In 629, the monk Xuanzang secretly departed the Tang capital, Chang’an, because travel abroad was restricted and he could not obtain permission. He left to resolve disagreements he saw in Chinese Buddhist texts by studying the teachings in India and collecting authoritative Sanskrit scriptures. His decision set a major religious and cultural exchange in motion along Silk Road routes.
After leaving Chang’an, Xuanzang traveled through the “Western Regions” (Central Asia), moving between oasis states that supported caravan travel. These stops provided food, guides, and political permissions that made long-distance overland travel possible. His route also positioned him to gather first-hand geographic and cultural information later used in his written record.
Xuanzang arrived in India in 633 after a long overland journey through Central Asia and across mountain passes into the subcontinent. Reaching India mattered because it gave him access to major Buddhist pilgrimage sites and to centers of learning where scriptures were studied in their original language. This arrival marked the shift from travel to deep study and collection.
In India, Xuanzang spent the major portion of his time at Nalanda, a leading Buddhist center of learning. There he strengthened his Sanskrit and studied Buddhist philosophy and Indian thought in a rigorous scholastic setting. This training prepared him to translate complex texts accurately when he returned to China.
As Xuanzang’s scholarly reputation spread, he drew the attention of powerful patrons, including King Harsha of North India. Royal support reduced travel risks and helped him move across regions more safely, while public debates and lectures increased his standing among Buddhist communities. These networks later helped legitimize his learning back in Tang China.
Xuanzang began his return to China in 643, supported by the prestige he had gained in India. He carried a major collection of Buddhist materials, traditionally counted as 657 Sanskrit texts, along with images and relics. Transporting this library across long distances was a logistical achievement and a key reason his later translation work could be so extensive.
Xuanzang returned to Chang’an in 645 and received an enthusiastic public welcome and an imperial audience with Emperor Taizong. Although he had left without permission, the court treated his journey as a valuable source of knowledge about foreign lands and Buddhism. This political acceptance enabled him to work under state protection rather than as a criminal exile.
After 645, Xuanzang organized a translation team in Chang’an under imperial patronage. Working with other learned monks, he began systematically turning Sanskrit Buddhist scriptures into Chinese, aiming for accuracy and completeness. This bureau made large parts of Indian Buddhist learning accessible to East Asian readers and set translation standards for later centuries.
At Emperor Taizong’s request, Xuanzang dictated an account of the regions he had visited, which was compiled in 646 as the Da Tang Xiyu Ji (Great Tang Records on the Western Regions). The work preserved detailed observations on geography, politics, and religious life across Central and South Asia. It became a major historical source for understanding the Silk Road world of the 7th century.
In 648, Daci’en Temple in Chang’an was established and became closely linked to Xuanzang’s translation activity. Temple-based translation sites provided space, staff, and a controlled setting for careful work with manuscripts and terminology. This institutional support helped turn a single traveler’s collection into texts that could be taught and copied widely.
In 652, the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda was built at Daci’en Temple in Chang’an. One key function was to house and protect Buddhist materials brought back from India, supporting ongoing study and translation. The structure also became a public symbol of Silk Road religious exchange under the Tang.
From 645 until his death, Xuanzang produced a large body of Chinese translations—often summarized as 75 works in 1,300+ fascicles—bringing major Indian Buddhist texts into wider use. His translations supported the development of Yogācāra (often called the “Consciousness-Only” tradition in East Asia) and influenced later schools in China and Japan. By the early 660s, his work had become a lasting foundation for Buddhist scholarship in the region.
Xuanzang died in 664, closing the main phase of the translation project he had led since returning to Chang’an. By that point, his travel record and translations had linked Tang China more tightly to Central and South Asian Buddhist learning. His legacy endured through the texts he produced and the institutions—teams, temples, and libraries—that formed around his work.
Xuanzang's pilgrimage, study in India, and translation work (629–645 CE)