茶马古道 · The Ancient Tea Horse Road

茶马古道Chá Mǎ Gǔdào是shì中国Zhōngguó西南xīnán与yǔ西藏Xīzàng之间zhījiān最zuì古老gǔlǎo的de山间shān jiān贸易màoyì通道tōngdào之一。zhī yī

The Tea Horse Road is one of the oldest mountain trade routes between southwest China and Tibet.

始shǐ于yú唐宋Táng Sòng年间,niánjiān商队shāngduì沿yán着zhe这zhè条tiáo古道gǔdào以yǐ茶chá换huàn马。mǎ

Beginning in the Tang and Song, caravans traded tea for horses along this road.

路线lùxiàn穿越chuānyuè高山gāoshān大江,dà jiāng是shì世界shìjiè上shàng最zuì凶险xiōngxiǎn的de商道shāngdào之一。zhī yī

The route winds through mountains and rivers, the most dangerous in the world.

马帮mǎbāng在zài路lù上shàng一yī走zǒu就是jiùshì几jǐ个月。ge yuè

The horse caravans (mabang) walked the road for months on end.

头马tóu mǎ的de铃铛língdang日夜rìyè作响。zuò xiǎng

The bell on the head horse rang day and night.

他们tāmen把bǎ茶叶、cháyè盐yán和hé丝绸sīchóu运yùn进jìn藏区。Zàng qū

They brought tea, salt, and silk into Tibet.

回程huíchéng时shí则zé运yùn回huí马匹、mǎpǐ皮毛pímáo与yǔ藏药。zàng yào

On the way back they brought horses, hides, and Tibetan medicine.

它tā如今rújīn已yǐ无人wú rén行走,xíngzǒu但dàn那nà些xiē山道shāndào仍réng在,zài风fēng也yě在。zài

It is no longer in use, but those mountain paths still endure.

谁shuí走zǒu过guò一次,yí cì都dōu会huì听见tīngjiàn一首yì shǒu从cóng过去guòqù传来chuán lái的de沉郁chényù长歌。cháng gē

Whoever walks them once will hear a deep song coming from the past.

马帮mǎbāng的de队伍里,duìwu lǐ每个人měi ge rén都dōu有yǒu自己的zìjǐ de位置。wèizhi

In a caravan every man had his own place.

走zǒu在zài最前面zuì qiánmiàn的de叫jiào锅头,guōtóu他tā决定juédìng今天jīntiān走到哪里。zǒu dào nǎlǐ

The man walking at the front was the guotou, and he decided how far they went that day.

路窄lù zhǎi的de地方,dìfang一边yì biān是shì山壁,shānbì一边yì biān是shì几百米jǐ bǎi mǐ的de深谷。shēngǔ

Where the path narrowed, one side was rock wall and the other a gorge hundreds of metres deep.

马失前蹄mǎ shī qián tí的事,de shì每年měi nián都会dōu huì发生fāshēng几次。jǐ cì

A horse losing its footing happened several times a year.

他们tāmen在zài山里shān lǐ睡觉,shuìjiào把bǎ马mǎ围成wéi chéng一圈yì quān挡风。dǎng fēng

They slept in the mountains, ringing the horses around them to block the wind.

到dào了le藏区,Zàng qū一块yí kuài砖茶zhuān chá可以kěyǐ换huàn一匹yì pǐ好马。hǎo mǎ

In the Tibetan regions, one brick of tea could be traded for a good horse.

茶chá在zài高原上gāoyuán shàng不是bú shì饮料,yǐnliào而是ér shì必需品。bìxūpǐn

On the plateau tea was not a drink but a necessity.

那里nàlǐ蔬菜shūcài很少,hěn shǎo茶chá能néng补充bǔchōng身体shēntǐ需要xūyào的de东西。dōngxi

Vegetables were scarce there, and tea supplied what the body needed.

二十世纪èrshí shìjì五十年代,wǔshí niándài公路gōnglù修通xiū tōng了。le

In the 1950s the motor road was put through.

铃铛声língdang shēng停tíng了,le可是kěshì路lù还在hái zài山上,shān shàng一圈一圈地yì quān yì quān de绕。rào

The bells stopped, but the road is still on the mountain, winding round and round.