National Geographic explorer and writer Paul Salopek is in the mountainous terrain of Yunnan Province, China’s southwest. Trekking with a cast of walking partners, walking guests, and the first local in sight after hitting his first milestone in the mainland, Paul documents the region’s rich biodiversity and the protection efforts being made by every level of society.

National Geographic explorer and writer Paul Salopek walks the Tea Horse Road, a southerly branch of the vast ancient silk road network in China, delving into its rich history and culture through the lens of a village historian; a tea farmer at a plantation; and a Chinese cultural icon.

National Geographic explorer and writer Paul Salopek traces the ancient Min River in Sichuan province with his local walking partners, including Chinese historian Professor Luo Xing. From a lost early Chinese civilization to an ancient engineering marvel, Paul walks through China’s past and explores what wisdom from the ancient ancestors can teach us as we move forward into the 21st century.