Xuanzang, Chinese monk and traveller

Great Lives

BBC

Documentary, History, Society & Culture

4.2 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 29 September 2020

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

It was an extraordinary journey, and a life that reads like a fairy tale. Xuanzang was born at the start of the seventh century in China. He studied as a monk and travelled for 16 years - first westwards, and then in a crescent back and down over the Himalayas to India . He returned a famous man, laden with Buddhists texts and artefacts. Historian Michael Wood has followed much of his route; he first discovered Xuanzang at university and became intrigued about his life. "I'm tempted to say this is one of the greatest lives in all the civilisations of the world," says Michael.

Joining him in discussion is Frances Wood and the presenter Matthew Parris.

The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde

Transcript

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0:31.4	BBC Sounds. B. C Sounds, music radio podcasts.
0:37.0	In nearly 500 episodes of this program,
0:41.0	we've only been to China a couple of times. Luckily we're off there
0:45.2	again today and we're heading a long way back in time as well to the beginning of
0:50.0	the seventh century when a young monk crossed over the Himalayas to India.
0:55.0	16 years later he came back laden with Buddhist texts and artifacts that many claim would change China forever. His name was Schwann-Zang and he's our
1:06.1	great life today. Travelling with us on this journey is the historian Michael Wood who's
1:12.1	done much of that journey himself.
1:14.4	Tell us about this man Michael or this monk I should say.
1:17.8	Well it's a story that is as fabulous as a fairy tale. I first encountered it at university actually when a friend who was studying Chinese
1:27.2	gave me a book about him by the great translator Arthur Whaley, this overland journey, the bringing back of the texts, gathering a team
1:37.2	to translate the wisdom of Buddhist India, if you like, and initiating a cultural movement that spread Buddhist culture to East Asia, Korea, Japan,
1:48.1	altered China forever.
1:49.8	Maybe not only the culture of China China but the soul of China.
	...

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