Denise Keller and Adventurer Liam Bates Discover What Defines China's Ancient Silk Road Today, on EXPEDITION X: SILK ROAD RISING

          Denise Keller -- popular MTV VJ, TLC host, and explorer -- has unanswered questions about her heritage as German-Chinese and the relevance of her cross-cultural background in today's globalized world. Liam Bates is an adventurer seeking to decipher the mysteries of the Middle Kingdom and its impact on the world at large, especially the sometimes-forceful dialogues between Chinese civilization and the West over the ages. Converging on the cultural intersection between the civilizations, they embark on a personal quest together to discover just what defines the Silk Road today.

          Joined by young Chinese adventurers, Denise and Liam make their way across Xi'an, Ningxia, Turpan, Dunhuang, Kazakhstan and Istanbul, on this 13,000 km journey. They experience the historic grandeur of the Mogao Caves -- a UNESCO heritage site, check out the futuristic cities of Yinchuan in China and Astana in Kazakhstan, learn about the cutting edge rail systems that will make transport a breeze on the Silk Road, join a modern day convoy of adventurers in four-wheel drive vehicles, find out how China's 2000-year old Karez Canals are still in use today, and investigate how cultural exchange between the East and West is being kept alive in Istanbul.