Along with the trade of numerous goods, travelers along the Silk Road, spread Buddhism from India, where it originated, through Central Asia and into China. Chinese were first introduced to Buddhism in the first century, when Indian monks were invited to the imperial court, but it would take hundreds of years to become popular.

In contrast to Confucianism’s emphasis on social responsibility and harmony, Buddhism offered an individual path to spiritual rebirth. By the year 700, Chinese began to create their own schools of Buddhist teaching, such as the Chan (Zen) or meditation school. Chan would become the most popular form of Buddhism in China, Korea and Japan.

In the year 629, a monk named Xuanzang, secretly left the Tang capital of Chang’an on a pilgrimage to India to obtain a complete set of Buddhist scriptures. Sixteen years and nearly 3000 miles later, Xuanzang returned to China, bringing with him 657 books in 520 cases. These hand-written texts, along with Buddhist relics, gifts of gold and silver, textiles, and sculpture carved in sandalwood, were paraded through the streets of Chang’an in a royal celebration.

The T’ang Emperor (Taizong), who initially forbade the mission, now embraced the courageous monk and eagerly sought information on the geography, climate, foods, peoples and customs in the territories to the west. The Emperor asked Xuanzang to write a full account of his journey, kingdom by kingdom. The result is one of the earliest travelogues in world history. In return, the Emperor supported construction of a tall pagoda to house the acquired treasures. Xuanzang’s journey had a major impact on the Tang expansion of trade routes throughout Central Asia.