Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c13.s3.t2.12

v2.c13.s3.t2.12

Magadha was not unfamiliar to ancient China. There are references to it in ‘*juan* 221 in the *Xin Tang Shu*’ (New History of the Tang), one of which goes: “The soil there was fertile and suitable for sowing and reaping. There was a different kind of rice, the grains were large and were supplied only to the king. The king lived in……Kusumapura …… In the 21ˢᵗ year of Zhenguan (647), they started to despatch envoys to meet the emperor and present pineapple and aspen. Emperor Taizong despatched envoys to learn the method of extracting sugar by heating. He despatched Wang Xuance to set up monuments in the Mahabodhi Temple.” The Chinese monks 'Faxian and Xuanzang' both used to come here for pilgrimage during their travels in India. Their experiences were recorded in their books, *The Biography of Faxian* and *On Xuanzang's Travels in India*.