Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Porters and mules carried compressed tea across the Himalayan plateau for centuries. The figure is taken from Library of Congress, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a history fact?

Yes. It sits on the History shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

The tea horse road traded brick tea for horses

Porters and mules carried compressed tea across the Himalayan plateau for centuries Chinese dynasties wanted Tibetan horses for cavalry, while Tibetan and Central Asian buyers wanted tea, which they churned with butter and salt. From the Song period onward, compressed brick tea travelled from Sichuan and Yunnan over high passes to Lhasa. Much of the route was footpath, not road, and human porters carried loads where mules could not. It sits in Mondo's history collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Library of Congress

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

Go further

History trivia Food & Cooking trivia

More facts like this

The highest railway in the world climbs over 5,000 metresThe Qinghai-Tibet line crosses the Tanggula Pass at 5,072 metres Leaf oxidation levels define major tea categoriesBlack green and oolong teas come from the same plant species processed differently Water temperature changes how much tannin tea releasesBoiling water extracts more astringency than water below the boil Matcha is shaded before the leaves are pickedWeeks under cover raise chlorophyll and theanine, deepening colour and savour Tea was first brewed in ChinaLeaves from the southwest were steeped as a medicine before a drink Oolong is tea that is partly oxidisedLeaf makers stop the browning partway, leaving a range from green to dark

Tags: tea, tibet, trade-routes

The tea horse road traded brick tea for horses: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Porters and mules carried compressed tea across the Himalayan plateau for centuries. The figure is taken from Library of Congress, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a history fact?: Yes. It sits on the History shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.