Shaxi Laomadian signifies ‘Inn for old horses’ and it used to lodge caravan owners traveling on the Tea-Horse Caravan Road, from Xishuangbanna to Tibet and further, transporting and trading mainly tea, but also other merchandises like salt, silver, copper etc. Situated midway between Dali and Lijiang, Shaxi was one of the important trading centers on the Tea-Horse Caravan Road since several hundred years. Winter 2006, after 4 years of restoration work by Swiss architects with help of Jianchuan government and several Swiss and International fundings, Shaxi has regained its beauty and starts to attract visitors from afar to admire this one of the last well-conserved market centers on the famous Tea-Horse Caravan Road.