Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c10.s2.t17.16

v2.c10.s2.t17.16

In his *Literary Translation and Buddhist Texts* (1920), Liang Qichao, a modern Chinese scholar, pointed out, “In modern China, pure literature, such as novel and song is closely related to translated Buddhist texts.” He said, when reading Asvaghosa’s ‘*Buddhacarita*’, he felt “it is similar to Yuefu poetry, such as *Peacock Flies Southeast*.” He was of the opinion that, Chinese epics, such as ‘*Peacock Flies Southeast*’ and ‘*Mulan Ballad*’ might have been composed under the influence of ‘*Buddhacarita*’. Lu Kanru held a similar opinion, while Hu Shi thought that ‘*Peacock Flies Southeast*’ had a different origin rather than having anything to do with Buddhist texts.