Visitors with pottery figurines of Sodgian merchants at a Silk Road exhibitin in Chengdu in 2017. [Photo by Wang Huan/China Daily]

In his Government Work Report delivered on March 5, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pledged the country's continued support to the grand plan. China will continue building major international corridors and deepen cooperation on streamlining customs clearance in markets related with the Belt and Road Initiative, he said.

In a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, early last year, Xi made a powerful call to all participants.

"We should unite and rise to the challenge. History is created by the brave."

Zhang Qian, who first opened the route at the risk to his life, knew all about it. In 166, near three centuries after the death of the explorer in 114 BC, the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius sent the empire's first official envoy to China.