Nine lines of the Tea Horse Road

Author: Li Xu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: In the early 20th century, British explorer C. D. Bruce said while traveling along the Silk Road once taken by Marco Polo, "If you want to see as much of the world as possible, you must follow a common rule—whenever you have a choice, never take the same route for the same journey." Over the past ten years, what I have done is constantly break Bruce's so-called common rule and keep traveling along the Tea Horse Road. Counting on my fingers, I have already walked ten times on the Tea Horse Road. Each time I set out, it lasts nearly dozens of days. I haven’t felt that I have missed seeing the world. On the contrary, the repeated travel routes have given me the possibility of delving deeper into the world. Moreover, the richness and diversity of the Tea Horse Road, its high-altitude, long, and arduous nature, its ever-changing and magnificent natural landscapes and profound cultural heritage, make it a journey that is endlessly renewing and irresistible.
Once, I was bitten by a rare insect carrying a deadly pathogen, and my life was in danger, I was on the brink of death. Yet I was not afraid. How fragile the human body and life truly are. The only thought that crossed my mind was that if I still had a little strength left, I would crawl to the Tea Horse Road, to a place that had deeply moved me, to accept Death’s invitation with composure. How close that place was to the sky. Such a blue sky. The Tea Horse Road gives one the feeling of walking among the clouds. Perhaps, according to the Tibetan saying, I had walked this road in a past life, so I must keep walking in this life. Besides, I am an incurable romantic, and the past always holds an irresistible call for me. What is even more important to me is that walking that road has become a significant way for me to understand the path of life and the meaning it holds. In short, on that road, I feel at peace, as if I have returned home.