Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c4.s2.87

v1.c4.s2.87

According to *Fo Zu Tong Ji* (*A General History of Chinese Buddhism*), from 972 to 1053 CE, some Indian monks came to China to translate and preach *sutras*, but no more came thereafter. Meanwhile, the saga of Chinese monks’ westward pilgrimage was nearing an end. As recorded in the Volume 43 of *Fo Zu Tong Ji*, in 966 CE, Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty arranged for 157 pilgrims to be sent to India. This was the last officially sponsored pilgrimage. A century later, Fan Chengda (1126～1193) wrote *Wu Chuan Ji* on the basis of available information and recorded the journey of one of these pilgrims, Jiye. Jiye returned to China in 976, but even later, other pilgrims came back from or went to India, indicating that travel then was quite convenient. However, in the 11^th century CE, with the Muslim invasion of India, Buddhism there declined and during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty (1023 - 1063), pilgrimages from China to India, that had lasted six centuries, virtually ceased. In Tibet, however, these activities still continued.