The Ancient Tea Horse Road: Travels With the Last of the Himalayan Muleteers

by Jeff Fuchs

"If a cup of tea isn't offered, a relationship isn't offered."
-Himalayan saying
 
 
For thirteen centuries, one of the planet's most daunting journeys and most remarkable trade routes remained a mystery to all but a few journeyers and residents along its 5000 km length.
 
Fueled by tea, author and award-winning explorer Fuchs and a charismatic and eccentric team of Tibetans, Han, and indigenous tea growers, travel and document the journey through the mighty Himalayas. In the process Fuchs becomes the first-ever documented westerner to travel and document the route in its entirety.
 
A team of six mountain men begin a 5000 km, seven-and-a-half month journey to travel the entire length of one of ancient world's most inspired journeys, The Tea Horse Road.  Along the way the reader is gifted with descriptions of isolated customs of ancient China, of wrong turns in the mountains, and a raft of comical interactions between the team members. Passing through Yunnan, Sichuan, Tibet, Nepal, and India, the Tea Horse Road's grand expanse is revealed in stunning detail through Fuchs' narrative. A mountaineer, resident of 'Shangri-La' in northwestern Yunnan, and self-confessed tea-addict Fuchs brings together an ancient trade route in stunning and often neurotic detail as he travels into isolated worlds tucked away from the modern world.
 
It is an expedition that crosses some of the most daunting snow passes on the Tibetan Plateau, and becomes a tale as much about the team of characters and the often-hysterical goings-on in camp, as it is about spectacular geography and tea. We are introduced to the sinewy Sonam and his brand of ferocious Buddhism, the debauched and hysterical antics of "part goat and a little bit human" Dorje Kandro, and the young willful Norbu who almost loses his life on a glacier in central Tibet.
 
Through raging blizzards, snow-blindness, tumbles down glaciers, and Puerh tea highs in blazing heat, the journey is recalled through the very tea-obsessed eyes of Fuchs himself.
 
Fuchs and his band of travelers are motivated by desire to meet and record the words of last traders and travelers who still remain to tell their tales, but who are passing away. But first, he must find them.
 
An epic journey of tea, mountains, and memories, that opens up a rarely acknowledged part of China and Asia's ancient past, "The Ancient Tea Horse Road" is a grinding adventure of will, wit, and tea thirsts.  Life along the Tea Horse Road is briefly re-ignited in a passionate and unforgettable adventure.

Genres: Tea, Travel, China, Nonfiction, Asia, History

231 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Jeff Fuchs is a Canadian explorer, mountaineer and writer. He gained prominence with his successful bid to become the first westerner to trek the entire Yunnan–Tibet Ancient Tea Horse Road, stretching almost six thousand kilometers through the Himalayas and a dozen cultures, documented in the book The Ancient Tea Horse Road: Travels with the Last of the Himalayan Muleteers (2008). He is also acting Asia-Editor-at-Large for Outpost Magazine.

Reviews

[Петър Панчев · Rating 5 out of 5]

Пътешествие в древността и традициите:
(Цялото ревю е тук: https://knijenpetar.wordpress.com/201...)

От доста време не съм зачитал пътепис. Винаги съм усещал тези книги като приказки, пътуване към неизвестността. „Древният път на чая“ („Вакон“, 2015, с превод на Таня Виронова) се оказа истинско приключение, изпълнено с аромати, спокойствие и ледена красота от хоризонт до хоризонт сред планински вериги и тесни пътеки. Това не е книга за дребното пакетче чай, което потапяме в гореща вода, а за истинският древен чай, отгледан в провинция Юннан и древният път, по който той достига до истинските му ценители от Китай, Тибет, Непал и Индия. 4000 километра по прашни, заснежени, скрити и изоставени пътища възраждат една история, която могат да разкажат само последните мулетари от народа Кхампа. Фотографът и пътешественик Джеф Фучс с особено внимание проследява тяхното битие и традициите, които в тези райони вдъхват смисъл на самия живот. Не мога да подмина и човешкият фактор – групата от смели, настроени за приключения и всякакви трудности ентусиасти, тръгнали на това изморително пътуване. Самият Фучс, Дордже, Сонам, Дакпа, Норбу, Ному и останалите – всеки със своя характерен начин да получава удоволствие от магията на високопланинските простори. Да видим…
(Продължава в блога: https://knijenpetar.wordpress.com/201...)

[Mariya Mincheva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Увлекателен и интересен пътепис,който разказва за опита на група ентусиасти да извървят високопланинския път,по който някога са транспортирали ароматната билка.
Историята на пътя и трудностите свързани с изминаването му ме впечатлиха. Разгледани са непопулярни,но интересни факти и събития,всичко е поднесено майсторски и усещането за планинарство, екипност и мисия е много плътно.

[Linda Rowlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m glad to have read this book. It was an interesting study of a number of people, including the author. It was also a class in the way goods were transported in far away places in long ago times. And there was much information about tea.

The book is out of print, and hard copies are quite expensive. I purchased an ebook version. The conversion was not well done. There were many incorrect words. Still, having the ebook was better than missing the experience of reading it.

I do wish there had been a map showing the parts of the Tea Horse Road that Fuchs traveled. I tried to find his destinations in online maps, but I was not always successful.

[Zacarias Vespertino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boas aventuras pelos Himalaias com Jeff Fuchs (explorador e montanhista) mais cinco outros montanhistas tibetanos que percorreram a antiga rota do chá como faziam os antigos muleteiros tibetanos.

O chá nos tempos antigos era usado como moeda de troca e tinha grande valor. 5000km era a distância que levava os lados a percorrer com as suas mulas a rota pra fazer trocas de mercadorias.

Livro bem detalhado com as peripécias de cada etapa ao longo da viagem pela antiga rota do chá.
Ficou registado que a população das várias aldeias tem sempre gosto por acolher novos viajantes e dar-lhe a experimentar as suas histórias e o seu chá.

Fiquei com a sensação que Jeff é um grande viciado no chá e que experimenta de todos os tipos sempre que pode.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting! I was really drawn into this book. It was filled with glorious descriptions of tea gulping, heartiness kind character and rough experience and long difficult journey.

I really loved his ability to comment on his experiences in a poignant and kind sort of way. He managed to write the book in a way that it was political but it did not feel all about that, it was only a method of recognizing the way tradition is undermined by issues of polity and technological change. The lasting lesson from his writings that there is something sweet about the old and vibrant, something that we hold onto and respect. Tibetan culture, for the most part of what this book was about. More accurately eastern mountain traditions are driven by necessity to live simple lives. But what about those that choose the mountains over the life of 'ease' in an office building. There is something in these sort of people that I think is in all of us. Perhaps if requires a kind of bravery to face our history.

To the point where a foreigner- Jeff Fuchs, has to go to this country to get the people to value what is fast dissapearing is incredible. My criticism lies in the fact that all this traveling really is perhaps a distraction from what we have. Maybe we should value what is right in front of us, as it also speaks to our own lessons. To find what is old and important 'here', and make the place we call our home a place to remember and write about.

[Georgi Atsev · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love tea and I love authentic Asian culture. The book is a great take on both.

[Rick Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extraordinary book about the tough men, horses, mules, and yaks who for generations carried tea from China along the almost-forgotten and treacherous pathways that wound for thousands of miles through mountains and valleys into Tibet and India. Fuchs pays tribute to the colourful rogues' gallery of characters who accompanied him as he retraces many of these routes and the people they meet who welcome them with food, shelter, stories about the old days, and gallons of tea. As Fuchs makes clear, this is not the tea that comes to Westerners in little gauze bags. He gives us a master class on the history of tea, how it's grown and prepared, and especially, how it's served from humble mountain huts to the ritual ceremonies of tea houses in China. This is a big-hearted story about history, geography, adventure, culture, and about the civilizing act of sharing a cup of tea with friends or strangers. Like any well-told saga, I felt sad when it ended

[Eva Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is part adventure and part a lecture in East Asian history and culture, and tea, as Fuchs travels the ancient trade route, The Tea Horse Road, from Yunnan in China through Lhasa in Tibet all the way to Kalimpong in India. He follows in the footsteps of the lado muleteers, and his fascination for these hardy travelers is only overshadowed by his love of tea.

I enjoyed his description of the hardships he and his companions overcame as they followed the Road, the landscapes and climate of the Himalayas are naturally daunting, and as a tea lover I was not at all bored by his tea talk.

I did, however, occasionally half cringe when is admiration of the Khampa lados got a bit out of hand. No doubt they were formidable, but let's beware of the White Man's adoration of The Noble Savage, shall we?

[hannah cottrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

|| 4 ⭐️ ||

Jeff Fuchs was the keynote speaker at the World Tea Expo when I attended last year, and I thought his storytelling abilities were magnificent. I finally got around to reading this book and it was more of the same. So immersive, and so many fascinating cultural tidbits as we follow his adventures traversing the Tea Horse Road.

[Rui · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um livro de viagens em torno das antigas Rotas do Chá e dos Cavalos e de como a planta tão preciosa do chá chegava até Llasa no Tibete. Neste livro o autor Jeff Fuchs e alguns dos seus companheiros percorrem esses antigos caminhos por momtanhas incriveis cheias de risco e misticismo. Um livro qur nos dá conta dessa aventura e de comoa modernidade fez sucumbir muitos desses saberes ancestrais. Um livro onde sao partilhadas outras histórias, conhecimentos, modos de vida e sobretudo pela imensa diversidade cultural que ali existe naqueles espaços geograficos.

[Georgi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for tea fans.

[Olena Pittura · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE IT

[Valerie Proctor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting recit... perhaps because I know a little of the area he describes and wish to know more. I can’t put my finger on exactly what I don’t like about this book... His writing style perhaps... but nothing more specific. I do like his respect for everyone he meets, his descriptions are good, he gives us a fairly good insight into the various people he travels with although it is at times repetitive (sometimes funny). He isn’t self-satisfied or congratulatory, thank goodness. Jeff is also a very good photographer. His exhibit at Thyme and Again in Ottawa was excellent.

[Kiran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read and Jeff Fuchs photography in the most remote regions of the world, is simply beautiful! Luminous and nostalgic sepia photographs, delicately transport one to another time. I found this book an addictive read. Highly recommend it to those of us who yearn for distant,remote places, roads less traveled and high adventure...and oh of course TEA! You must love and know your teas to truly appreciate this book. Keep a pot of light, bright Sencha at your elbow when you read!

[R.J. Gilmour · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jeff Fuchs' The Ancient Tea House Road: Travels with the Last of the Himalayan Muleteers (Toronto: Viking Canada, 2008) a book I pulled off of the library New Books shelf. Fuchs who has lived for five years in Asia writes about exploring lost tea roads in Western China and Tibet. Although an enjoyable book, one tires of the endless discussions of tea connoisseurship and Fuchs' discovery of yet another tea road.

[Vladislav Stoilov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Тъкмо прочетох "Древният път на чая", книга, която може да се нарече "Библията на чая", и книга, която ме впечатли с топлината на тибетците. Джеф Фучс с приятели тибетци и един китаец, опитва да съживи древния път на чая. Път достатъчно суров да създаде невероятно силни хора и невероятни легенди и истории.

Приятна книга от която ти се допива чай!

П.П. И от която започва да ти се ходи в Тибет!

[John Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been waiting to read this book a long time. I suppose it's been a sort of quest all due to its limited availability. I seem to be drawn to travelogues of faraway places. Jeff Fuchs travels the most removed locales seeking a nearly mythical tea trading road. In delivering a riveting tale of travel and hospitality, we also learn quite a history of tea. Loved this book.

[Bookmaniac70 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Прочетох с удоволствие. Книгата е като чаша хубав чай, от която отпиваш бавно и с наслада. Прекрасно е, че има пътешественици като Джеф Фучс, които да ни запознаят с далечни традиции и хора. Впечатлена съм от невероятните снимки.

Препоръчвам сайта на автора- http://www.jefffuchs.com/index.htm. Там има още снимки и дневници от новото му пътешествие по древния път на солта.

[Ma Jing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating insights into an area we love. A lesser known road than the Silk Road, same international excitement, culture and adventure!