Shaxi Yunnan Travel
Shaxi is the last remaining market town on the Tea Horse Caravan Road in Yunnan China
Nestled deep in the Himalayan foothills of southwest China's Yunnan Province lies the ancient village of Shaxi. Shaxi, pronounced 'Shah Shee,' is a culturally diverse town and to the Bai and Yi minority peoples. The dramatic mountainous landscape and beautiful weather, combined with Shaxi's unique history and culture, make for a complete and enjoyable experience. Here in Shaxi, get the unique advantage of spending time with the ladies of Duan Village, who warmly welcome all into their local inn. Enjoy delicious local foods prepared by Mrs. Duan Jiping and relax nightly under the star-filled sky.
Shaxi offers many activities for the visitor. Visit Shibao Shan and the 7th Century Buddhist cave rock carvings. Take any number of treks in the mountains around Shaxi among minority villages. Visit the Sideng Market every Friday. Pick wild mushrooms with local experts (seasonal). Spend a morning teaching English in Mr. Wu's elementary school and spend a relaxing day fishing in a nearby pond with locals. Or just stroll through the peaceful village and take in the fresh air. All transportation to and from Shaxi and Old Theatre Inn can be arranged in Dali, Lijiang or Kunming. Contact Reservations at for more information.
Shaxi History
Shaxi once played an important role as a bustling trade station on the Tea and Horse Caravan Road, an important branch of the Silk Road. Just over one thousand years ago, this ancient trade route connected Tibet with Eastern China. In exchange for teas from Yunnan, Tibetans traded their famous breed of horse to Song Dynasty officials in eastern China, who were busy defending their territory from invaders from the north. Thus the Tea and Horse Caravan was born. Shaxi became the main trade station along this route.
Though today Tibet and China don’t trade along this route, Shaxi still has that border-town feel. Old cobble-stoned alleyways still look like they did a thousand years ago. And different minorities, including the Yi and Bai, still clash every Friday during the Sideng Market when mountain villagers come down from the hills to trade their goods. The World Monuments Fund has listed Shaxi as one of the 100 most endangered sites in the world; therefore, Shaxi has recently undergone massive efforts to preserve ancient architecture and culture.
You can see more about our participation in preserving Shaxi culture by going to our sister website and clicking on our blog.
The Tea Horse Road
For those with an interest in this ancient caravan history, we recommend The Tea Horse Road: China's Ancient Trade Route to Tibet, a beautiful book with stunning photographs by Michael Freeman, whose photos above were taken along this route.
Less well known than the Silk Road, but equally important in terms of trade and the movement of ideas, people and religions, the Tea-Horse Road 茶马古道 linked southwest China with India via Tibet. A series of caravan routes, rather than a single road, which also went through parts of Sìchuān, Burma, Laos and Nepal, the trails started deep in the jungle of Yunnan's Xishuangbana, a major tea-producing area. They then headed north through Dali and Lijiang across the Himalayan mountains on the way to the Tibetan capital Lhasa, before turning south to India and Burma.
Although archaeological finds indicate that stretches of the different routes were in use thousands of years ago, the road really began in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618–907). An increased appetite for tea in Tibet led to an arrangement with the Chinese imperial court to barter Yunnan tea for the prized horses ridden by Tibetan warriors. By the Song Dynasty (AD 960–1279), 20,000 horses a year were coming down the road to China, while in 1661 alone some 1.5 million kilos of tea headed to Tibet.
Sugar and salt were also carried by the caravans of horses, mules and yaks. Buddhist monks, Christian missionaries and foreign armies utilized the trails as well to move between Burma, India and China. In the 18th century the Chinese stopped trading for Tibetan horses and the road went into a slow decline. Its final glory days came during the second world war, when it was a vital conduit for supplies from India for the allied troops fighting the Japanese in China. The advent of rail, highways and air freight slowly reduced the importance of the Tea Horse Road, though in Shaxi, people still trade goods in the local Friday Market. The horse stables which could accommodate hundreds of horses and mules at their height, have since been turned into guesthouses.
Shaxi offers many activities for the visitor. Visit Shibao Shan and the 7th Century Buddhist cave rock carvings. Take any number of treks in the mountains around Shaxi among minority villages. Visit the Sideng Market every Friday. Pick wild mushrooms with local experts (seasonal). Spend a morning teaching English in Mr. Wu's elementary school and spend a relaxing day fishing in a nearby pond with locals. Or just stroll through the peaceful village and take in the fresh air. All transportation to and from Shaxi and Old Theatre Inn can be arranged in Dali, Lijiang or Kunming. Contact Reservations at for more information.
Shaxi History
Shaxi once played an important role as a bustling trade station on the Tea and Horse Caravan Road, an important branch of the Silk Road. Just over one thousand years ago, this ancient trade route connected Tibet with Eastern China. In exchange for teas from Yunnan, Tibetans traded their famous breed of horse to Song Dynasty officials in eastern China, who were busy defending their territory from invaders from the north. Thus the Tea and Horse Caravan was born. Shaxi became the main trade station along this route.
Though today Tibet and China don’t trade along this route, Shaxi still has that border-town feel. Old cobble-stoned alleyways still look like they did a thousand years ago. And different minorities, including the Yi and Bai, still clash every Friday during the Sideng Market when mountain villagers come down from the hills to trade their goods. The World Monuments Fund has listed Shaxi as one of the 100 most endangered sites in the world; therefore, Shaxi has recently undergone massive efforts to preserve ancient architecture and culture.
You can see more about our participation in preserving Shaxi culture by going to our sister website and clicking on our blog.
The Tea Horse Road
For those with an interest in this ancient caravan history, we recommend The Tea Horse Road: China's Ancient Trade Route to Tibet, a beautiful book with stunning photographs by Michael Freeman, whose photos above were taken along this route.
Less well known than the Silk Road, but equally important in terms of trade and the movement of ideas, people and religions, the Tea-Horse Road 茶马古道 linked southwest China with India via Tibet. A series of caravan routes, rather than a single road, which also went through parts of Sìchuān, Burma, Laos and Nepal, the trails started deep in the jungle of Yunnan's Xishuangbana, a major tea-producing area. They then headed north through Dali and Lijiang across the Himalayan mountains on the way to the Tibetan capital Lhasa, before turning south to India and Burma.
Although archaeological finds indicate that stretches of the different routes were in use thousands of years ago, the road really began in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618–907). An increased appetite for tea in Tibet led to an arrangement with the Chinese imperial court to barter Yunnan tea for the prized horses ridden by Tibetan warriors. By the Song Dynasty (AD 960–1279), 20,000 horses a year were coming down the road to China, while in 1661 alone some 1.5 million kilos of tea headed to Tibet.
Sugar and salt were also carried by the caravans of horses, mules and yaks. Buddhist monks, Christian missionaries and foreign armies utilized the trails as well to move between Burma, India and China. In the 18th century the Chinese stopped trading for Tibetan horses and the road went into a slow decline. Its final glory days came during the second world war, when it was a vital conduit for supplies from India for the allied troops fighting the Japanese in China. The advent of rail, highways and air freight slowly reduced the importance of the Tea Horse Road, though in Shaxi, people still trade goods in the local Friday Market. The horse stables which could accommodate hundreds of horses and mules at their height, have since been turned into guesthouses.