Ⅲ.Development of Ancient Tea-horse Road and Pu’er ...
The so-called“Ancient Tea-horse Road”between Yunnan and Xizang is well-known as the traffic line for trading tea and horses between the two places since modern times, which must be closely related to the tea-horse trade in history.
The historical Salt-Tea-horse Road in Sipu Region (from the 1920s to the 1940s, people generally called the southwest of Yunnan, including today’s Pu’er City, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Linxiang District, Shuangjiang County and Cangyuan County of Lincang as“Sipu Region”)emerged with the production, transportation and sales of salt and tea.Pu’er tea was sold to the western minority areas as early as in the Tang Dynasty.From the Song Dynasty, the tea-horse trade market was set on which tea could be exchanged for horse.In the Yuan Dynasty,tea became an important commodity for people of all minorities in the border areas to trade with each other.In the Ming Dynasty, there was a record“Scholars and ordinary people all drink Pu’er tea”.In Wanli Period of the Ming Dynasty, officials were dispatched to Pu’er to manage tea trade.According to research, in history, the sales volume of Pu’er tea claimed to be more than 100,000 dan.During the Shunzhi Period of the Qing Dynasty, there were as many as 30,000 horse packs of tea from Pu’er to Tibet.In the middle of the Qing Dynasty, the government set up Tea Administration Bureaus in Pu’er Prefecture and Simao District, and merchants had to obtain tea permit (i.e., licenses)from the government to manage tea business.In the 7th year of Yongzheng,the Qing government appointed the“Deputy Magistrate of Youle”in Youle Mountain, who led 500 soldiers to defend the villages and collect tea taxes.At that time, there were about more than 1,000 horses transporting tea to Pu’er Prefecture for intensive processing every year.In the 1st year of Qianlong Period (1736), due to the malignant malaria epidemic, the Qing government transferred the Deputy Magistrate of Yongle to Simao, who was then renamed“Deputy Magistrate of Simao”.Since then, Simao became the transfer station of tea between Pu’er and Xishuangbanna and gradually became prosperous due to“distance sale of Pu’er tea”.From Daoguang Period to the early days of Guangxu Period (1821-1876), Simao gathered numerous merchants and facilitated the prosperous development of markets.There were more than 1,000 Xizang merchants coming here for trade and Indian businessmen transporting tea and rubber (purple resin)arrived in succession.The trade route in south Yunnan had become a dedicated“business road for tea”.Merchants from India, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia all traded between Sishuangbanna,Simao and Pu’er.The Pu’er Tea-horse Road at this time was extremely prosperous.
1983年，思茅地区文物普查时发现的古茶马驿道，至今还有那柯里驿道、茶蓭塘驿道等。“那柯里驿道”在思茅至普洱之间，即今宁洱县境内同心乡那柯里村的一条古茶马驿道。清光绪时，称那柯里塘，设兵6名，归中营左哨头司把总管辖。“茶蓭塘驿道”是普洱至磨黑以北到省城昆明，内地南下到思普区的一条古茶马驿道，在普洱县城东北12.5千米的茶蓭塘坡头，是古代重要关哨汛塘之一。清光绪年间，曾在茶蓭塘设兵5名驻守。驿道在婉蜒的群山峻岭之中，过去有一小寨人住在这茶蓭塘道旁，除从事一点农业外，多数是设店卖茶卖饭，接待过往茶马道的行人马帮的，因称茶蓭寨子。
普洱六大茶山和其他一些产茶区的少数民族，均以茶作为主要经济来源和物物相换的对象，所以几乎处处种茶，户户卖茶，马帮塞途，商旅云集。据考，这一时期每年约有马帮五万匹于春秋二季来回于滇西、滇南及缅、越、老等地运输茶叶，随着茶叶运输的繁忙，客栈、食馆、商店也应运而生，生意兴旺，第三产业在交通沿线发展起来。
往来于思普区的马帮运输有几条干线：
其一，由下关经凤庆、云县、临翔、景东、景谷、双江运输勐库茶、凤庆茶至下关加工为沱茶，每年约有驮马4000～6000匹驮运。
其二，由蒙自向西至建水、石屏，往南至西双版纳。
其三，以玉溪为起点，经石屏、元江、磨黑至普洱思茅。
海关的设立也增加了普洱茶的出口运销，1897年1月2日，法国在思茅建立海关。1902年5月8日，英国在思茅建立海关。
18、19世纪在思普区进行茶叶贸易的茶商有两大部分，石屏茶商主要垄断易武茶区的茶叶运销；腾越、思茅茶商主要垄断勐海、勐遮茶叶的运销。此外，中甸（今香格里拉）、德钦的藏族商队，每年有驮马300～500匹来到西双版纳驮运茶叶，销往西康、西藏，每年约3000担。在茶叶加工制作上，20世纪30年代，思茅曾重立过“思普企业局”，并在勐海南糯山建立思普茶厂。中华人民共和国成立前，墨江县有私营景星茶厂，为加工生产好茶做了努力。
普洱茶发展了，产量增多了，利润增多了，而封建官府对茶商茶农的课税和勒索也增加了。光绪年间，云贵总督在普洱增设盐茶道，下设官茶局及盐举司，加重了茶商、茶农的苛派。由于茶捐过重，茶农受损，茶商亦无利可图，以至造成“普洱产茶，颇为民害”。到光绪末年，普洱茶已由过去年产八万担的高峰跌落到五万担。许多茶商和马帮只得另走他途，过去马帮络驿，商贾云集的景象一蹶不振。到抗日战争结束的1945年，全区茶叶产量降到15000担。到1949年时，全区茶叶种植残存面积仅31400亩[1]，产量仅6000多担，降到了历史最低点，普洱的茶马道亦从兴盛逐渐走向了衰落。
In 1983, the ancient Tea-horse Courier Road was discovered during the cultural relics survey in Simao region.Up to now, there are still existing Nakeli Courier Road, Chaan Fortress Courier Road, etc.“Nakeli Courier Road”is between Simao and Pu’er, that is, an ancient tea-horse courier road in today’s Nakeli Village, Tongxin Township, Ning’er County.During Guangxu Period of the Qing Dynasty, it was called Nakeli Fortress where six soldiers were set under the jurisdiction of General Left Military Master of Central Barracks.“Courier Road of Chaan Fortress”is an ancient tea-horse courier road from Pu’er to the north of Mohei and then to Kunming, the provincial capital, and southward to Sipu Region.It is located at the head of Chaan Fortress, 12.5 km northeast of Pu’er County, and is one of the important flood control fortresses.During Guangxu Period, five soldiers were dispatched for garrison in Chaan Fortress.The courier road is located in the winding mountains.In the past, there was a small village of people who lived beside the courier road of Chaan Fortress.Apart from engaging in agriculture, most of them set up shops to sell tea and rice, and received the caravan and pedestrians passing by the tea-horse road.Therefore, it was called Chaanzhai.
The minorities in six tea mountains and other producing areas of Pu’er take tea as the main source of income and the object of bartering, so they grow tea almost everywhere, with every household selling tea and caravans and merchants gather here in succession.According to the research, during this period, there were about 50,000 horses transporting tea back and forth in west Yunnan, south Yunnan, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and other places every year in the spring and autumn.With the busy transportation of tea, inns, restaurants and shops also emerged, with booming business.The tertiary industry developed along the transportation line.
There were several trunk lines for transportation of caravans to and from Sipu Region:
The first line was to transport tea of Mengku and Fengqing from Fengqing, YunxianCounty,Linxiang, Jingdong, Jinggu and Shuangjiang to Xiaguan for processing to Tuo tea.There were about 4,000-6,000 horses transporting the tea every year.
The second line was from Mengzi to Jianshui and Shiping in the west and to Xishuangbanna in the south.
The third line was from Yuxi to Simao of Pu’er via Shiping, Yuanjiang and Mohei.
图2-19 马帮贡茶万里行
The establishment of customs also increased the export and marketing of Pu’er tea.On January 2, 1897, France established customs office in Simao.On May 8, 1902, the Britain also set up customs office in Simao.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the tea merchants engaged in tea trade in Sipu Region could be classified as two types.The tea merchants in Shiping mainly monopolized the tea transportation and sales in Yiwu tea area, while the tea merchants in Tengyue and Simao mainly monopolized the transportation and sales of tea in Menghai and Mengzhe.In addition, Xizang caravans from Zhongdian (now Shangri-La)and Deqin led 300 to 500 horses to Xishuangbanna every year to carry and sell tea to Hsikang and Xizang, with about 3,000 dan a year.In terms of tea processing and making, the government of Simao once established the“Sipu Enterprise Bureau”in 1930s and set up the Sipu Tea Factory in Nannuo Mountain of Menghai.Before liberation, a private enterprise,Jingxing Tea Factory, was set up, which made efforts to process and produce high-quality tea.
As the Pu’er tea developed, output rose and profit grew, the taxes and extortion on tea merchants and farmers by the feudal government also increased.During Guangxu Period, the Governor of Yunnan and Guizhou set up Salt-tea Circuit under which Office Tea Division and Salt Tax Division, which aggregated the exploitation on tea merchants and farmers.Due to the excessive taxes of tea, tea farmers suffered loss and tea merchants could not make profit either, resulting in“The tea produced in Pu’er is even harmful to people”.At the end of Guangxu Period, the output of Pu’er tea dropped to 50,000 dan from the peak of annual output of 80,000 dan.Many tea merchants and caravans had to find another source of income.The endless stream and gathering of caravans and merchants in the past could not recover.By the end of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in 1945, the tea output in the whole region had dropped to 15,000 dan.By 1949, the remaining area of tea planting in the whole region was only 31,400 mu, with an output of only more than 6,000 dan, which dropped to the lowest point in history.The teahorse road in Pu’er also gradually declined from prosperity.
Fig.2-19 Long journey of caravans transporting tribute tea