For the past 28 years, a Chinese artist couple has traveled the silk road. They have devoted themselves to drawing out the beauty, broadness and rich culture of the silk road, its deserts and people. They have recently completed their 18th expedition of the ancient trade route and are deeply impressed by the changes along its path.

Sixty-nine-year old Zhao Yi Xiong and his 68-year old wife Geng Yu Kun have just completed another tour along the Silk Road. They departed from Dunhuang, across the renowned Lop-Nor dry basin and the Taklamakan desert, finally arriving in Xinjiang's Urmuqi. Their 400 paintings and sketches show the mysterious Dunhuang Grottos, the Gobi desert and the changes along the ancient Silk Road.

Mr. Zhou said, " I have witnessed the rapid development of this area over the past 20 years. Modern cities have emerged in this remote region. Twenty years ago, traveling across the 100-kilometer road took two days, now a modern road has been built it is a lot quicker.

Ten years ago both of them traveled across the Takalamakan desert. Nowadays, both of them are very impressed by the modern desert road.

Artist Geng Yukun said, "The road here is so good, its quality is close to the desert road standard of Oil rich Iran and Iraq"

For the past 28 years, the couple has traveled along the Silk Road, the Great Wall and the Yellow River, painting wherever they went. They have drawn more than 5,000 paintings and thousands of sketches on their travels.

In 1989, They drove themselves from Beijing to the Pamir Plateau, then across through India to the Iranian Plateau, on to Armenia finally arriving at "Da Qing" -- what the ancient Chinese called the Roman Empire.

From Japan to "Bayantium," the couple have traveled across the entire length of the Ancient Silk Road. Their paintings and notes have provided a wealth of material into the study of the Silk Road.

(CCTV.com July 21, 2003)