The travelogue traced the ancient Silk Road from Chang'an (modern day Xi'an) to Rome covering the history, archaeology, culture, religion, and art of countries along the route.
During the visit, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai invited journalists and reporters for their support in introducing China to the rest of the world, which signalled the thaw of post-war Sino-Japanese relation.
The director proposed Silk Road could be the subject of a TV program to illustrate cultural exchange between China and the rest of the world.
The 12-part series covers segments of the Silk Road within the People's Republic of China from Xi'an up to the Chinese borders with Pakistan and the former Soviet Union.
The second series covers segments of the Silk Road outside China, in the Indian subcontinent, Central and Western Asia, Caucasus, Anatolia, until the crew reached Rome, Italy.
While the series makes frequent references to early Western explorers of the early 20th century like Sven Hedin, Aurel Stein and Pyotr Kozlov, as well as the legendary travels of Xuanzang, contemporary orientalists such as Inoue Yasushi, Ryōtarō Shiba, Chin Shunshin and Kato Kiyoshi participated in the series and provided expert consultation who also later published their own travelogues.
The 10-part series, according to the general director, takes a new approach to the subject, as it reveals many of the archaeological discoveries and relics that have not been disclosed to the public in previous documentaries.