Ancient Tea-horse Road

For thousands of years

數(shù)千年來(lái)

only humans and horses treaded the mountains of Southwest China

只有人和馬踏上中國(guó)西南部的山脈

as they followed an ancient pathway through

他們穿越中國(guó)人跡罕至的內(nèi)陸腹地和青藏高原

China’s hinterlands and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

踩出了一條崎嶇不平的小道

Along the unpaved and rugged pathway

而就是這條古老的小道

commodities like tea, salt and sugar

卻把茶 鹽 糖等商品???????

flowed into Tibet

源源不斷輸入西藏

Meanwhile, horses, cows, furs, musk

同時(shí) 馬 牛 毛皮 麝香

and other local products

和其他當(dāng)?shù)禺a(chǎn)品

made their way to the outside world

也從西藏走到了外面的世界

The road was called the Ancient Tea-horse Road

這條路被稱為茶馬古道

and it stretched across more than 4,000km

全長(zhǎng)4000多公里

mainly through Southwest China’s Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet

途經(jīng)中國(guó)西南部的四川 云南和西藏

The ancient commercial passage

這條古老的商道

first appeared during the Tang Dynasty

最早出現(xiàn)在唐代

It experienced the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties

它歷經(jīng)宋 元 明 清四個(gè)朝代

which is a period of more than 1,200 years

使用時(shí)間長(zhǎng)達(dá)1200多年

The Ancient Tea-horse Road

與著名的絲綢之路一樣

promoted exchanges in culture and religion

茶馬古道促進(jìn)了

and saw ethnic migration that closely resembled

文化和宗教的交流

what was experienced on the well-known Silk Road

也見(jiàn)證了民族遷徙

From ancient times

自古以來(lái)

Mabang, AKA caravans, have been the main vehicles used for transportation

馬幫幾乎承擔(dān)了所有的運(yùn)輸

Year after year

年復(fù)一年

thousands of caravans traveled the rough road

成千上萬(wàn)的商隊(duì)在崎嶇不平的小道上行進(jìn)

while the hoof beats and the sounds of clear bells

馬蹄聲和清脆馬鈴聲

broke the tranquility of canyons

打破了峽谷的寧?kù)o

The Ancient Tea-horse Road

茶馬古道上

features the imposing scenery

風(fēng)景雄偉壯美

Sometimes, things seem static

時(shí)而 萬(wàn)物皆止

and the surrounding mountains stand silent

群山靜立

There is a kind of beauty in the desolation

這種荒蕪的美

that may easily lead people to believe

讓你仿佛

they are experiencing a prehistoric place

回到了史前

Sometimes, the distant mountains reveal strong and exquisite ridges

時(shí)而 遠(yuǎn)山疊嶂 溝壑縱橫

while rain and snow melt together

雨雪交融

rushing down from the mountains

奔流而下

and rapidly gathering before flowing into innumerable rivers

匯成千條溪河

Besides mountains and rivers

茶馬古道上 山水皆景

there are also many peculiar stones

奇石遍地

incomparably marvelous clouds

祥云漫天

as well as unusual light illuminating the sky as one travels the road

光影變幻

Today, after the accomplishment of the Yunnan-Tibet Highway

今天 滇藏公路

and the Chengdu-Lhasa Highway

與成拉公路建成后

automobiles replaced the caravans

汽車取代了商隊(duì)

and the Ancient Tea-horse Road became a part of history

茶馬古道已經(jīng)成為歷史

While the definite pathways created by tens of thousands of traveling horses

這條由無(wú)數(shù)馬匹用蹄子在荒原中

with their hooves on the once-indiscernible road

踩的清晰的崎嶇小路

are fading away

正在慢慢模糊

the cultural and historic values remain

而它的文化與歷史價(jià)值永不消失