did the chinese trade their tea
The Chinese traded tea for horses, silk, cotton, fighter jets, and oil, among other things.
Tea, a crop unique to China, played an important role in ancient trade between China and neighboring countries and regions. On the ancient tea-horse trail, the Chinese traded tea for horses. This trade route mainly entered Tibet, Yunnan and other places on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from the southwest and northwest. The Tibetan folk song sings, “Although we live in separate places, we live together every day,” reflecting the important status of tea in the region. In addition, tea also became a bridge for trade between the East and the West through the Silk Road, and was exchanged as a specialty product of the Central Plains region along with silk and cotton cloth. More importantly, tea was a crop unique to the Central Plains civilization, which made it an important item for exchange.
In broader international trade, tea was not only used to exchange everyday goods, but also for larger-scale exchanges. For example, at the end of the 17th century, Indonesia had successfully introduced Chinese tea trees; in the 1880s, Sri Lanka also successfully introduced tea trees from China. The development of the tea industry in these countries was partly due to Chinese tea cultivation technology. In addition, tea has also been used as an exchange item in politics, economics, and the military. For example, in the war between the Song and Liao dynasties, tea became one of the exchange items.
In summary, tea played an important role in ancient and modern China’s foreign exchanges. Not only was it popular as a daily drink, it also became an important link connecting China with the rest of the world, demonstrating the multiple values and influences of tea.