Xi Jinping, affectionately called "Xi Dada" (Uncle Xi), is probably the most powerful and influential president to govern the People's Republic of China since the great leader, Mao Zedong. His personal credo, the Great Renaissance of the Chinese Nation – the Chinese Dream (中国梦) has dominated his political agenda for the past three years. Since taking power in November 2012, Xi has forcefully driven a network of investments in megalomaniacal infrastructure, alluding to the old Silk Road that united Asia with Europe. The initiative, known popularly as “One Belt, One Road” (一带一路), appears to be a key instrument in achieving the Chinese Dream: restoring and legitimising the re-emergence of China as a world power and once and for all overcoming the nightmares experienced after the Opium Wars of the 19th century and their resulting humiliations by the European colonial powers. #china #beltandroadinitiative #europe #dream #megaprojects #trade