The Tea Road: China and Russia Meet Across the Steppe

by Martha Avery

This book tells of the little known ¡°Old Tea Road¡± between China and Russia via Mongolia. This commercial route that opened as a result of China¡¯s flourishing tea trade can be traced back to 450 years ago. It gives a vivid description of the rise and decline of this commercial road, changes in the surrounding cultural environment, and prospects for its revival in the era of China¡¯s reform and opening. It also details Sino-foreign relations on the Eurasian Continent in the fields of politics, economy and culture. With b&w photos.

Genres: China, History

Paperback

Published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Anders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Packed with fascinating anecdotes and glimmers of first-rate historical analysis, but it ultimately falls short of its great promise due to a stilted, disjointed writing style and lack of structure. The author seems unable to decide whether she is using engaging narrative to supplement her scholarly points, or vice versa. The focus is also slanted towards the Chinese/Manchu/Mongol side of the border, with relatively little information on the Russian segment of this great trade network. It's worth a read in spite of its shortcomings, however, as the colourful details help you commit to memory the key facts about this central phenomenon in world history.

[Tim Chamberlain · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've given this one star, which is being generous. Stylistically odd, incoherent, and pretty much unreadable.

[David Nealis]

This is an excellent book that is a wonderful source of information.
Martha Avery does a wonderful job presenting this subject and I will seek out other books written by her.
I thought I had a good understanding of Chinese history and a general understanding of Mongolian history, but this book opened my eyes to a much richer history of the steppe and the cultures of the people in and around it.
To get the most out of this book it is best that you have at least a general understanding of the history in this region.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who does business in Asia or to history buffs.