonder.

The journey offered a rich tapestry of experiences, appealing to any foreign expat with its aromatic tea, diverse cultures, unique customs of various ethnic groups, and breathtaking landscapes.

Walking along the stone-paved path, it dawned on David that tea is more than just a beverage or a lifestyle. It represents a shared aspiration for a better life among different ethnic groups. Driven by this common goal, these ethnic groups have cooperated and supported each other for generations.

For thousands of years, it was their collective effort that gave rise to the Tea Horse Road and expanded it into a sprawling network of trade and cultural exchange routes. This enduring spirit of unity and collaboration, he realized, is the foundation that has sustained Chinese civilization for millennia.

茶馬古道，蜿蜒在中國西南的崇山峻嶺中。自唐代起，漢藏兩地為了各自的生活和發(fā)展所需，以茶葉和馬匹等物產(chǎn)進行交換，無數(shù)馬幫和背夫在群山之中踏出一條神秘的商路。

以物換物的古老貿(mào)易方式，對法國人大衛(wèi)·庫維達（David Couvidat）來說并不陌生。在法國，也曾有騾隊沿著“鹽路”將產(chǎn)自地中海沿岸卡瑪格地區(qū)的鹽運往270多公里外的魯埃格地區(qū)（現(xiàn)法國阿韋龍?。?，換取用于造船的木材。在中國生活六年，通過法語教學展開文化交流，大衛(wèi)時常感受到東西方文明跨越時空的美妙碰撞。

大衛(wèi)也一次次被中國博大精深的文化吸引，一次次踏上親身探索感知之旅。這一次，他和南京博物院名譽院長龔良一起，來到云南普洱。茶馬古道的神秘令大衛(wèi)著迷。在他看來，茶馬古道上的主要貨物——茶，是屬于中國的味道；這條路通向世界屋脊青藏高原，更是充滿了不可思議。

走在隱于山間密林的石鑲路上，大衛(wèi)心中的神秘之地變得具象。撥開視線中的濃密綠意，呈現(xiàn)在眼前的是不同民族的多元色彩。原來茶馬古道是如葉脈一般的交通網(wǎng)絡。當年，拓荒者生死跋涉，貫通了群山中的傳奇商路。千百年來支撐人們跨越阻隔想方設法交流往來的，不是什么“神秘的東方力量”，而是各個民族對美好生活的共同追求、交融匯聚中的和合共生。而這，也正是中華文明延綿不絕的奧秘。