From the Tea Road to the Mongolian Corridor of the “New Silk Road”: Field Results of the Interdisciplinary Expedition of the Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies of the SB of the RAS in the PRC (August 2025)

The aim of this study is to use materials from an international field expedition conducted by the Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies of the Siberian Branch of the RAS (IBMT) SB RAS and partners in China (August 10–25, 2025) to demonstrate how the historical infrastructure of the Great Tea Road (financial institutions of Shanxi merchants, logistics hubs, and Qing administrative practices) relates to contemporary forms of representation and projects of the Mongolian Corridor of the “New Silk Road”. Materials and Methods. The empirical base consisted of consolidated field notes along the route Zhangjiakou – Tianjin – Taiyuan – Qixian – Pingyao – Beijing – Hohhot – Baotou–Ulanqab, museum collections and urban spaces, business documentation samples, and visual sources. Participant observation, historical source and textual analysis, cartographic mapping of field points to historical routes, and a comparative analysis of historical and contemporary logistical and financial decisions were used. Results. Field evidence of the functioning of Shanxi proto-banks and bills of exchange were recorded, key elements of the caravan trade infrastructure and their modern museum and urban representation were reconstructed, and the formation of academic and expert collaboration networks focused on the study of historical and contemporary economic corridors was demonstrated. Conclusions. The expedition materials confirm the effectiveness of the “finance-logistics-administration” analytical model for interpreting the mechanics of the Great Tea Road and demonstrate the potential of comparing historical nodes with the route of the Mongolian Corridor of the “New Silk Road”. The need for further comprehensive research, including the southern Chinese regions of tea origin, is substantiated for a more complete reconstruction of the transit links between Russia, Mongolia, and China.

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