In Xuanzang's Footsteps: From Xi'an to Samarkand and Termez

Can you follow Xuanzang's Silk Road route through Uzbekistan today? Yes: the monk of Journey to the West fame crossed the lands of Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Termez in the 7th century, and Chinese travellers can now fly direct from Xi'an or Shanghai to Tashkent and enter Uzbekistan visa-free for up to 30 days.

Picture a lone monk leaving Chang'an, the city we now call Xi'an, around the year 629. Ahead of him lie deserts, the Tian Shan and the warring Turkic chieftains of Central Asia. Behind him is an emperor who never gave him permission to go. Thirteen centuries later, his footsteps still lead to turquoise domes, Buddhist ruins on the banks of the Amu Darya and caravan cities where the Silk Road feels alive. This is the journey Chinese travellers are now rediscovering in Uzbekistan.

Xuanzang in Uzbekistan: the real "Journey to the West"

Xuanzang's pilgrimage to India lasted from about 629 to 645. On his return he dictated his travels to his disciple Bianji, and the result, the Great Tang Records on the Western Regions (大唐西域记), was compiled in 646. The book describes 110 countries, regions and city-states, including lands that are today part of Uzbekistan, and centuries later it inspired the Ming-dynasty novel Journey to the West.

According to his biographers, after crossing the Tian Shan and meeting the khagan of the Western Turks, Xuanzang continued to Tashkent and then crossed the "countries" of Samarkand and Bukhara before turning south towards Tukhara. He described monasteries, Buddha footprints and cities beside rivers and lakes, separated by vast empty steppe with little water or grass. Walking through Samarkand today, between the Registan and the old Sogdian city of Afrasiyab, you are standing on the same crossroads he described.

Termez: Buddhist Uzbekistan on the Amu Darya

The most moving stop for many Chinese visitors is Termez, in the far south of Uzbekistan. Xuanzang recorded that Termez had "about ten sangharamas with about one thousand monks", and that its stupas and Buddha images were known for spiritual manifestations. The ruins are still there.

Fayaz Tepe, about 15 km west of Termez, is a Buddhist monastery whose foundations date to the 1st century CE, with a peak of activity in the 3rd and 4th centuries under the Kushans. Its reconstructed stupa rises from the plain, and finds from the site include a famous image of the Buddha with monks. Nearby Kara Tepe, another monastery complex in Old Termez, is the source, together with Fayaz Tepe, of most known Kushan-era inscriptions in the area. In the city, the Archaeological Museum of Termez displays wall paintings, sculptures and coins from the Graeco-Bactrian and Kushan periods.

For a Chinese family, a Buddhist culture tour of Uzbekistan is not an exotic detour; it is a return to a story learned in childhood, from the Monkey King to the real monk who walked this road.

Uzbekistan travel from China: direct flights and 30 days visa-free

Getting here has never been easier. Since 1 June 2025, citizens of China and Uzbekistan can visit each other without a visa for up to 30 days per trip (and no more than 90 days in any 180-day period). China Eastern Airlines launched Xi'an–Tashkent flights in July 2025, so you can literally start where Xuanzang started. Since 30 March 2026 the airline has also flown Shanghai–Tashkent four times a week, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with a flight time of about eight hours.

Chinese travellers have noticed. Official figures from Uzbekistan's Tourism Committee show that from January to September 2026 the country welcomed 10.3 million foreign visitors, and arrivals from China grew 2.1 times compared with the same period a year earlier, the strongest growth of any market.

A Xuanzang Silk Road itinerary for Chinese travellers

A classic 8–10 day route can trace the monk's path in comfort:

• Tashkent – arrival from Xi'an or Shanghai, the old city and Chorsu bazaar.
• Samarkand – the Registan, Shah-i-Zinda and the Afrasiyab museum of Sogdian history.
• Bukhara – a living caravan city of madrasas, trading domes and teahouses.
• Termez – Fayaz Tepe, Kara Tepe and the Archaeological Museum, the Buddhist heart of the journey.

GoUzbekistan is a licensed tour operator with offices in Tashkent and Bukhara, operating since 2007. We arrange licensed guides (ask us about language options), hotels, domestic transport and private transfers, and build the route around your dates. Start with our historical tour through Uzbekistan or Hidden Gems of Uzbekistan, then create your own custom tour or explore our tours. Contact us on WhatsApp at +998 93 963-00-00 or info@gouzbekistan.com.

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