Ancient Tea and Horse Road Museum - Museum dedicated to the Tea and Horse Road
Last Update: 19th October 2020
Also known as Dajue Palace, Ancient Tea and Horse Road Museum is located in the Shuhe Ancient Town. It is part of the old Shuhe Court in the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644). The Ancient Tea and Horse Road Museum is a special museum with the theme of Tea Horse Ancient Road Culture, Shuhe Local Customs and Pu’er Tea Culture.
Ancient Tea and Horse Road Museum Fast Facts
- Chinese Name: Chama Gudao Bowuguan (茶马古道博物馆)
- Location: Zhonghe Road, Shuhe Ancient Town (束河古镇中和路)
- Things to do there: Photography, Architecture, Tea Horse Road Culture and History
- Who visits: Photographers, Architects, Chinese Culture Lovers
- Time required: 1 – 2 x hours

Interested in visiting Ancient Tea and Horse Road Museum on a Yunnan Tour?
Wendy Wei Tours offers a variety of different packaged tours as well as custom tours including the Ancient Tea and Horse Road Museum, among other attractions and destinations. To find out more, please visit our s Tour page or Contact Us directly to find out more.
What to expect at the Ancient Tea and Horse Road Museum
Ancient Tea and Horse Road Museum is composed of the prelude hall, frescoes hall, hall one of historical events, hall two of historical events, hall of Shuhe local life and hall of Shuhe’s cobblers.
The prelude hall introduces the history from 641 when Princess Wencheng went to Tibet and took the then advanced mode of production and the customs of drinking tea. Yunnan tea was transported to Tibet, India, West Asian and Europe from then on. It also presents the tea horse trade in ancient China.
At the frescoes hall, you will see the precious frescoes created between 1572 and 1620. The frescoes show the developments of Tea Horse Road in the Ming Dynasty. The two halls of historical events will let you know about important events in the history of Ancient Tea Horse Road through pictures and some related cultural relics, such as the leaders of Tibet Regime in ancient China declaring a war to the south and Yunnan tea being sold into Tibet, iron wares, bamboo wares and the like.
At the hall of Shuhe local life, you will see some reproductions of many folk culture and production tools. You will see the original layout of the old furniture. In ancient China, Naxi men took the local tea along Tea Horse Road to Tibet or other places while their wives stayed at home to take care of families and did daily farming activities. The hall of Shuhe cobblers introduces the history of Shuhe cobblers through the related tools and pictures as well.
Best time to visit the Ancient Tea and Horse Road Museum
The best time to visit Ancient Tea and Horse Road Museum is in the morning.
The best months to visit are from April to October.
How to get to the Ancient Tea and Horse Road Museum
As Ancient Tea and Horse Road Museum is located in Shuhe Ancient Town, you could take Bus 6 to the Stop of Shuhe Wenming Village (束河文明村) from the Old Town of Lijiang or rent a vehicle to Shuhe Ancient Town. Then walk to the museum.
Additional Ancient Tea and Horse Road Museum Travel Advice
- Opening hours: 09:00 – 18:00
- You could visit the museum with the entrance ticket for Shuhe Ancient Town.
- As at 19th October 2020, the entrance pricing to the town is 40 CNY per person; children under 1.2m tall (1.2m tall not included) are free of charge. For the latest pricing information, please contact us via email (info@wendyweitours.com)
- It is not allowed to ride a bike in the town.
Interested in visiting the Ancient Tea and Horse Road Museum on a Tour?
Wendy Wei Tours offers a variety of different packaged tours as well as custom tours including the Ancient Tea and Horse Road Museum, among other attractions and destinations. To find out more, please visit our Tours page or Contact Us directly to find out more.