Exhibition On Mongolia’s Historic Tea Road Opens In Ulaanbaatar.

Densmaa 2026-10-29 12:10

Art & Culture

The exhibition highlights how the historic trade route shaped Mongolia’s economic and cultural development while fostering connections among the three neighbouring countries.

A temporary exhibition titled Mongolians Along the Great Tea Road opened on October 26 at the Chinggis Khaan National Museum in Ulaanbaatar, showcasing Mongolia’s historical role in trade and cultural exchange between Russia and China. Organised jointly by the museum and the Institute of History and Ethnology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, the exhibition is part of a joint research project exploring the historical Tea Road and its connections with modern regional cooperation.

For more than two centuries, from the 17th century to the early 20th century, the Great Tea Road connected Mongolia, Russia and China through trade. The Mongolian route stretched approximately 1,150 kilometres, linking Zamiin-Uud on the Chinese border with Altanbulag near the Russian border and passing through major trading centres, including Ikh Khuree, present-day Ulaanbaatar. The exhibition features historical photographs, archival documents and artefacts illustrating the role of Mongolian camel caravans in transporting tea and other goods.

Visitors can also see tea bricks, caravan bells, traditional tea ware, historical currency and a copy of the 1727 Treaty of Bura, which addressed border arrangements between the Russian Empire and the Qing Dynasty. The exhibition highlights how the historic trade route shaped Mongolia’s economic and cultural development while fostering connections among the three neighbouring countries.