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The Dao of Business · one map, the story of Chinese commerce

Every marker is a real trade route. Open one to read its story; enter the game to run it.

#1 Qinghai–Gansu LoopQinghai–Gansu Loop #2 Hexi Corridor Silk RoadHexi Corridor Silk Road #3 Duku Highway / Tianshan CorridorDuku Highway / Tianshan Corridor #4 Southern Xinjiang LoopSouthern Xinjiang Loop #5 Helan Mountain Wine RouteHelan Mountain Wine Route #6 Northern ShaanxiNorthern Shaanxi #7 Qinghai–Tibet LineQinghai–Tibet Line #8 G318 Sichuan–Tibet HighwayG318 Sichuan–Tibet Highway #9 Tea Horse RoadTea Horse Road #10 Pu’er Tea Mountains LoopPu’er Tea Mountains Loop #11 Dali–Lijiang Old TownsDali–Lijiang Old Towns #12 Qiandongnan Miao & Dong VillagesQiandongnan Miao & Dong Villages #13 Zigong Salt CapitalZigong Salt Capital #14 Chishui River Baijiu TriangleChishui River Baijiu Triangle #15 Dujiangyan & Chengdu PlainDujiangyan & Chengdu Plain #16 Daocheng Yading LoopDaocheng Yading Loop #17 Three Gorges ReservoirThree Gorges Reservoir #18 Beijing–Hangzhou Grand CanalBeijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal #19 Huizhou Merchant TrailsHuizhou Merchant Trails #20 Jingdezhen–Wuyuan Porcelain & TeaJingdezhen–Wuyuan Porcelain & Tea #21 Jiangnan Water TownsJiangnan Water Towns #22 Zhejiang Merchants CorridorZhejiang Merchants Corridor #23 WenzhouWenzhou #24 Shanghai Treaty PortShanghai Treaty Port #25 Yangtze Steel CorridorYangtze Steel Corridor #26 Huangshan–Qiandao LakeHuangshan–Qiandao Lake #27 Xiangxi: Zhangjiajie–FenghuangXiangxi: Zhangjiajie–Fenghuang #28 ChangshaChangsha #29 Central Plains Ancient CapitalsCentral Plains Ancient Capitals #30 Guanzhong: Xi’anGuanzhong: Xi’an #31 Jin Merchants Ten-Thousand-Li Tea RoadJin Merchants Ten-Thousand-Li Tea Road #32 Shanxi Coal LineShanxi Coal Line #33 Zhangku Caravan RoadZhangku Caravan Road #34 Beijing Central Axis & Time-Honored BrandsBeijing Central Axis & Time-Honored Brands #35 Great Wall LineGreat Wall Line #36 Qufu–Mount TaiQufu–Mount Tai #37 Chinese Eastern RailwayChinese Eastern Railway #38 Beidahuang ReclamationBeidahuang Reclamation #39 Changbaishan–YanbianChangbaishan–Yanbian #40 Greater Khingan–MoheGreater Khingan–Mohe #41 Quanzhou Maritime Silk RoadQuanzhou Maritime Silk Road #42 ChaoshanChaoshan #43 Hakka Walled VillagesHakka Walled Villages #44 Pearl River Delta Manufacturing CorridorPearl River Delta Manufacturing Corridor #45 Shenzhen InnovationShenzhen Innovation #46 Wuyishan–Anxi Tea RoadWuyishan–Anxi Tea Road #47 Hainan Island LoopHainan Island Loop #48 Beibu Gulf China–Vietnam Border TradeBeibu Gulf China–Vietnam Border Trade #49 Hulunbuir GrasslandsHulunbuir Grasslands #50 Snack Migration RoutesSnack Migration Routes #51 Wuxi Commercial Lineage (Home Route)Wuxi Commercial Lineage (Home Route) #52 Hefei Tech & InnovationHefei Tech & Innovation #53 Suzhou OpennessSuzhou Openness #54 Nantong Zhang JianNantong Zhang Jian #55 East Data West ComputeEast Data West Compute #101 Great Tea Road to Kyakhta #102 Mombasa–Nairobi Gateway #103 Manila Galleon: The Silver Road #104 Yiwu: General Store of the World #105 Nanyang: The Overseas-Chinese Network #106 China–Europe Railway Express #107 Rotterdam: The Container Gate #108 Central Asia Gas: Two Neighbours on a Pipe #109 Malacca: The Freight Tide #110 Vietnam: China Plus One #111 Australian Iron Ore: Contract vs Spot #112 Africa Phone: Rebuilding the Handset for a Continent #113 Bubble Tea Abroad: Franchising into Southeast Asia #114 Quanzhou: Gateway of the Maritime Silk Road #115 Canton: The Single-Port Trade #116 Brazil Soybean: A Bean of Dependence #117 Chilean Cherries: Counter-Season & Cold Chain #118 Shanghai: Market for Technology #119 Short Video Goes Global #120 Mexico Nearshoring #121 Zheng He: The State's Fleet #122 Dubai: The Free-Zone Hub #123 Whose Money Do You Trade In? #124 Rare Earths: The Real Chokepoint #125 Solar Goes Global: Scale and Its Walls #126 The Price of a Place-Name #127 Who Sets the Rules Collects the Rent #128 North and South in a Cup #129 The Last Mile Overseas #130 Going Out by Acquisition #131 Locking Tomorrow's Price #132 Both Ends Abroad #133 Trust Between Strangers #134 The Business of Scarcity #135 A Nation That Sells Scenery #136 Turnkey Abroad #137 One Show Lights Up a Nation #138 Shenzhen: A Field for Trying Rules #139 The Green Threshold #140 From Just-in-Time to Just-in-Case #141 Borrowing the Big Buyer's Credit #142 The People Who Move the World #143 Trading Without Money #144 Good Things Grow in Poor Markets #145 Mega-Ships and Alliances #146 One Town Makes the World's Socks #147 The Leapfrog Wallet #148 Storing Grain in Fat Years #149 Sharing the Storm #150 The Toll at the World's Throat #151 How a Price Is Made #152 Anchorage: The Sky Express #153 Norway: Oil and the Fund #154 The Money That Feeds a Nation #155 The Pact of Firm and Farmer #156 The Tragedy of the Commons #157 Make or Buy in Detroit #158 Winner-Take-All Networks #159 A Product's Global Bloodline #160 Why Trade at All #161 What the Middleman Is Worth #162 Gray Market Arbitrage #163 The Logistics of Relief #164 Work Down the Wire

Trade-route stories

Enter the game — walk a trade route →