COVER

It's a Whole New World (Summer Journey)

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

The West Is Red (Summer Journey | China)

China has revitalized its territory along the ancient Silk Road?to trade, to source oil, and to extend its reach westward

Cappuccino In Chinese (Summer Journey | Italy)

Immigrants from China are sparking both respect and resentment as they become the newest merchants of Venice

Keeping the Faith (Summer Journey | Israel)

A Muslim clan guards Christianity's holiest shrine

Waterway To the World (Summer Journey | The Malacca Strait)

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

Natural Healing (Summer Journey | India)

Will India succeed in bringing its ancient Ayurvedic plant medicines into the modern world?

A Soft Spot For Silk (Summer Journey | China)

China makes the mostbut no longer the bestsilk. Here's one man's quest to recover his nation's past glory

Adding a New Spice (Summer Journey | Zanzibar)

Zanzibar dreams of recovering its past glory

Back in the U.S.S.R. (Summer Journey | Uzbekistan)

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

Pulled by Two Tides (Summer Journey | Turkey)

In Istanbul, you go from East to West by crossing a bridge

The Holy Mountain (Summer Journey | Sri Lanka)

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

Noodling Together (Summer Journey | China)

Hong Kong is where Italy and China link up

The New El Dorado (Summer Journey | Mongolia)

Impoverished Mongolia is rich in untapped mineral wealth. But will the potential bonanza help or hurt the nation?

Return to Xanadu (Summer Journey | Essay)

The world today is not so different from the way it was in Marco Polo's time

To Our Readers (Summer Journey | To Our Readers)

A Voyage of Discovery

ASIA

How to Kill the Tiger

Ruthless poachers and lame preservation efforts threaten India's big cats with extinction

GLOBAL ADVISER

Jail Breaks (Check In)

Enterprising hoteliers have forged stylish hotels from Eastern European hoosegows

Bath Time (Day Tripper)

Take the waters in Britain's original spa town for the first time in 28 years

State of the Arts (Diversions)

A digital way to keep tabs on Tokyo's burgeoning art scene

BRIEFING

Research on Ice (Notebook)

New details of disgraced Korean geneticist Dr. Hwang Woo-suk's experiments emerge: cloned woolly mammoths, anyone?

Letters (Notebook)

Can Gitmo Be Fixed?