2008-09-27 Picture of the former Silk Road Route

The London based author, Colin Thubron, travelled through China, Central Asia, northern Afghanistan, Western Asia, and reached the capital of Silk Road, Antakya (Anoioch) in 8 months. He travelled with donkey, camels, third-class trains, buses, and jeep.

He describes an abundance of fascinating accounts in relation to those countries' history, politics, commerce, industry, and the history of the Silk Road. Having visited many relatively unknown parts of these countries and discovered a series of the factual events, he conveys a number of untold stories of kings, aristocrats, and landowners. The descriptions include the dramatic change of Xian between the beginning of the 1980s and 2000, a number of half-constructed or largely decayed villages, displaced communities following the pollution and disasters throughout China.

Colin Thubron clearly gives the local people's feelings, emotions, and struggles, that have been caused by the corrupt governments and totally disorganised bureaucracies. It is wonderfully written description of the Silk Road route in modern time.