"China was the starting point of the Silk Road, so how come you know less about the road than me?" asked Sobirov Shukhrat, a 19-year-old working at a hotel in Tashkent, after he discovered my insufficient knowledge of the hotel's historical decorations.
Premier Li Keqiang is to attend the East Asia leaders' meetings and pay an official visit to Brunei, Thailand and Vietnam from Oct 9 to 15.
His toughness in advancing complex reforms, as well as his social warmth and scholarly temperament have made him a major figure in China's political arena.