So when President Xi Jinping launched his “New Silk Road” initiative in 2013, no one should have been surprised by the historical reference. “More than two millennia ago,” explains China’s National Development and Reform Commission, “the diligent and courageous people of Eurasia explored and opened up several routes of trade and cultural exchanges that linked the major civilisations of Asia, Europe, and Africa, collectively called the Silk Road by later generations.”
因此，当中国国家主席习近平2013年发起他的“新丝绸之路”时，你不必为其历史参照感到震惊。“两千多年前，”中国发改委解释说，“勤劳勇敢的欧亚大陆人民探索和开发了多条连接亚洲、欧洲和非洲的贸易和文化交流通道，被后人统称为丝绸之路。”在中国，古老的历史常常被新新思维所用。