The Belt and Road is China's most ambitious initiative, and also an ambitious part of my travels for work.

From India to Greece, from Turkey to the Netherlands, following the footsteps of builders and traders, I saw what connectivity means for the rich and the poor, what trade brought to the East and the West.

Asia is not just a name any more; it is the face, the fortune and the future of a common community.

Boao, I roamed the streets of this small town. It was once a small fishing village, where the locals, speaking in different dialects, traded the catch of the day and other groceries. Now it has become a resort town of conventions, where the best minds of the world talk about the future of the planet. That is globalization at work. I also heard a legend about Boao. It literally means taming an evil animal in a geography that is unique; nine rivers converging before reaching the sea. The legend itself is no big deal. There are similar stories almost everywhere in China. What stands out is that it has a modern reincarnation.