THE earth had no roads to begin with,but when many men pass one way,a road is made.“This quote from Lu Xun,a leading figure of modern Chinese literature,describes the legendary history of the ancient Silk Road from one angle.For the Chinese,historical figures such as Zhang Qian and Ban Chao who served as envoys to the Western Regions are household names.But the Chinese are also very familiar with an envoy from the West,Marco Polo,who set THE earth had no roads to begin with, but when many men pass one way, a road is made. ”This quote from Lu Xun, a leading figure of modern Chinese literature, describes the legendary history of the ancient Silk Road from one angle For the Chinese, historical figures such as Zhang Qian and Ban Chao who served as envoys to the Western Regions are household names.But the Chinese are also very familiar with an envoy from the West, Marco Polo, who set