“茶馬古道”是中國(guó)西南大地上一條進(jìn)行對(duì)外經(jīng)濟(jì)文化交流，傳播中國(guó)古代文明的國(guó)際通道,是西南的“絲綢之路”?！∫韵率切【幷淼那楦蓄?lèi)英語(yǔ)美文欣賞：茶馬古道， 希望使你的心靈有所觸動(dòng)。

　　For thousands of years, only humans and horsestreaded the mountains of Southwest China as theyfollowed an ancient pathway through the Chinesehinterlands and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

　　Along the unpaved and rugged pathway that wasformed, commodities like tea, salt and sugar flowedinto Tibet. Meanwhile, horses, cows, furs, musk andother local products made their way to the outside world. The road was called the tea-horseancient road, and it stretched across more than 4,000 kilometers, mainly through SouthwestChina’s Sichuan and Yunnan provinces and the Tibetan Autonomous Region.

　　The ancient commercial passage first appeared during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It alsoexperienced the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties - or a period of more than 1,200 years.The road promoted exchanges in culture and religion, and saw ethnic migration that closelyresembled what was experienced on the well-known Silk Road.

　　Along the ancient road lived more than 20 minorities. Concentrations of beautiful andmysterious natural landscapes and traditional cultures developed in various sites, includingDali old city, Lijiang old city, Shangrila, Yarlung Zangbo River Grand Canyon, Potala Palace. Theroad features temples, rock paintings, post houses, ancient bridges and plank roads. It is alsohome to many national minorities and their dances and folk customs.

　　Two major routes

　　Roughly speak- ing, there were two main routes:

　　Route One: Begins in Ya’an in Sichuan Province to Qamdo via Luding, Kangd- ing, Litangand Batang before mer- ging with Route One into Lhasa.

　　Route Two: Begins in Xishuangbanna and Simao, home of Pu’er tea (via Dali, Lijiang,Zhongdian, Benzilan and Deqeng) in Yunnan Province to Zugong, Bamda, Rewoqe, Zayu orQamdo, Lholung, Benba, Jiali, Gongbogyangda, Lhasa, Gyangze and Yadong in Tibet, beforecontinuing into Myanmar, Nepal and India.

　　Tens of thousands of traveling horses and yaks created a definite pathway with theirhooves on the once-indiscernible road. Today, although even such traces of the ancient roadare fading away, its cultural and historic values remain.

　　The Eternal Road

　　No matter what is happening in the world, three types of things in the tea-horse ancientroad will continue to exist: the beautiful and rustic nature scene, inviolable religion and simpleTibetan people.

　　This ancient road features the imposing scenery and a soul-stirring quiet. Some- times,things seem static and the sur- rounding mountains stand silent. There is a kind of beauty inthe desolation that may easily lead people to believe they are experienced a prehistoric placewhen they visit.

　　The distant mountains reveal strong and exquisite ridges while rain and snow melttogether, rushing down from the mountains and rapidly gathering before flowing intoinnumerable rivers.

　　If the mountains could form a skeleton of Tibet, the resulting rivers and streams mightform their vessels, which pour vigor and vitality into the plateau.

　　Besides mountain and rivers, there are also many peculiar stones, incomparably marvelousclouds, as well as unusual light illuminating the sky as one travels the road.

　　Walking the tea-horse ancient road might allow one to see reverent pilgrims heading toholy city Lhasa. They walk slowly along the rugged road, some of them even crawling, buttingheads as they move toward their sacred destination. Their arms and legs fester - foreheadsdripping blood - but with eyes still full of light, granted comfort from their beliefs.

　　When you walk the road of Tibet in a cloudless dawn or under the glow of a sunset, thesights can stir the senses and seem an awakening experience.

　　Caravans on the Way

　　From ancient times, mabang (caravans) have been the main vehicles used fortransportation.

　　Year after year, thousands of cara- vans traveled the rough road while the hoof beats andthe sounds of clear bells broke the tranquility of the canyon. The road opened a vital pathwayfor economics and trade with the outside world.

　　In World War II, the tea-horse ancient road became the only transportation line for thesouthwest of China. Caravans trans- ported large quantities of international as- sistance fromIndia, which greatly supported China’s Sino-Japanese War.

　　After the accomplishment of the Dian- Zang Highway and the Chengdu-Lhasa Highway,automobiles replaced the cara- vans, and the tea-horse ancient road be- came a part of history.But in the outlying mountainous area of Yunnan Province, caravans remain the main source oftrans- portation today.

　　The tea-horse ancient road - from ancient times through its present history - contributesgreatly to the national spirit of the Chinese people. It represents continuity as an eternalmonument in the history of China.

　　Culture Treaded by Feet

　　The tea- horse ancient road is hard and dange- rous, yet the natural land- scape along itstimulates people’s un- derlying courage, strength and endurance while helping to providemeaning to life.

　　In addition, Tibetan Buddhism has provided widespread doctrine on the tea-horseancient road, further promoting economic dialogue, cultural exchanges, along with unity andfriendship between the nationalities of Naxi, Bai, Tibetan and other ethnic groups.

　　Some reverent artists have drawn and carved massive images of Buddha, Bodhisattva,eminent monks, God animals, conch, and other heavenly bodies on rocks along the roadside.These have increased a kind of sacred dignity for the ancient roadway.

　　With thousands of years of history behind it, the tea-horse ancient road - like a bigcorridor connecting various nationa- lities - has developed the local economy, stimulated thecommodity markets in co- mmunities, and promoted the develop- ment of border trade aswell. It has pro- moted agriculture and the raising of animals while at the same time providing asource of enjoyment for local art, religion, culture, and ideologies. It has helped many in thenation obtain unprecedented prosperity and development.

　　Important Towns along the Tea- horse Ancient Road

　　Pu’er: hometown of Pu’er tea with a long history.

　　Xiaguan (Dali): a main processing and collection center for tea.

　　Jianchuan: bazaar on the tea and horse ancient road.

　　Shaxi Sideng: the only surviving bazaar.

　　Lijiang: the most famous distribution center on the road.

　　Deqin: The last road station within the boundaries of Yunnan.

　　幾千年來(lái)，在中國(guó)內(nèi)地與青藏高原的群山之間，只有人類(lèi)和他們的馬匹循著這條古道穿梭于西南部的群山峻嶺之間。

　　順著這條行人走出來(lái)的崎嶇不平的道路，一些商品像茶葉、鹽和糖流入到了西藏。與此同時(shí)，馬、牛、皮毛、麝香等當(dāng)?shù)禺a(chǎn)品也走向了外面的世界。這條道被稱(chēng)為茶馬古道，綿延縱橫4,000多公里，主要途徑中國(guó)西南部的四川省和云南省，以及西藏自治區(qū)。

　　在唐朝(618-907)首次出現(xiàn)了古代的商業(yè)通道，宋、元、明、清年間也出現(xiàn)了商業(yè)通道，時(shí)間長(zhǎng)達(dá)1,200多年。這條古道促進(jìn)了地區(qū)和文化交流，也像著名的“絲綢之路”一樣促進(jìn)了民族之間的融合。

　　這條古道兩邊，生活著20多個(gè)少數(shù)民族。不同的地方有著各自美麗而神奇的自然風(fēng)景和傳統(tǒng)文化，比如：大理和麗江古城，香格里拉，雅魯藏布江大峽谷和布達(dá)拉宮。古道的兩旁有廟宇、巖石壁畫(huà)、驛站、古橋和木板路，還有少數(shù)民族舞蹈和民族服裝。

　　兩大路線

　　大致而言，有兩大路線：

　　路線一：從四川雅安出發(fā)到昌都，然后途經(jīng)瀘定、康定、理塘和巴塘，最后到達(dá)拉薩。

　　路線二：從西雙版納和普洱茶的思茅出發(fā)，途經(jīng)云南大理、麗江、中甸、奔子欄和德欽，然后到達(dá)西藏Zugong，Bamda，Rewoqe，Zayu or Qamdo，Lholung，Benba，Jiali, Gong- bogyangda，拉薩，Gyangze 和Yadong，之后到達(dá)緬甸、尼泊爾和印度。

　　成千上萬(wàn)匹馬和牦牛用它們的蹄子走出了一條清晰可見(jiàn)的道路，時(shí)至今天，雖然這條古道的蹤跡都消失了，但它的文化和歷史價(jià)值仍然存在。

　　永恒的道路

　　不管這個(gè)世界會(huì)發(fā)生什么變化，但是這條茶馬古道的三樣?xùn)|西卻會(huì)依然存在：美麗原始的自然風(fēng)景，神圣的宗教，和淳樸的藏族人民。

　　茶馬古道風(fēng)景迷人，幽靜僻遠(yuǎn)。有時(shí)，萬(wàn)物皆靜，四面的群山寂靜無(wú)語(yǔ)，這種荒涼寂靜之美很容易把游人帶進(jìn)一個(gè)空靈的遠(yuǎn)古地帶。

　　雨雪在一起融化，遠(yuǎn)山就呈現(xiàn)出一派剛強(qiáng)與精致的山脊。雪水從山上沖到山下，又迅速匯聚在一起，然后流入千萬(wàn)條河流之內(nèi)。

　　如果把群山看作是西藏的骨架的話(huà)，那么那些河流與小溪便是西藏的血管，而河流又給平原帶來(lái)了能量和生機(jī)。

　　除此之外，這里還有大量的奇石異云，有時(shí)候，游客在路上還會(huì)遇到罕見(jiàn)的閃電照亮整個(gè)天空的壯景。

　　日落時(shí)分，天空萬(wàn)里無(wú)云，太陽(yáng)的余輝閃耀，你行走在西藏的一條大路上，此時(shí)，風(fēng)景無(wú)限，觸動(dòng)你的靈感，這頗是一次讓人為之一驚的體驗(yàn)。

　　行走在茶馬古道上，你或許能夠看到一些去往圣城拉薩的虔誠(chéng)朝圣者，他們?cè)谄閸绮黄降穆飞闲凶撸叫芯徛?，有的甚至屈膝爬行，磕著頭前往圣地。即使他們的雙腿與胳膊化膿--額頭滴血--但他們的眼神依然閃爍著光芒，是信仰給了他們安慰。

　　途中的大篷車(chē)

　　自古以來(lái)，大篷車(chē)就一直是運(yùn)輸?shù)闹饕ぞ摺?/p>

　　每年都有無(wú)數(shù)輛大篷車(chē)行走在崎嶇不平的道路上，蹄子當(dāng)當(dāng)?shù)仨?，清脆的鈴聲在山谷里回蕩，這條古道開(kāi)辟了一條重要的對(duì)外經(jīng)貿(mào)之路。

　　二戰(zhàn)時(shí)期，茶馬古道成為中國(guó)西南部唯一一條交通路線。當(dāng)時(shí)，印度大力支持中國(guó)的抗日戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)，因此大篷車(chē)也裝載著大量印度給中國(guó)的國(guó)際援助物資。

　　行走完滇藏公路和成都到拉薩的公路后，接下來(lái)就要乘汽車(chē)了。茶馬古道已成為歷史的一部分了，但是至今，在云南的偏遠(yuǎn)山區(qū)，大篷車(chē)仍然是交通運(yùn)輸?shù)闹匾ぞ摺?/p>

　　時(shí)至今日，茶馬古道已為中華民族的整個(gè)民族精神做出了巨大貢獻(xiàn)，而且它仍將是中國(guó)歷史上的永恒紀(jì)念碑。

　　文化的足跡

　　茶馬古道這條古路難走而且充滿(mǎn)危險(xiǎn)，可是它美麗的自然風(fēng)景卻刺激人們鼓足勇氣，使出力量，拼足耐力去認(rèn)識(shí)和領(lǐng)悟生命的意義。

　　此外，茶馬古道也促進(jìn)了藏傳佛教的廣泛傳播，促進(jìn)了經(jīng)濟(jì)和文化的交流，也加強(qiáng)了納西族、白族、藏族和其他少數(shù)民族之間的友誼和團(tuán)結(jié)。

　　一些受人崇敬的藝術(shù)家曾在路邊的巖壁上畫(huà)下和刻下了大量佛像、菩薩像，僧侶和神仙像，以及貝殼與天體的圖像。這些遺跡都增加了這條古道的神圣色彩，以及人們對(duì)這里的崇敬。

　　幾千年來(lái)，隨著歷史的發(fā)展，茶馬古道--就像一個(gè)連結(jié)著各個(gè)少數(shù)民族的大走廊，使當(dāng)?shù)氐慕?jīng)濟(jì)得到了發(fā)展，刺激了民族間商品市場(chǎng)的發(fā)展，也促進(jìn)了邊境貿(mào)易的發(fā)展。它促進(jìn)了農(nóng)業(yè)的發(fā)展和飼養(yǎng)動(dòng)物的產(chǎn)生，同時(shí)，還為當(dāng)?shù)氐乃囆g(shù)、宗教、文化和思想意識(shí)提供了一個(gè)發(fā)展空間，它更加促進(jìn)了民族在多個(gè)領(lǐng)域內(nèi)的史無(wú)前例的發(fā)展與繁榮。

　　茶馬古道周邊的重要城鎮(zhèn)

　　普洱：歷史悠久的普洱茶的故鄉(xiāng)。

　　下關(guān)(大理)：茶葉的主要加工與收集中心。

　　劍川：茶馬古道上的一個(gè)集市。

　　沙溪寺登：茶馬古道上唯一幸存的古集市。

　　麗江：茶馬古道上最有名的集散地。

　　德欽：云南邊界內(nèi)的最后一個(gè)路站。