Chaantang Ancient Tea Horse Caravan Relics in Ninger County, Puer
Chinese Name: 宁洱县茶庵塘段茶马古道
English Name: Chaantang Ancient Tea Horse Caravan Relics in Ninger County, Puer
Cha’antang section of the Ancient Tea-Horse Road
This part of the Ancient Tea-Horse Road is 8 km north from Ning’er county seat. Cha’antang was historically the first stop from Pu’er to Kunming and then northwards Beijing; its name originates from a temple called Cha’an and a checkpoint (called Xuntang in Chinese in the Qing Dynasty).
The well preserved Cha’antang section of the Road was a government funded project that was completed during 1812-1824 in order to facilitate the transportation of Puerh tea offered as tribute to the imperial court. The Qing court once arranged 5 soldiers to station here and set up a lunge (to accommodate officials), Puji Temple, Heshang Temple, Nunnery, tea house and caravansary, etc.
2 metres wide and about 5 km long, the section of Road stretches on the steep Cha’an slope on the high mountain with towering ancient trees. It is said that only birds can fly over the road so the section of the road is also called “Cha’an Birds Way”.
The road is paved with slab stones along the hills and valleys where one can see verdant vegetation, captivating sceneries and hear the chirps of birds and insects. Therefore, Cha’antang section of the ancient tea horse road was listed as one of the great eights in ancient times in Puyang (nowadays Ning’er).