Almost every year since that arduous trek, Chen has covered the same route, but in the relative luxury of a car. He has also visited Japan, Malaysia and South Korea doing research related to the tea route.

"Japanese people treat tea as an elegant lifestyle, while Tibetans in China treat it as a daily necessity," says Chen, who spent a year in Japan as a visiting scholar in 2006.

In terms of linguistics, he says the word for tea in most places around the world derives from the Chinese cha.

"It's just one more piece of evidence of how tea culture spread along the Ancient Tea Horse Road from China."

Following tea culture, art produced by Buddhism, commodities including jewelry, jade, fragrance and ceramics have been exchanged along the most actively used international commercial route linking the East and the West.

In addition to that route, tea produced in China was eventually being exported from Zhejiang and Fujian provinces to Europe by sea.

"Both the ancient road and maritime routes helped transport Chinese tea and culture to the world," Chen says.

Contact the writers at dengzhangyu@chinadaily.com.cn