Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c10.s3.t5.5

v2.c10.s3.t5.5

In Ming Dynasty, Zhenghe had been to India during his expeditions. This fiction is based on books such as *Yingya Shenglan* (*The General Survey of the Ocean Shores*) and *Xingcha Shenglan* (*The Overall Survey of the Star Raft*), with some of its contents directly taken from these historical records, and customs and conditions along the Indian coast being mentioned. Many parts are related to Buddhism and reflect the influence of India. The writer is quite familiar with Buddhism, and uses many Buddhist terms and tales and doctrines. It also has a structure similar to that of ancient Indian folk stories, that is, a main story, which follows the line of Zheng He's expeditions, is interwoven with a number of stories. Some plot has an Indian tint, and is mainly connected with tales of Buddha, Jataka stories, magic power, metaphor and myth in Buddhist texts.