Laomadian Lodge,Shaxi Ancient Town(剑川沙溪老马店)

Laomadian Lodge in Shaxi signifies ‘Inn for old horses’and it used to lodge caravan owners traveling on the Tea-Horse Caravan Road, from Xishuangbanna to Tibet and further, transporting and trading mainly tea, but also other merchandises like salt, silver, copper etc. Situated midway between Dali and Lijiang, Shaxi was one of the important trading centers on the Tea-Horse Caravan Road since several hundred years. Winter 2006, after 4 years of restoration work by Swiss architects with the help of Jianchuan government and several Swiss and International fundings, Shaxi has regained its beauty and starts to attract visitors from afar to admire this one of the last well-conserved market centers on the famous Tea-Horse Caravan Road. Shaxi once played an important role as a bustling trade station on the Tea and Horse Caravan Road, an important branch of the Silk Road. Just over one thousand years ago, this ancient trade route connected Tibet with Eastern China. In exchange for teas from Yunnan, Tibetans traded their famous breed of horse to Song Dynasty officials in eastern China, who were busy defending their territory from invaders from the north. Thus the Tea and Horse Caravan was born. Shaxi became the main trade station along this route.

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Laomadian Lodge,Shaxi Ancient Town