I really am passionate about connecting the dots along the spiral of time — the ideas and hinges that swing the door of history are fascinating to me.

Asia is my sandbox, and last year Israel was my home. Israel is a bridge between 3 continents, and Jerusalem is known to some as the navel of the universe. This is also a strategic location on the ancient Silk Road that connected the Old World through a series of land and maritime routes, with the exchange of spices, precious metals, pearls, ideas, faiths, science, technology, medicine, music…and silk.

Can you imagine the beautiful stuff being secreted by worms and spun by young ladies somewhere from behind the sun’s horizon, flowing across the land like Rapunzel’s magic golden locks, paving the way for the transfer of well-being, culture, people, and wealth?

In that day, beginning circa 130 CE, and running through the centuries until 1453 CE, the Chinese Han Dynasty enjoyed a special place of importance in the world. This era was eclipsed, among many events, by Columbus’ discovery of the Americas, the emergence of promise lying in the oblique mystery of the New World, where anything seemed possible.

So the nexus of power shifted from the East and the Old World, to the West and the New World.

Jerusalem is teeming with interesting people. One evening I sat with my Asian-American friend who is completing her graduate work at Hebrew University. She began to talk about growing up in Hong Kong, needing to speak not only English and Cantonese but Mandarin because of the strategic handover from the Brits to the Chinese in 1997. One dying empire tipped his hat to the one who willed to rise magnificently as a phoenix above the ashes. This is how China sees herself. She then proceeded to open up the topic of China’s hot off the press One Belt One Road initiative.

I had so many questions for this young woman who was a cultural and academic insider. Does China want to take over America if we don’t pay our debt? What is going on in the South China Sea? What do you mean ‘Belt and Road?’” She got all excited that someone showed interest in what looks to be a major topic of the next five years of her life — and maybe one of the most important initiatives of our generation.

She unfolded China’s vision to re-establish the Silk Roads — the northern, central, and southern routes, by building infrastructure: railroads, highways, power grids, hydro-electric plants, water purification plants, maritime trade…routes all across Eurasia.

It’s a huge 7 trillion dollar project, with a partner bank (AIIB) being founded so that the venture is not dependent on the West in any way for its funding system. But they are not against partnership with the West, or anti-capital, in fact they desire a free market flow. I asked about military take over and EMPs and some other things…and the face of Asia looked me in the eyes and said simply, like a Samurai princess, “The Chinese do not desire bloodshed, they simply want global dominion.”

There we sat sipping American orange juice on the Silk Road as the earth spun on its axis and the sun set in the West.