Two thousand miles across China by steam train, road and even camel. That s the journey John Craven makes as he follows the fabled Silk Route from the Heavenly Mountains, across the Gobi Desert, to the recently discovered tombs of the terracotta warriors.

In the first visit to China by Children's Television, John goes to places which have been banned to western visitors since the country became communist in 1949. Along the way, he meets some of the people who make up the world's largest nation.