The Cultural Alliance of the Tea Road-related National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units was established in Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi province, on July 26. 

The ancient Tea Road stretched from Wuyi Mountain in East China's Fujian province in the south and all the way to St. Petersburg in Russia, spanning 13,000 kilometers. It was the longest land trade route in history and another international trade artery connecting China to the world after the Silk Road. 

Shanxi merchants, as pioneers of the Tea Road, have made significant contributions to the flourishing trade between China, Mongolia, and Russia.

The alliance was jointly initiated by Shanxi merchants' museums in eight provinces including Shanxi, Henan and Jiangxi, as well as 21 national key cultural relics protection institutions along the Tea Road, and several Chinese universities. 

It will further explore the cultural significance of Shanxi merchants, focusing on the research, interpretation, exhibition, and utilization of the Tea Road and Shanxi merchants' culture. 

Moreover, it will promote traditional Chinese culture, establish a high-level platform for the protection of cultural relics, exhibitions, talent cultivation and the integration of culture and tourism, as well as protect China's cultural heritage.