Faxian's Record of Buddhist Kingdoms (Foguoji)
Registro de los reinos budistas de Faxian (Foguoji)
- Date
- 414 (viaje de 399-412) · confidence medium
- Place
- Jiankang (Nanjing), Jiangsu, China
- Credited to
- Faxian
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
What was discovered
Account of the monk who travelled from Chang'an to India via Central Asia and returned by sea from Sri Lanka. It describes routes, kingdoms, cities and customs, and is one of the earliest sources on South Asia.
The journey took place between 399 and 412 and the text was written around 414-416; Jiankang is the most likely place of writing.
What it led to
- Chinese knowledge of Central Asia, India and Sri Lanka
- a model for the accounts of Xuanzang and other pilgrims