Reviving Shaxi town on ancient Tea Horse Road

重庆 黄忠雪

海词积累

1.caravan n.商队

2.arterial adj.干线的

The ancient temples,old alleys of the ancient town of Shaxi are not just reminders of past glories,but also attract tourists from around the world.A remote township in Jianchuan County,southwest China's Yunnan Province,Shaxi was once an important trading center for tea,silk and salt on the ancient Tea Horse Road that linked Yunnan to neighboring Tibet Autonomous Region.

Dong Zengxu,director of the Institute of Cultural Heritage of Jianchuan,said that in ancient times,commercial exchanges not only brought Shaxi economic prosperity,but also made it a place of blended cultures and religions.

“In the old days,it was a dangerous business to travel along the Tea Horse Road because trade caravans had to face harsh conditions on snowy mountains and fastmoving waters,” Dong said.When they made it to Shaxi,they felt the place just like a paradise,and then a marketplace was formed here.

However,the late 19th century saw the decline of the once-busy trading hub（中心）because it was far away from rising modern arterial roads,and other means of transport replaced the traveling caravans.

In 2002,a restoration project was started to preserve the cultural heritage and landscape,improve infrastructure and promote e-conomic growth in Shaxi.But the preser-vation work was challenging.The theater and guest houses were overgrown with grass and weeds.

Restoration workers carefully marked all parts of the ancient buildings.They took down some parts and fixed them back to their initial places after cleaning and repairing.Years of efforts are paying off.The project saw old buildings restored and sceneries beautified,thus,turning the town into a desirable destination for tourists at home and abroad.

Booming tourism hasbenefited local residents.During the past Spring Festival holiday,over 114,000 tourists visited Shaxi and tourism revenues rose 11 percent year-onyear to 134 million yuan,according to data from the Tourism Resources Protection,Construction and ManagementCommittee of Jianchuan.

Reading Check

If you are a tour guide,how would you introduce the ancient town of Shaxi to tourists?

Cultural Background

沙溪古镇

沙溪位于中国云南大理剑川东南部，地处金沙江、澜沧江、怒江三江并流自然保护区域东南部，位于大理风景名胜区与丽江古城之间。沙溪古镇是一座真正的古镇，古色古香，至今仍然保持着最古老的建筑特色——古寺庙、古戏台、古商铺、马店、古老的红砂石板街道、百年古树、古巷道、古寨门。

沙溪古镇上可追溯到2，400多年前的春秋战国时期。唐宋时期，沙溪作为南诏国和大理国当时古道上的一个古镇，发挥着积极的作用。众所周知，佛教对古代的南诏国和大理国影响很深，使南诏国和大理国文化带上了浓厚的宗教色彩，而沙溪是当时佛教文化传播的见证之一。