第七章：百年輝煌，萬里茶道

第七章：百年輝煌，萬里茶道

Chapter 7: Tea Road of Ten Thousand Miles, Glory of A Hundred Years

萬里茶道，商旅不絕。大漠荒野，綿綿黃沙與天際相接，一眼望不到盡頭。高鼻凹眼的西域商人，精神飽滿；馱著茶磚的一峰峰駱駝，像連綿起伏的高山，沿途飄蕩著悠悠駝鈴聲……

自張騫通西域以后，中國和中亞及歐洲的商業往來迅速增加。在這條綿延萬里的茶道上，各國商人在這個歷史悠久的文明古國大開眼界，滿載貨物返回故鄉。中國茶葉由此走向世界。

這條萬里茶道起源于17世紀，是繼絲綢之路后，在歐亞大陸興起的又一條國際商道，全長13000公里，綿延300年，被譽為連通中俄兩國的“世紀動脈”。正是這條商道，讓中國茶葉譽滿全球。

The Tea Road witnessed an unending stream of commerce over centuries of years.

In the scorching desert wilderness and the vast expanse of golden sands, where azure sky meets amber horizons, western traders with sharp angular noses and large sunken eyes come and go, high-spirited and highly ambitious; caravans of humpback camels loaded down with tea bricks plod like an undulating mountain chain; a symphony of huffs and puffs dings and dongs as camel bells pierce the desert air…

Since Zhang Qian envoyed Central Asia, commercial dealings between China, Central Asia and Europe have increased rapidly. Great business minds from every nation have feasted their eyes upon this lengthy stretch of road that laid bare before them China’s ancient civilization and long history, returning to their homelands with their eyes and hearts as fully loaded as the backs of their camels. From this time Chinese tea spread to the four corners of the earth.

The Tea Road originated in the 17th century is the second international trade route across Asia and Europe, parallel to the renowned Silk Road. Stretching out over 13,000 kilometers, it has more than 300 years of history and has been hailed as the “artery” connecting China and Russia. It is precisely because of this trade route that Chinese tea is widely known throughout the world.

▲漢口東洋碼頭 Hankou Toyo Wharf

● 宋代詩人蘇軾Su Shi, Song Dynasty poet

對此，歷史學家、武漢大學教授馮天瑜認為，漢口雖然不是茶葉產地，卻是世界最大的茶葉集散地，1861年漢口開埠后，俄商先后在漢口開設磚茶廠，對俄茶葉貿易飆升，繁盛景象一直持續到20世紀初。在當時的中國，沒有其他城市可與漢口相媲美，漢口作為“萬里茶路”源頭當之無愧。

那么，地處高寒的俄國人，為何對中國的磚茶情有獨鐘？

據史料記載，1638年，俄國駐中國使臣斯達爾可夫歸國晉見沙皇，曾從中國帶回64公斤茶葉作為厚禮，獻給當時新興的羅曼諾夫王朝。沙皇米海爾·羅曼諾夫品嘗后，對這種略帶苦澀味道的中國草葉飲料大加贊賞。

“周詩紀苦茶，茗飲出近世。初緣厭粱肉，假此雪昏滯。”宋代蘇軾曾在詩中指出，古人最早飲茶大概是為解除油膩。對居住在高寒高緯度地區的肉食民族而言，茶葉既能分解脂肪，又可消除燥熱。

位于中高緯度寒帶地區，本地人不喝綠茶，喜喝紅茶，對進口茶葉有獨特的飲用方法。他們用茶刀將茶磚切開，放在爐子上燒煮，然后加糖加奶，借著熱氣騰騰的紅茶，抵抗漫長而嚴寒的俄羅斯冬天。

喝茶漸漸成為俄國的一種時尚，由上流社會流傳到民間。原本貴族才可以擁有的一種生活享受，為俄國普通民眾所效仿。

The origin of the Tea Road has always been controversial, some people say it began in Hankou, other claim it originates from Yangloudong in Chibi City, while still others argue it actually started in the Xiamei Village area of Wuyi City in Fujian Province.

Feng Tianyu, a professor and historian at Wuhan University believes that though Hankou is not a teaproducing area, it is in reality the world’s largest tea distribution center. Since Hankou found its beginnings as a commercial port in 1861, Russian businessmen started tea processing plants there, and the tea trade with Russia soared until the early 20th century. No other city in China could boast the tea production levels of Hankou at that time, so Hankou’s title as “the beginning of the Tea Road” is well deserved.

So, why is it that the Russians, who live in an icy cold area, are fond of Chinese tea?

According to historical records, in 1638, when the Russian emissary Starkov stationed in China returned for an audience with the Czar, he carried 64 kilograms of tea as a gift to the newly established Romanov Empire. After taking a sip, Czar Mikhail Fyodorovich Romanov heaped praise upon this slightly acerbic Chinese herbal beverage.

Song Dynasty poet Su Shi once pointed out in his poem that, the bitter tea drink had come into people’s lives since as early as the Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BC) as recorded in the poetry of the time. The possible reason why the ancients drank tea was that it broke down fat and cleared the throat after a meal with fatty meat. For those residing in cold, high-elevated areas, tea consumption not just helps to break down fat, but also to eliminate internal heat.

Russia is located in a medium to high latitude frigid zone; locals prefer black tea to green tea and have a unique recipe for making imported tea. They cut brick tea up with a knife; roast it in the oven, then add sugar and milk. Drinking hot black tea helps them to fight off the freezing cold of Russia’s long, drab winters.

Gradually, drinking tea came into vogue in Russia, spreading from high society to the commoners. The ordinary people began imitating this little luxury, which originally only belonged to the nobles and the aristocracy.

▲恰克圖茶葉交易場面 The Tea Market in Kyakhta, a border city

▲伊林博物館展現茶葉之路 The Tea Road exhibited at Yilin Station Museum

到18世紀，中國磚茶在俄國乃至整個歐洲，培養了固定而龐大的消費群，尤其是西伯利亞以肉奶為食的游牧民族，到了“寧可一日不食，不可一日無茶”的地步，茶葉的需求量激增。

在俄邊境城市恰克圖，一塊磚茶可以換一只羊。豐厚的茶葉貿易利潤刺激了大批俄商，他們不遠萬里來中國，經營由中國銷往俄國的長途茶葉貿易。

1689年，中俄簽訂《尼布楚條約》，中俄開始長期貿易。“彼以皮來，我以茶往。”自此，由張家口經蒙古、西伯利亞至俄國，販運茶、絲為主商品的俄國商隊日趨活躍，茶葉輸出量不斷增加。

二三百頭駱駝組成的商隊，滿載用來交換茶葉的毛皮，艱難跋涉于厄斯克·卡亞克塔邊境線。返回莫斯科時，由于每頭駱駝須裝載四箱茶葉（大約270千克），因而行程非常緩慢，茶葉從中國南方產茶區種植者到達俄羅斯消費者手中，需要16～18個月。為了方便長途販運，茶商將制好的紅茶茶葉，經過蒸壓，形成體積更小、且不易受潮的小塊茶磚。

By the 18th century, Chinese brick tea had a large and dedicated group of consumers in Russia and even the whole of Europe. The nomads of Siberia, whose staple foods were meat and milk, in particular, even got to the point that they “would rather go a day without food, than go a day without tea.” Demand for tea in Russia soared.

In the Russian border town of Kyakhta, a single brick tea could be exchanged for a whole sheep. The sheer profitability of tea spurred herds of Russian traders to venture out on the 13,000-kilometer long trek to China, in order to market Chinese tea to Russia.

In 1689, China and Russia signed the Treaty of Nerchinsk and long-term trade began to unfold. Since then, from Zhangjiakou to Mongolia, Siberia to Russia; Russian caravans selling tea and silks became more active, while tea output increased steadily.

Trade caravans traversed the border of Kyakhta with two or three hundred camels loaded to the hilt with pelts that they planned to exchange for tea. Their travel was slow and the camels plodded along as every animal was carrying four crates of tea, weighing approximately 270 kilograms. Carrying the tea from the growers in South China to consumers in Russia generally took anywhere from 16 to 18 months. In order to transport the tea easily and protect it from dampness, the tea dealers autoclaved the black tea into smaller bricks that wouldn’t be affected by the moisture.

▲磚茶 Brick Tea

▲縱貫大漠，功不可沒的駝隊 The caravans in the endless desert

▲張家口——茶葉路上新興的貿易之城 Zhang Jiakou, a booming business town on the Tea Road

▲庫倫——茶葉路上重要的商業中心 Kulun, the business center on the Tea Road

▲行進在萬里茶道中的“小駱駝祥子” “Little Camel” trudging on the Tea Road

據資料顯示：光緒十三年（1887年），茶葉由產茶地運抵漢口，經加工再向外運出，每一擔茶價加上加工運輸費總共不過六到七兩銀子的成本，但是在彼得堡每擔茶磚可以賣到260盧布，其間的貿易差額之大令人難以相信。

如此商業暴利，自然可以驅使俄國人遠離家鄉，忍受亞熱帶地區的高溫酷暑，成為漢口常住居民，開始萬里茶道商途的開拓。

至20世紀初，中國茶葉壟斷世界茶葉市場的86%，漢口輸出的茶葉占國內茶葉出口總量60%。直到1905年，隨著西伯利亞大鐵路建成通車，由漢口輸往俄羅斯的茶葉線路發生改變；十月革命的隆隆炮聲，也讓俄商在漢口的茶葉生意日漸蕭條。

至此，這條熙熙攘攘長達兩個多世紀的萬里茶道走向衰落。但，中俄兩國人民并沒有將它遺忘。

2014年10月25日，“萬里茶道”中俄兩國沿線城市市長、代表共同簽署《中俄萬里茶道申請世界文化遺產武漢共識》。截至2016年1月，沿線部分城市已完成遺產點普查，武漢市倡議，力爭萬里茶道申遺2017年納入國家申請預備名單。

與絲綢之路相比，萬里茶道已不僅僅是一條東西商貿和文化交融之路，它在向歐洲輸出中國農業文明時，也將西方的工業文明帶入中國腹地，加快了這個東方文明古國進入現代化工業時代的進程。

歲月悠悠，過客匆匆。萬里茶道，一直吸引著世界各地人們的目光。過去，她吸引商旅們用長途的艱辛換取報償；如今，她沉淀的歷史韻味亦讓人神往。

（部分圖片由武漢黃鶴樓茶葉有限公司提供）

According to statistics, around the 13th year of Guangxu’s reign (1887), tea was shipped from the tea producing regions to Hankou for processing and from there shipped out to other areas, and the cost of tea per dan (50 kilograms) plus processing and delivery was only 6 or 7 taels of silver, while the selling price was 260 rubles in Saint Petersburg—an unbelievable trade imbalance.

High profits drove Russians to leave their hometown, bear the hot summers in subtropical areas, and even become permanent residents of Hankou in order to develop their business along the Tea Road.

From the beginning of the 20th century, when Chinese tea monopolized 86% of world tea market, domestic exports from Hankou accounted for 60% of the total trade volume, until the year 1905, when the Siberian railway opened, great changes took place that affected the tea route from Hankou to Russia. The October Revolution later also threw the tea business into chaos and recession.

At this point, the long and crowded tea road that had lasted for more than two centuries was in decline, but the Chinese and Russian people alike will never forget its legacy.

On October 25th 2014, representatives of the mayors of the Chinese and Russian cities running along the “Tea Road” signed the “Wuhan Sino-Russo Tea Road World Heritage Consensus.” As of January 2016, the cities running along the Tea Road had finished their general site surveys and Wuhan is advocating and contending strongly for its inclusion on the tentative national list of Tea Road world heritage sites.

The Tea Road is comparable to the Silk Road, but unparalleled in others, as the Tea Road is not simply a way by which trade and cultural communion between the East and West takes place, but in exporting Chinese agrarian civilization to Europe. Western industrial civilization was brought into China’s interior, which hastened the transformation of the great ancient Eastern civilization that is China into a modern industrial power.

Time and tide have waited for no man, many a foot has traversed these long and winding paths. The Sino-Russo Tea Road has been drawing the fascination of the world for generations. In the past, it attracted men of commerce, as those who made the long and arduous journey across it were rewarded handsomely with a profitable exchange. But now, the deep and lasting appeal is the long and fascinating history behind it that draws the gaze of people all over the world.

(Part of the photos herein courtesy of Wuhan Yellow Crane Tower Tea Co., Ltd.)

▲蒙古包見證艱辛的茶葉之路 The Mongolian yurt, witness of the arduous Tea Road

▲唐河——茶葉路上重要的一環 Tanghe, an important chain on the Tea Road