A man from Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, has fulfilled a remarkable two-year dream by walking over 8,000 kilometers across 12 countries to reach Rome, Italy—carrying a 35-kilogram backpack the entire way. According to the Yangcheng Evening News, Cheng Long embarked on this extraordinary trek inspired by the legendary Han Dynasty envoy Zhang Qian’s historic mission to the Western Regions.
Cheng’s inspiration stemmed from the ancient Silk Road, which links Xi’an—the eastern terminus of the historic trade route and a city steeped in history—to Rome, a 3,000-year-old cultural capital in the West. Determined to connect these two iconic cities on foot, he set out to traverse more than a dozen nations along the way.
His journey began in August 2023, and by December, he had reached Hami in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. However, health issues forced him to pause and return home for recovery. He resumed his trek in late February 2024. Over the next year, he walked through Xinjiang, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.
In March, he entered the Caucasus region, hiking over 400 kilometers from Azerbaijan into Georgia before continuing roughly 550 kilometers to Turkey. His European leg started in Athens, Greece, where he walked to the port city of Patras, took a ferry to Bari in Italy, and then covered another 550 kilometers on foot to reach Rome.
The journey was fraught with challenges: Cheng endured heatstroke in the desert, narrowly avoided a car accident, and even contracted COVID-19. Yet, he also encountered overwhelming kindness—from a Chinese expat in Kazakhstan who offered him shelter to a foreign police officer who requested a photo with him upon learning of his Silk Road pilgrimage.
After two grueling years, Cheng finally arrived in Rome on October 15. The expedition cost him approximately 200,000 yuan, during which he wore out five luggage carts and 19 pairs of shoes. Despite the hardships, he considers it a price worth paying. “A dream realized over two years is a treasure for a lifetime,”he said.
Overcome with emotion upon reaching his destination, Cheng found himself at a loss for words. Instead, he sat silently by the Colosseum and wept for two hours. Reflecting on his journey, he said he hopes to promote the Silk Road spirit in his own way. “Whether it’s the Turks or Greeks I’ve met, I’ll be satisfied knowing they’ll tell their friends about the Chinese man who walked here to follow the Silk Road,”he shared.
