The silk road could no longer be used because

After the great geographical discoveries in the late 15th – early 16th centuries the intercontinental overland trade routes fell into decay. The speed of the sea transportation, the possibility to carry more goods, relative cheapness of transportation resulted in the decline of the Silk Road in the end of the 15th century. Although some of its routes, especially those in the high-mountainous areas, connecting Tajikistan, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and India, existed until the beginning of the 20th century. 

During the civil war in China the destroyed Silk Road once again played a big role.

This is what i found on google “eightin 1997, the mccaughey septuplets were born in carlisle, iowa. multiple births of as many as eight babies have been born alive, the first set on record to the chukwu family in texas in 1998; one died and seven survived. in 2009, a second set, the suleman octuplets, were born in bellflower, california.” i was surprised about this . i don’t want to have that many babies .