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Tea-Horse Trade

Type Object Region China Time c. 1040–1279

The Song tea-horse trade was an official system exchanging Sichuan tea for Tibetan and southwestern horses, managed by a dedicated Tea and Horse Agen…

Timeline

  1. c. 1040Qinzhou · GansuThe Northern Song set up Tea and Horse Agencies in Qinzhou and elsewhere, exchanging official tea for horses from the Tibetan Empire and southwestern peoples, compensating for insufficient warhorse supply from the northwest.
  2. c. 1070–1120Chengdu Prefecture Circuit · SichuanThe tea-horse trade expanded to the Chengdu and Zizhou circuits, with Superintendencies of the Tea and Horse Agency established, and the tea-licence system and trade regulations gradually perfected.
  3. 1127–1279Guangxi–Yunnan tea-horse routes · YunnanAfter losing the northern routes, the Southern Song tea-horse trade shifted south, trading with Dali and Tibetan groups via Guangxi and Yunnan, with warhorse needs more urgent.

Sources