T. W. Chinas legendary silk road was one of the wonders of the ancient world now this trade route is being brought back to life of 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 radway lines harbors streets bridges and tunnels in 65 Different Countries its a project the likes of which the welt has never seen. Its a powerful vision and for many an inspiring one. For some it represents opportunity for others misery. China is reaching toward the west along the new. Krug we retraced 2 of these routes traveling from china to germany from the city of shenzhen to the city of 2 spoke. We traveled thousands of kilometers overland to central asia. And resale to thousands of kilometers across the oceans of 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 t. On 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 gave them a temporary respite. Here they found food and shelter and were able to Exchange Goods and information about the journey ahead. The markets of kyrgyzstan still bare traces of this history. Of. Baku back back to iraq 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. Full of those little piles of clothes this is the main trading season many come here from afar to make their purchases and then they bring the honor most to kazakhstan often causes them to be in the. Uk lubeck enjoys the bustle of the market after the silence of his home near the lake. But. Hes planning to buy a horse. And he knows exactly what hes looking for. A lot of the time not 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. And theyre intended for tourists who want to venture and a taste of the simple life. Is to a new way and at the most were not afraid of anything. So a lot has already improved here in the last 8 years that our standard of living is much higher now. In the. Good we did. The family hopes that money and affluence will come from the tourists who book overnight stays here and the chinese who have promised to invest on a grand scale. In india i believe the silk road still exists. Because the those values still exist so thats a fact. Every country can profit from cradle on the silk road this is a. 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 no mad games tradition still holds sway. And his master nor back are local celebrities. Back raised to the falcon and says its like a son to him but nor back needs the falcon every bit as much as the falcon. When i remove the hood. Spray and flies to capture it and used. It into it. Thats true or that it might 1st seem. Back lets talk an hour 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 he took gold. Nor back has promised to show his nephew some of the tricks of the trade. That. 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 gold we need clean water to the mountains earth its 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 cars a man with Chinese Investment. 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. So does everybody 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. 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. For them is that iraq. Its our land kyrgyzstan 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 that but. 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 a country has now gained 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 how good morning in chinese the teacher. 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 of. Our side i didnt have this opportunity to learn in my hometown learn chinese but they have so. We have. Our killed this really big good chinese there have Good Business to do with them this 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 off topic 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 the chinese on the pakistan market accept that because i can because of. What youre working for and china yeah that big must go to light about this. And. God knows 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 that you might put out to. The chinese maybe friends but theyre under guard on the construction sites and elsewhere in the city. Is a conflict zone where violence and terrorism are rife foreigners are especially at risk many locals regard them as invaders of not investors. We stand here is a very terrible. Towards the extent took place in tucson for sure we do the show 3 chinese engineers died in that attack shango our jong as a businessman and he knows that a lot at stake here for both countries the people cannot move freely. That their few flee the big giving. Exit to retrieve will be affected power on the other side please understand that the Government Army are responsible person this. Gen boy was sent here to turn quite dark into a transit hub china has signed a 40 year lease on the porch but its conditions are being kept largely out of public view we are not permitted to film on site where dar has a 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. For you. To feel grateful to see that i dont know whats in there scared of. You know that china. Is really a piece of our country. And it is. And you see we dont have any history of corruption to any country just. 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 i. And i think around 5000 people are going to come Chinese People are going to come but for this project i think maybe 802 like this it will work im for this. Its going to be like a little china town it just definitely is china. Yahia grew up in quite dark after studying in karachi he returned home for him the arrival of the chinese spells an opportunity. To visit a trip there to stay in mourning. But that is what it speaks definitely were walking in a new plan to your morning toward our future and theres a future god part of. That for me 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 falling further behind. And they feel deep resentment of those who are proclaiming the arrival of a new golden future of the world gripped by 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 no quality year money article. And theyre taking everything. Right our doesnt belong to us anymore theyve taken the ocean from us the land theres nothing left them like us have no work no think. The arrival of the chinese seems to a 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 the maritime route are way the risks just as they did centuries ago. Ships sent out from soar to Distant Shores turning into a trading empire ship go. Living also has a long history here but the wooden down but its a vanishing the lost power shipyard insua is run by the alligator me family that keeping the tradition alive down to the dance detail. For oil soaked cotton seals the gaps between plaques collets family have been building downs for generations. It is. Its in our blood and we passed it on to rock children god willing will continue doing this work for a long time. They build without a plan by 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 tradition. But. The. Old man has a rich history and thanks to all oil the country is wealthy today but only oil reserves are finite what will happen after theyre gone we continue through the desert pressing forward through the heat and sand. Finally we reach water in the very modern shipyard where at the dried dock in do 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 may different tell you see in. Europe she is from. Predict. If she has the. Way some of the fish have been the right course of for there and actually. Its nearby. Or. Maybe 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. A. Fairly fast sometimes youll feel them the out of fairness know what. But in that. They are but a bit of their program will. And then they have it bad there is no way to get there but it was. After that they were the start of us to see that area 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. At least there you can stream but frankly it is a real fire your very own bridges. Are just 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. He blew on we chinese are industrious people to see that thats not the case when it comes to our Foreign Workers to look out. For so that to be honest theyre a bit lazy. We seldom see the hoover the only true. Workers from all over the region have come to work you know mom used to low wages or home or a pile of old work force. Will you come from from bangladesh and you plant in your backyard and. Start a new york sun. Trust fund that is the money now this is. The man almost seem to be marching information theyll work under the brutal desert sun to bring chinas planned 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. I chile here are very important to understand the. Play is you not this Chinese Government puts the Chinese Companies that enterprises go on top of the continent for a white or the one belt one road one belt also known as the new silk road demand sacrifices from the chinese to we work here or half a year we have the one. We can call to our real family but we also know why did our family bring our family to here but no here no place maybe after one year we can bring over a farm in the family is to hear. 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 tionne Shan Mountains some are conned welcome the caravans with one of the wealthiest civilizations of central asia. The madrassas of samarkand are still overflowing with gold and ornate decorations. Were meeting one of these becca stands backers of the new silk road. By becky austin off speaks excellent german and will be our translator into our guide tonight hes serving cloth peel off the traditional feast. The silk road didnt only transport ideas it also disseminated ideas and recipes for prof because when people from spain come to his back his fans are served proff they say oh this is spanish crimea is how you know. Plus is traditionally eaten with the fingers not so easy for a left hander. You know mother traditionally we eat our food with our right hand because. I should have known. Everywhere in samarra conn there are signs of how far west we ventured. The influence of ancient persia is also visible everywhere 7. Beca stand was once the center of an empire. 7 in the 12th and 13th centuries culture and scholarship flourished here. Timor also known as tom alain was a great patron of art and culture and a brutal tyrant. His tomb is still an object of veneration. Boy beck has taken us to the bazaar of book. A place filled with Hidden Treasures from old sock on. He picks up a small dusty binder almost at random. And dinah hunt 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. To do this is all to prove for them this is just old plunder for me its history each item tells a beautiful story from the days of the old silk road just and its this is one of the oldest books according to our modern day calendar is from the 17th century. 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 for the. Most when the scene organising. 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 rock 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. The railway. Free we invested here because the cost for water electricity gas and wages is much lower in speculate on that in china. You know the room tiriel cotton is also a lot less expensive him. I usually say to me you. China is buying high tech equipment from germany and cheap labor from stan. 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. Their cotton is from is based on its own from around here there fortunately or where do you buy it from. Joyride georgia from the state trade center in that respect government sets the price you know why dont you. 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 babes in stand bull 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 renter coupled with the k. 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 in istanbul spice market. Lulay isnt interested in that right now. Shes a natural optimist but today is putting a dent in that. She runs a shop in the asian market nearby. Business isnt going well after a few hours a customer buys something she ordered from china. Since the start of the economic crisis and the collapse of the turkish lira. Everythings changed. So. I used to have customers lining up to get in and lines at the Cash Register people would hurry to pay theyd get here early to be 1st in the door those were the days now days hours can go by without a customer sounds and. Make cool. You lay still has a boat from the days when business was booming element but perhaps shes been in istanbul long enough to have acquired some of the citys melancholy of its memory of better days. The chinese who come to the city today are brimming with optimism their vision of the future extends well past istanbul and into the heart of europe. Theyre not interested in souvenirs theyre planning a high speed rail corridor through the balkans that will help open the door to chinese goods and influence. We are on the outskirts of belgrade but it almost feels like china. Employees of the China Railway company are standing at attention. With the hope for the state owned company this is the flagship project even though theyve been avoiding publicity. Why are they building a new high speed rail link between belgrade and budapest. We chinese have a great deal of experience when it comes to modernizing old rail lines you will observe local rules and standards here as well as e. U. Regulations thats the normal process we follow on any construction project that i can click on to do what. Its apparent that who young john is choosing his words carefully. And this construction site is one of the most unusual weve encountered on our journey. A single excavator is clearing the old Railway Track bed in front of a watching crowd of chinese. But perhaps today is giving a mistaken impression. This construction site is supposed to be chinas gateway to the heart of europe. We continue onward to hungary. Our train isnt a high speed link yet. Why is china moving toward europe what will it mean for its citizens and why is the Railway Project so expensive. We have an appointment with someone who has been studying the project for quite some time. More than a 1000000000 euro for such a long stretch seems rather high doesnt it the sun be a real slap loose on the suitors new to build the new tools are needed for jeez its a very very simple as the river i mean from the engineer who funded he says indeed super expensive the new building found religion old research on. The projects model is a familiar one chinese banks are making loans in Chinese Companies are doing the building others will be left with the bill therefore there is still a little is a familiar one chinese banks are making loans in Chinese Companies are doing the building others will be left with the bill therefore the interest of the underoos so late in the old just a little more on his side with the child listening to you repeat from the sunday times of this is a win win situation its actually nice to channelise to watch. The solution to. These concerns dont seem to worry hungarys government while europe appears mired in self doubt admiration for the chinese system is growing the chinese way of business may be ruthless and antidemocratic but it gets results quickly this model is now making inroads in europe travelling along the new silk road. We now passed through the suez canal to reach europe by the maritime bridge many cities in europe a vying to become the next gateway for the new silk road ma say in the south of france stands a good chance. To move. We arrive at a village near the port a chinese village built out of containers on the edge of ma say. I. Ma Say InternationalFashion Center is a center for textile wholesalers who deal in fashions made in asia. Madame chong is a wholesaler who occupies one of the containers she sends her wares to shops across france while the country may be famous for. Shes doing a booming business weve got a lot of that stuff. Yesterday comma and real magician up everything todays made in china from the Big Companies to the luxor relabels its all made there and sent here nothings made in france and you know. We work hard and were proud of that the entire world knows that the chinese are industrious and hard workers and our quality is improving all the time. If they still work for what the chinese arent clock watches. Europe is hungry for fashionable clothing at low prices china is thirsty for expensive wine. I dont make the one i enjoy the one of the big part of a big part of working in wine is you do need the Business Aspect thats very important for Decision Making but also its it is an art it is an appreciation of lifestyle and if you can never forget that or else it becomes a little too. That you lose the magic. The magic of wine brought howard kwok to bordeaux 10000 kilometers from. The vineyard here belongs to him as does the wine hes the youngest child of an entrepreneur based in hong kong the family has been snapping up wineries in Southwestern France for years that latest acquisition is chateau bed foam bed ca and his state that includes almost 14 had 10 so finds. Its magnificent weve noticed this properties as 2010 every time we drive by we look at you know its you know its only a phone but now where its our turn since 2015 we thought one almost every year 151617 of at this moment we want to or we need to. Restore and clean up the existing properties we have that would be our number one goal and what i think building our brand as well once thats done i think i think all is possible were willing to consider a consider a more offers and. We go to the market its a center of commerce and of local call center when it comes to the topic of the chinese presence in bordeaux many here have strong opinions on global warming. Generally schoo of which its turbo it will be trying to use a rubber. Where you are chateau are wine. Of the what would you say in germany are favored by the Brandenburg Gate a few people noted on. The pic. De dooper 2 years son came here 12 years ago france is now home but she doesnt feel like she completely belongs here. Still she takes that in her stride officer says anomalous enough its understandable the french dont know us were strangers the chinese have a warm heart but were a bit reserved. Chinese people tend to stick to their own kind im different im married to a frenchman and speak the language that makes it easier watch this up there while on the. Plane i doubt. If i use how well. For a husband fabrice tries his hand at some chinese. But dale ends up translating. The group are students and knowledge of the science of wine and winemaking. Are you there here to learn about french wine making china or is importing knowledge not just wine. General your enough cheeky so the Chinese Market has grown more diverse over the years for example china is a key importer of sweet white wines which we make here out of our late harvest in our sales figures for these products our story and the Chinese Market is clearly the driving force behind that. The locomotive the 2 says it is morning edition what is new here. I care a lot about this business and the wine is perfect not just sweet but with an interesting aroma perfect for chinese who are just learning to enjoy wine. I saw. A couple have bridged the gap between china and france personally and professionally so whos the driving force behind the business side of things. A chinese proverb says men are in charge of the big business was women handle the details but 90 percent of my physically details sounded like. So there you have it. At times the new silk road ends up in rather unexpected places. After thousands of kilometers over land and sea we finally end up in do support a city in germanys industrial heartland that has seen its fortunes decline now its on the map again do spork is home to europes largest inland port thanks to china its fast becoming europes main logistics hub. And china is also acquiring stakes in german companies. The harbor c. E. O. Eric shaka sees both risks and opportunities. Its not right then our companies can acquire more than a 50 percent share in Chinese Companies but the chinese can purchase 100 percent of european companies. So im critical or worried. In the end its a political question especially for europe. Politics and the new silk road has made promises of prosperity and growth to many people. But chinas ambitions and the speed at which it is moving forward also pose risks that doubts will be ignored traditions will be cast aside and that many will simply be left behind. The new silk road is a project with global ambitions and its impact will be felt around the world. Quality technology. Where. Technology with no frills at affordable prices. From electric pick ups. To glasses. Will show you how. Are. You going to be w. Showing up today dont miss our highlights. Program online d. W. Dot com highlights. And theres. A. You know this is your 5 minute 4 minute. Has an hour and beauty combined its having all. The features pantheon of the great tennis certainly hes one for the ages. July 10th on. The be. Above. This is the news coming to you live from berlin its all changing greece conservative opposition in egypt could have cost me to talk is streets to victory in the elections promising fewer taxes and more jobs but can he really brings better days for ordinary creeks we go live to athens also coming up germanys deutsche of bonds thomas implemented want the most radical restructuring plans in its history it involves the music direction for the lead