The author of "Buddha Kingdom" is Faxian of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It was written in the twelfth year of Yixi (416).
"Buddha Kingdom" is a volume with a total text of 13,980 words, all describing the author's travel experiences from 399 to 413 AD. The genre is a typical travelogue, and it is also a Buddhist topography work. This book describes how Faxian and his companions made their fortune in Chang'an, crossed the Shahe River (also known as Liusha, referring to the desert from the west of Dunhuang to Ruoqiang County in Xinjiang), crossed the Congling Mountains (referring to the Karakoram Mountains), and went through hardships to reach Northern Tianzhu. , then traveled around West Tianzhu, Central Tianzhu, East Tianzhu, and finally returned from the sea to the entire journey and what he saw. The thirty-two kingdoms recorded are, in order: Qiangui, Kuntan (the last two kingdoms are between Chang'an and Dunhuang, respectively the Western Qin and Southern Liang among the sixteen northern kingdoms), Shanshan, Yanyi, and Khotan . Naja, Rayi, Banna, Vida (the above ten kingdoms are the northern Tianzhu and western Tianzhu kingdoms, which are located in the northwest of present-day Kashmir, northern Pakistan, eastern Afghanistan and northern India), Motura, Sanghashi, Shazhida, Kosala, Rammo, Vaisali, Magadhi, Kashi, Kosuimi, Dharma, Zhanbo, and Tamalidi (the twelve kingdoms above are the kingdoms of Central India, East India, and Great Some are in present-day India, and some are in southern Nepal), Shizi, and Yapati (the above two countries are passed through on the way back). Among them, the Da □ country represents what the author has heard and seen, and the remaining thirty-one countries have been visited by the author during his travels. In addition, there are some cities that do not have national names, such as Guraoyi City, Kaweilaoyi City, Kuyi Najia City, etc. The book not only briefly records Faxian's travel route, stay and main activities in Tianzhu, but also truly describes the historical conditions of the Asian countries he visited and my country's Xinjiang region in the early fifth century AD, such as mileage, direction, Mountains and rivers, climate, population, language, customs, products, politics, religion, etc., especially Buddhist temples, relics, number of monks and nuns, teachings practiced, and numerous Buddhist legends. It is the earliest record of the Han people's land route from Chang'an to India via the Western Regions, and the sea route from India to China. Since the ancient countries in the Western Regions described in the book have long since perished and few records remain, this book has become a rare treasure for studying the historical changes of these ancient countries, and has therefore been highly valued by Chinese and foreign scholars. Since the 19th century, it has been translated into French, English, Japanese, etc., and a number of works specializing in this book have appeared.
Faxian was a monk from the Eastern Jin Dynasty in China and the first recorded Chinese in Chinese history to arrive in India. The most outstanding and accomplished Buddhist Buddhist monks in Chinese history include Faxian, Xuanzang and Yijing, among whom Faxian is the oldest. "Faxian's Biography" is Faxian's only work and was written shortly after he returned to China. Most of Faxian's deeds that are known today depend on this book. However, the value of this book is not limited to recording Faxian's personal experience. More importantly, it is the earliest Chinese record of Central Asia 1,560 years ago based on on-the-ground experience and what they saw and heard. , a masterpiece of the history, geography, and religion of South Asia and, in part, Southeast Asia. At the same time, no one else in the world had a similar experience to Faxian or wrote a similar book. Therefore, "Faxian Biography" has its special status and value, which is unique and irreplaceable.