请沿“万里茶道”来贝加尔湖

弗拉基米尔·别列日内赫

这是我第一次到杭州，虽然以前也曾听到和读到过很多关于杭州的故事。和我所期望的一样，这里的人们热情好客。

我以《中国与俄罗斯》杂志主编的身份，受邀参加了首届浙江省国际友城媒体合作传播论坛。

我们的杂志创刊至今已经整整10年了。当然，在这些年里，我不止一次到中国各省游览、拜访。可是，这是我第一次到杭州，虽然以前也曾听到和读到过很多关于杭州的故事。浙江省省会城市杭州果真和我所期望的一样，这里的人们热情好客。杭州产茶——西湖龙井，是中国十大名茶之一。

说到茶叶，不得不说到对中俄贸易产生过重要影响的“万里茶道”。由中国山西的晋商开拓并主导、沿线商民共同参与运转的中俄万里茶道，从17世纪至20世纪初持续兴盛，成为继丝绸之路后沟通欧亚大陆的又一条国际商路。

因为我们的杂志要做有关“万里茶道”的报道，所以我去过茶道沿线的很多中国节点城市，或通过其他某种方式与之相关联。

山西省平遥县是我去过的其中一个城市。很多从事中国茶叶贸易的非常著名的商人都来自平遥。除此之外，平遥也有很多能够给茶叶贸易提供资金、给商人贷款以购买茶叶的银行，所以历史学家有充分理由认为平遥是“茶叶之路上的金融之都”。

在俄罗斯曾经也有这样的金融之都——一个名叫恰克图的小城。当地商人也以茶叶贸易致富。然后，他们用自己的钱建造了教堂、学校，甚至还建造了博物馆。如今的恰克图小城已经褪去了昔日的繁华，但它依然是一个重要的物流中心，因为从俄罗斯通往中国的铁路和公路都需要经过这里。

于是，我们有了一个在恰克图和平遥之间建立友好城市关系的想法。这个想法得到了恰克图市政府的支持。通过我们中国合作伙伴的努力，我们的想法也得到了平遥市政府的关注。很快，在2019年2月，恰克图的一个代表团和作为《中国与俄罗斯》杂志主编的我受邀到了平遥。紧接着，双方开始一起着手准备关于建立友好城市关系的协议并达成共识。6月，恰克图就迎来了一个由政府官员和企业家组成的回访代表团。在这期间，代表团了解了恰克图市的投资项目，包括建造“复兴万里茶道”历史公园项目和在恰克图开办茶叶包装厂项目。与此同时，双方签署了关于在文化、教育、医学领域及少儿团体互换交流方面的合作协议。

要知道“万里茶道”沿线可是有上百个中国节点城市和数十个俄罗斯节点城市。所以我坚信复兴“万里茶道”是可能的，首要途径就是通过旅游业来实现。如果茶商们曾经是沿着它来运输茶叶，那么现在游客也可以沿着它去旅行。沿途，他们将会了解不同城市的文化、历史和今天，购买当地居民生产的商品，包括纪念品和艺术品。这将是一场真正的长达万里的文化与旅游产品的对话。难怪那么多人把“万里茶道”叫作“丝绸之路的北方走廊”。

当然，我们不能只想着今天的“万里茶道”，要严格按照古商队路线——以河北、江西、江苏、浙江为起始点，先到达北京、张家口，然后到达恰克图、贝加尔湖、伊尔库茨克，最后结束于莫斯科和彼得堡。现如今出现了一些新的运输线路，比如，北方海路，从某种程度上来说，它是古茶道的发展和延续。最重要的一点是，今天的“万里茶道”是中俄蒙三国互利合作的标志。

我特别希望，有一天杭州人民可以來到俄罗斯，特别是可以沿着古代“万里茶道”，来到我们这里，来到贝加尔湖！

（原文为俄语，本文由莫斯科罗蒙诺索夫国立大学在读博士生李螺凯翻译。）

I feel honored to be given the chance to take part in the Hangzhou forum. As the editor-in-chief of China and Russia， launched 10 years ago， I have been to many places in China. This was my first time in Hangzhou. Before I came here I read a lot and heard a lot about the fabulous city. When I saw the city with my own two eyes， it was like all my expectations became reality and the hospitality of people here made the trip a perfect one.

One of the citys most famous calling cards is West Lake Longjing Tea， ranking among “top 10” tea varieties in China. From historical perspectives， tea is also an important element in China-Russia trade communication. The “tea road”， a trade route created by traders from Shanxi Province in the old times of China， prospered for more than three centuries from the 17th century. Just like the “silk road”， it was once a bustling route that fostered enduring economic and cultural Eurasian communication.

I have been to many cities in China that once served as key points of the “tea road”， including Pingyao in Shanxi Province. Historians have reached a consensus that the charming town with unique historical profundity was once the “capital of finance” of the “tea road”， and the towns unique tea trade glory is partly based on the reliable capital support ensured by a good many banks providing various financial schemes for tea dealers.

Interestingly， Pingyao has its counterpart in Russia. The small town of Kyakhta also boasts a long history of tea trade. The towns former glory that transformed into a good many churches， schools and museums has become dust-laden， but it still serves as an important logistic center， due to its geographical location that makes the town a conduit in the railway and highway network of China-Russia transport today.

Such historical likeness has led to the proposal of establishing sister city relation between the two towns. In February of 2019， I was in Pingyao with a delegation representing Kyakhta to work out more details for the project. A follow-up visit in June of the same year by a delegation representing Pingyao made more paperwork into reality – the delegation went back to China with a series of contracts signed with the Kyakhta government， which marked a good start in the “renaissance” of the China-Russia “tea road”.

In its heyday， the “tea road” involved the participation of more than 100 cities in China and a dozen cities and towns in Russia. I am a firm believer in such renaissance through tourism innovation. For people today， the “tea road” has much more worth exploring beyond the transport of tea. The route that connects two different cultures encapsulated in so many cities and towns is ideal for modern people to have a deeper understanding of the past and present of cities and towns involved. The possibilities of cultural exchange and trade benefits to be generated by this meandering stretch are beyond imagination.

For people today， the revisiting of the road does not have to follow the original route that started from， say， Zhejiang Province and ended in Moscow and Petersburg. There are new sites for exploration， for example， the “sea route in the north”. In a sense， the renaissance of the “tea road” also includes a new chapter that is called “Mongolia”.

I look forward to seeing people from Hangzhou visit Russia by taking this ancient route.

Welcome to Baikal！

（The original text in Russian is translated into Chinese by Li Luokai， currently a doctoral student at Lomonosov Moscow State University.）