• Summer Journey: It's a Whole New World
More than 700 years after the Venetian trader Marco Polo set out on his epic odyssey, East and West are dancing a tango that will change forever the way we live

• Essay: A Revolutionary from Venice
Marco Polo's travels changed forever the way Europe beheld Asia

• China: The West Is Red
China has revitalized its territory along the ancient Silk Road—to trade, to source oil, and to extend its reach westward

• Italy: Cappuccino In Chinese
Immigrants from China are sparking both respect and resentment as they become the newest merchants of Venice

• Israel: Keeping the Faith
A Muslim clan guards Christianity's holiest shrine

• The Malacca Strait: Waterway To the World
Modern trade, ancient traditions and lawless habits collide in the planet's most crucial choke point: the Malacca Strait

• India: Natural Healing
Will India succeed in bringing its ancient Ayurvedic plant medicines into the modern world?

• China: A Soft Spot For Silk
China makes the most—but no longer the best—silk. Here's one man's quest to recover his nation's past glory

• Zanzibar: Adding a New Spice
Zanzibar dreams of recovering its past glory

• Uzbekistan: Back in the U.S.S.R.
The collapse of the Soviet Union liberated many of its republics. But Uzbekistan is still ruled by fear. Here's a rare glimpse into a forgotten police state

• Turkey: Pulled by Two Tides
In Istanbul, you go from East to West by crossing a bridge

• Sri Lanka: The Holy Mountain
A place that is sacred, at the heart of a nation that constantly witnesses savage violence. Sorrowful yet sunlit, Sri Lanka may be the world's most conflicted land

• China: Noodling Together
Hong Kong is where Italy and China link up

• Mongolia: The New El Dorado
Impoverished Mongolia is rich in untapped mineral wealth. But will the potential bonanza help or hurt the nation?

• Essay: Return to Xanadu
The world today is not so different from the way it was in Marco Polo's time

• To Our Readers: A Voyage of Discovery