Chinas legendary silk road was one of the wonders of the ancient world now this trade route is being brought back to life on the new silk road is a vast undertaking and a demonstration of power and might. Hundreds of billions of euros are flowing into new infrastructure or our way lines harbors streets bridges and tunnels in 65 Different Countries its a project the likes of which the world has never seen. Its a powerful vision and for many and inspiring one. For some it represents opportunity for others misery. China is reaching toward the west along the new silk road we retrenched to a piece roots traveling from china to germany from the city of shenzhen to the city of to. Spork. We travel thousands of kilometers overland to central asia. And resale 2000 is of kilometers across the oceans or Southeast Asia following the major overseas trade routes. We have traveled great distances but europe is still far away. And. We retrace the route of the caravans heading West Crossing remote passes in the 2 young Shan Mountains. Its a journey into the past along the ancient silk road. A route that today is marked by hope and opportunity and by burdensome debts and dependence on china. And the route followed by the ancient traders and their caravans was filled with danger. There are arrival at tosh robots gave them a temporary respite. Here they found food and shelter and were able to Exchange Goods and information about the journey ahead. To. The markets of kyrgyzstan still bare traces of this history. Of. Baku back back to rob is a nomad a day ago he left his yurt near song called lake. Early this morning here arrived at the market in cos core. Political school of oz of course this is the main trading season many come here from afar to make their purchases and then they bring the honor most to kazakhstan. Of the cars on sunday in the. Uk lubeck enjoys the bustle of the market after the silence of his home near the lake and. Hes planning to buy a horse. And he knows exactly what hes looking for. All the time i love some of the stuff you have to stroke them up there like that to see if it stays calm when i stroke it and then i know itll do what i ask it to because it is a little to nothing. But the purchase will have to wait a cool back has invested in the promises of the new silk road and thats pushed him to the financial brink. Much the same as has happened to the country of kyrgyzstan. He invites us to visit his home to find out more. The wide expanse of his own wild and untamed to untangle the government believes to improve infrastructure its gone deeply into debt with Chinese Companies. In the early evening a call back and his grandchildren round up the herd. The family has bought 3 new yorks with their savings. But. Theyre intended for tourists who wanted venture and a taste of the simple life. At home as were not afraid of anything. She alone has already improved here in the last 8 years that our standard of living is much higher now. Were in the. Yes we did. The family hopes that money and affluence will come from the tourists who booked overnight stays here and the chinese who have promised to invest on a grand scale. I believe the silk road still exists. Because the those values still exist so thats a fact every country can profit from cradle long the silk road just as it. But what if these hopes are not fulfilled in the search for a better life things of great value might also be lost. At the world nomad games tradition still holds sway. By mark and his master nor back our local celebrities nor back raised the falcon and says its like a son to him but no back needs the falcon every bit as much as the falcon. When i removed the hood. Spray and flies to capture it. He sees for me. It into a world. Thats true or that it might 1st seem no back look how can our is blind. Norbeck took gold at the 28000 world nomad games his brother on back knows who they have to thank for it. We were hoping for 3rd place and everyone was shocked when we took gold. Nor back has promised to show his nephew some of the tricks of the trade. The family is proud of their showing at the nomad games. But they also wonder whether theyll be able to maintain their culture and traditions. We dont need go we need clean water the mountains earth us nature. So far our people havent seen any good come of the Chinese Investment thats why were taking to the streets thats why theres been arson. On april 11th 2018 there was a violent protest over a gold mine built in cause im on with Chinese Investment. In doing anything in the woods with about a 1000 people were here and they lost their patience a crowd like that they dont listen to anyone. They burned the building to the ground and theyre to get lost in the 30 i mean this is whats left of the gold rush i mean some village elders are willing to speak with us. They brought documents to show what the Chinese Mining Company has been planning what sparked the weeks of protest against. The old soviet era mine was believed to contain some 40 tons of gold. The chinese wanted to take it over but local say they had no permits. Them to fire them this consistency is it gets our land care guess what and why should we give our land to a bunch of chinese with no permits it is leading to skin break. Up to 7 tons of gold might lie beneath this field full of mining waste. The soviets mind using toxic sodium cyanide. Could that account for the cases of cancer in the village and what were the chinese planning the village elders say the cure is authorities answered none of these questions. The government didnt investigate all the illnesses here they just want chinese money they dont care about us. That. Everyone from the chinese to the kyrgyz government wants a share of the golden cause im on. In the end the chinese left. This time. But the flow of goods is awakening hopes along the new silk road the Chinese Initiative wants to vastly increase the amount of freight transported by rail. And theyre planning many new cargo relay junctions to transfer containers to the gauge of the russian made traffic. Along the maritime silk road we find ourselves at another junction thousands of kilometers from china the country has now going to access to another deep sea port some 40 percent of the worlds oil passes through here for china the port of call dar is another base in its string of pearls. Such on 8 how good morning in chinese the teacher after he started in china a stroke of good fortune because thats come in handy here in quite dark aftab wants to help others here reap the same benefits without a lot. When i was sighted i didnt have this opportunity to learn in my hometown learn chinese but they have so. We have. Our children really can be good. Chinese they have. Business deal with them they school has facilities that many others in the country can only dream of all financed with money from beijing china is investing in the young people off pakistan. For aftab teaching is only a sideline hes actually an engineer and he has plenty of work to keep him busy china and pakistan are building for the future each in their own way. Is the force on the side of chinese on the pakistani market accepted to go. To. College. But youre working for china yeah the big muff the ability that this gal im. Going to. Cut you were building a road to china. One day ill be able to drive home on it you. Know silk road will bring us together were friends and that you couldnt help but think that. The chinese may be friends but theyre under guard on the construction sites and elsewhere in the city block to stand is a conflict zone where violence and terrorism are rife foreigners are especially at risk many locals regard them as invaders not investors. We stand here is a very terrible. Turds that instant place in tucson for sure we go the. 3 chinese engineers died in that attack jango our jong. As a businessman and he knows that are lots at stake here for both countries people cannot move freely. That their few flee the big be the secretary too will be affected power on the other side please understand that the government or the army are responsible person who is. General as john was sent here to turn quite dark into a transit hub china has signed a 40 year lease on the ports but its conditions are being kept largely out of public view we are not permitted to film on site. For dark as clear Strategic Value as a gateway to the arabian sea but its unclear whether chinas interest is only an economic one some believe it might also have military significance for beijing. Or you. Break through some of the i dont know what you are scared of. In that china. Is really pissed about the country i think it is. And you see we dont have a history of you and the countries. The chinese presence is impossible to overlook and more on the way the China CommunicationsConstruction Company is planning more projects here the construction giant has big plans in what are. Around the 5000 people are going to come Chinese People going to them but for this project i think maybe 802 like this youve overcome for this. Its going to be like a little china town just definitely china. Ya ya grew up in quite dark after studying in. He returned home for him the arrival of the chinese spells an opportunity. To visit a creek bed to say good morning you father what a good space definitely youre walking in a new plan to your morning toward our future and theres a future about your part of it. Definitely on there you know following a member of this. This optimistic outlook cant be taken for granted in guatemala but for other people here peace and prosperity seem but a dream they fear theyve been forgotten and will keep forming further behind. And they feel deep resentment of those who are proclaiming the arrival of a new golden future. In the world live but the chinese only care about their own interests they want to make a lot of money here they dont care about what happens to the poor to us maybe one day they know why yeah money arsenical. Theyre taking everything. Right our doesnt belong to us anymore you take in the ocean from us the land theres nothing left of men like us have no work no think. The arrival of the chinese seems to have further split the region some stand to benefit others to lose everything. We resume our journey 98 percent of all goods on the new silk road are transported by ship the advantages of a maritime route are way the risks just as they did centuries ago. Ships sent out from seward to Distant Shores turning into a trading empire ship building also has a long history here but the wooden dowel but its a vanishing the last hour shipyard in saw is run by the alligator me family that keeping the traditional line down to the last detail. Also to cotton seals the gaps between clacks collets family have been building downs for generations. Its in our blood and we pass it on to our children god willing well continue doing this work for a long time. They build without a plan creating the entire ship from memory and the work is done by hand as its always been. The reputation of a Ship Builders is keeping the tradition alive times are changing machines have replaced sales but for us seafaring in trade is still an important traditional. Oman has a rich history and thanks to all the countrys wealthy today but all reserves are finite what will happen after theyre gone we continue through the desert pressing forward through the heat and sound. Finally we reach water and a very modern shipyard where at the dry dock into come. Ships are repaired here and read it for the next voyage the former fishing village has become a major hub on the new silk road. A truly good many different tell you see a band from europe see it from a critic and from the issue as a. Way of a good location having a good cause of votes for the verdi and had to leave its nearby. Or. It is to. Them is now an economic free zone which offers incentives to investors from all over the world including china. Its up to a man his job to bring in the chinese investors he says the chinese have vision and energy. China is the out of that eclair the us and elsewhere. Sometimes you will feel them there out of fairness. But in that. They put a bit of their will. And then there but ive been there at that i wont get there but walk. After that they would have stopped for us to see that. There isnt much to be seen yet but the china oman Industrial Park is shantel to go up here manufacturing facilities Pipelines Oil fields and a hospital out of thin air. That is there give you 3 but frankly it is a real fire yet very ambitious. Test now working on. A cluster of containers in the middle of nowhere this is just the beginning inside 2 men share a space of 12 square meters. Theyre far from home but earning good money. Wages here are quite a bit higher than in china. So are they happy here. The. Chinese are industrious people one of the diseases thats not the case when it comes to our Foreign Workers to look at. What is the difference. Will be honest theyre a bit lazy. But. Believe that it will be done to keep your cheap little. Workers from all over the region have come to work you know mom. Used to low wages or home their appliable workforce. But. When you come from somebody like that and you manage your time and it. I thought you got some. Rocks from pakistan by you know this. The man almost seem to be marching information theyll work under the brutal desert sun to bring chinas plan to fruition but most of them have never heard of the new silk road theyre working to feed their families back at home. The grand visions they leave to the chinese. Here are very important to understand the play is you know what is the u. S. Governments approach that Chinese Companies that enterprises go off their contract for the one belt one road one beltre also known as the new silk road demand sacrifices from the chinese to we work here or half your we have the one week asia we can call to our family or we also you know why did our family bring our family to here but here no place maybe after one year we can bring our family new family is through here. They are seeking their fortunes here in the desert and adding another link to chinas new silk road. Some are the city of stone. It was also a stop along the route of the ancient silk road. After the harsh terrain of the tian Shan Mountains some are conned welcomed the caravans with one of the wealthiest civilizations of central asia. Lost in the. The madrassas of samarkand are still overflowing with gold and ornate decorations and. Were meeting one of these beckett stands backers of the new silk road. By becky alston often speaks excellent german and will be our translator and tour guide. Tonight hes serving fluff peel off the traditional feast. The silk road didnt only transport ideas it also disseminated ideas and recipes for prof speak when people from spain come to his back is fan are served prof they say oh this is spanish by you know. How you know which. Plus is traditionally eaten with the fingers not so easy for a left hander. In the mud traditionally we eat our food with our right hand as. I should have known. Everywhere and some are conned there are signs of how far west we ventured. The influence of ancient persia is also visible everywhere 7. Becca stan was once the center of an empire. In the 12th and 13th centuries culture and scholarship flourished here. Timor also known as tom elaine was a great patron of art and culture and a brutal tyrant. His tomb is still an object of veneration. Boy back has taken us to the bazaar of. A place filled with Hidden Treasures from old sock on. He picks up a small dusty binder almost at random. In the dining room to youre Holding History in your hand that tells a 1000 years old 900 years old is 700 years old 200 years old. The coins come from far and wide china persia greece theyre a testament to the travel and trade that shaped the region over the centuries. Today is out of the for them this is just old plunder for me its history its each item tells a beautiful story from the days of the old silk or. Just in history is one of the oldest books according to our modern day calendar is from the 17th century. Always i find a very sad when these books are bought by tourists and end up in europe somewhere they should stay here we need to build museums one of the. Most when museum organs and. We continue onward these cotton fields white gold. Stand has long been accused of using forced labor in the cotton harvest they say thats no longer the case but taking pictures here is still prohibited. We wonder how carefully factory owners are monitoring compliance with labor laws. This new factory process is wrong cotton into thread the managers come from china the high tech equipment from germany built and run by the chinese with high tech equipment made in germany from Companies Recently bought out by the chinese only the workers and the cotton are from here. Already away. 3 we invested here because the cost for water electricity gas and wages is much lower in becky stan that in china. The room tiriel cotton is also a lot less expensive him. I usually say to me. China is buying high tech equipment from germany and cheap labor from spec a stand. China is also benefiting from tax breaks. But what about the end product. One in geo spec german forum for human rights claims that abuses are ongoing. The cotton is from stock its only from around here fortunately or where do you buy it from. Joyously georgia from the state trade center. It is that government sets the price you are sure. The chinese dont want to know more. The gone goes to factories to be manufactured into products made in china. Consumers wont be told where the cotton came from. Perhaps thats always been the case on the silk road. The value of the goods is what counts not where or how it was made. We continue onward to the bosphorus where asia ms and europe begins. The afternoon sun bass is temple in a golden light. The rider on pommel has said that istanbul is marked by a special melancholy a kind of hazy memory of last grander coupled with decay. 7 the last capital of the Ottoman Empire was a jewel on the ancient silk road the caravans arrived here filled with treasures that ended up in the citys palaces and bazaars. Candied fruit. Exotic fragrances. All of that and more can still be found that is then goes by so market. Lulay isnt intereste