Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c5.s1.13

v1.c5.s1.13

During the 4ᵗʰ and 5ᵗʰ century CE, there were both government envoys and merchants plying this route, the Yunnan-Burma overland route and the South China Sea route. Among the large number of Indian monks in China, some came together with the trade caravans via the Western Regions route, while others came in merchant ships by sea. For example, Faxian, who travelled by the overland Western Regions route when he went to India, took the sea route on-board a merchant ship when he came back.