苏说文化之茶马古道（英文版）
Ancient Tea-horse Road
For thousands of years
数千年来
only humans and horses treaded the mountains of Southwest China
只有人和马踏上中国西南部的山脉
as they followed an ancient pathway through
他们穿越中国人迹罕至的内陆腹地和青藏高原
China’s hinterlands and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
踩出了一条崎岖不平的小道
Along the unpaved and rugged pathway
而就是这条古老的小道
commodities like tea, salt and sugar
却把茶 盐 糖等商品
flowed into Tibet
源源不断输入西藏
Meanwhile, horses, cows, furs, musk
同时 马 牛 毛皮 麝香
and other local products
和其他当地产品
made their way to the outside world
也从西藏走到了外面的世界
The road was called the Ancient Tea-horse Road
这条路被称为茶马古道
and it stretched across more than 4,000km
全长4000多公里
mainly through Southwest China’s Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet
途经中国西南部的四川 云南和西藏
The ancient commercial passage
这条古老的商道
first appeared during the Tang Dynasty
最早出现在唐代
It experienced the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties
它历经宋 元 明 清四个朝代
which is a period of more than 1,200 years
使用时间长达1200多年
The Ancient Tea-horse Road
与著名的丝绸之路一样
promoted exchanges in culture and religion
茶马古道促进了
and saw ethnic migration that closely resembled
文化和宗教的交流
what was experienced on the well-known Silk Road
也见证了民族迁徙
From ancient times
自古以来
Mabang, AKA caravans, have been the main vehicles used for transportation
马帮几乎承担了所有的运输
Year after year
年复一年
thousands of caravans traveled the rough road
成千上万的商队在崎岖不平的小道上行进
while the hoof beats and the sounds of clear bells
马蹄声和清脆马铃声
broke the tranquility of canyons
打破了峡谷的宁静
The Ancient Tea-horse Road
茶马古道上
features the imposing scenery
风景雄伟壮美
Sometimes, things seem static
时而 万物皆止
and the surrounding mountains stand silent
群山静立
There is a kind of beauty in the desolation
这种荒芜的美
that may easily lead people to believe
让你仿佛
they are experiencing a prehistoric place
回到了史前
Sometimes, the distant mountains reveal strong and exquisite ridges
时而 远山叠嶂 沟壑纵横
while rain and snow melt together
雨雪交融
rushing down from the mountains
奔流而下
and rapidly gathering before flowing into innumerable rivers
汇成千条溪河
Besides mountains and rivers
茶马古道上 山水皆景
there are also many peculiar stones
奇石遍地
incomparably marvelous clouds
祥云漫天
as well as unusual light illuminating the sky as one travels the road
光影变幻
Today, after the accomplishment of the Yunnan-Tibet Highway
今天 滇藏公路
and the Chengdu-Lhasa Highway
与成拉公路建成后
automobiles replaced the caravans
汽车取代了商队
and the Ancient Tea-horse Road became a part of history
茶马古道已经成为历史
While the definite pathways created by tens of thousands of traveling horses
这条由无数马匹用蹄子在荒原中
with their hooves on the once-indiscernible road
踩的清晰的崎岖小路
are fading away
正在慢慢模糊
the cultural and historic values remain
而它的文化与历史价值永不消失
