(ECNS) -- Cheng Long, a man from Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, was inspired by the TV drama The Prince of Han Dynasty and the story of Zhang Qian's expedition to the Western Regions. The show sparked his dream of walking from Xi'an to Rome, connecting the two ancient capitals that once marked the eastern and western ends of the Silk Road.

To fulfill this dream, Cheng sold his car, took out a loan, and spent about 200,000 yuan ($27,000) on the two-year journey. Carrying a 35-kilogram backpack, he walked roughly 8,000 kilometers across 12 countries before finally reaching Rome last Wednesday. Standing outside the Colosseum, he wept for two hours.

Screenshot shows Cheng Long. (Photo from his Douyin account "Longxingzhe")

"Xi'an and Rome are both cities with long histories — one the ancient capital of the East, the other of the West," Cheng said. He added that an old saying goes, "In the east, Chang'an; in the west, Rome," and that he wanted to connect the two with his own feet.

Cheng began his journey in August 2023, reaching Hami City in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region by December. After undergoing surgery and resting at home, he resumed his trek in late February 2024. Over the following months, he crossed Xinjiang, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.

Returning to China in December 2024, Cheng applied for a Schengen visa and raised additional funds for the European leg of his trip. In March 2025, he set off again from Azerbaijan, walking through Georgia and Turkey. After a short stay in Egypt to renew his visa, he returned to Turkey and then continued from Athens, Greece, to Italy via ferry from Patras to Bari, walking about 550 kilometers to reach Rome.

When he arrived at the edge of Rome around 7 or 8 p.m., Cheng saw the old city walls and rows of plane trees. In that moment, he felt he was home, because Rome looked so much like Xi'an.

A longtime hiking enthusiast, Cheng first completed the Sichuan–Tibet route on foot in 2014.

(By Gong Weiwei)