Kangxian county made a tablet to mark the Tea Horse Road. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

Nearly one thousand cultural relics about the North Tea Horse Road, an ancient route for tea and horse trade, were displayed recently at the Tea Horse Road Cultural Museum in Kangxian county, Longnan city, Gansu province, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The exhibition is a result of Gansu's efforts protecting the North Tea Horse Road.

Gansu has designated experts and allocated funds to protect 30 market towns and restore ancient houses, and collect folk songs and other cultural heritage along the ancient road.

Visitors at the Tea Horse Road Cultural Museum in Kangxian county, Longnan city, Gansu province. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

In 2009, archaeologists found a piece of stone tablet in Kangxian county engraved with the words "road of horse and tea". The discovery makes Kangxian county the only place with stone tablet evidence of the Tea Horse Road.

According to researchers, the North Tea Horse Road started from Southwest China's Sichuan province, passed Gansu province and reached Qinghai province and Tibet autonomous region.

An engraved ancient stone tablet from the Tea Horse Road in Kangxian county’s museum. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

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Another route of Tea Horse Road, dating back to the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) was once traveled by caravans across southwest China's Yunnan and Sichuan to reach South Asia.

Editor: Lily Li