Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c14.s4.t7: LI Yibiao
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c14.s4.t7
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LI Yibiao
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Li Yibiao is a very important person in the India-China exchange history during the first half of the
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*Vulture Peak in Rajgir, India*
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7ᵗʰ century. He served as a leading envoy in India for more than a year, dramatically promoting the political and cultural communications between India and China.
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In March of lunar calendar, Zhenguan 17ᵗʰ year of Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong dispatched Li Yibiao to serve as an envoy to India and Wang Xuance, leader of Huangshui County in Rongzhou as vice commissioner, who led a delegation of 20 people to escort the Indian envoy and his attendants back to their country. In December of lunar calendar (early 644 CE) of that year, they arrived in Magadha. Moreover, there were other persons like Shi Weicai, who was once responsible for the inscription on the Dajue Temple Stone Tablet and Song Fazhi, a craftsman. They decided to start a trip back to Tang after February 11ᵗʰ of lunar calendar, 645 CE, which was more than a year after their arrival. This was the second time that envoys sent by Emperor Taizong arrived in India, and also the most important India-China diplomatic event in the period of the reign of Emperor Taizong, which lasted for a very long time with an abundance of valuable historical materials left for later generations.
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According to volume 198 of *Old books of Tang*, and Volume 221 of *New Book of Tang*, the envoy reached the Xia kingdom presenting the king and his monks several thousand pieces of silk damask and other gifts. Li Yibiao passed through Nepāla (now Nepal) on his way to India. Narendradeva, the king of Nepāla was very pleased when he met the envoy of the Tang kingdom and took Li Yibiao to enjoy the beautiful sight of Aqipomi Pool (*Old Books of Tang*, volume 198, *Xirong Nationality*). This pool was a small hot spring having waters springing at extremely high temperatures, just as Master Heun Sang's descriptions in his *Records of the Western Regions of the Great Tang*. The pool was so small that a person could only take 20 steps to walk around it, and was hot enough to cook any thing thrown into it in a very short time. The details of the pool can be found in *Shakya Chronicles*.
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The official task for this event was to escort the envoy of Sīlāditya and his attendants back to India and show respect and friendship to India. In early 644 CE, Li Yibiao and Wang Xuance, along with their followers eventually arrived in India and were greatly welcomed by Sīlāditya and his ministers all of whom went to the outskirts of the town to receive them. Siladitya kneeled down to accept the imperial edict, and in order to display their happiness and respect to the envoy of Tang, they burnt incense on both sides of the road leading the way to the royal palace.
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Li Yibiao and Wang Xuance, along with their attendants paid a visit to the stone with the footprints of Buddha and got rubbings. The visit took place before Wang Xuance headed to Yuezhou.
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Li Yibiao, together with his attendants arrived in Rājagrha on January 27, 645 CE, and then they climbed the Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa to visit the footprints of Buddha. The envoy of Tang left inscriptions on the mountain which spoke highly of the merits of Tang and holy relic of Buddhism.
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On February 11, Zhenguan 19^th^ year of Tang, Li Yibiao, along with his attendants established a stone tablet to the west of a pagoda under a bodhi tree in Mahabodhi, and Shi Weicai, a civil official from Tang wrote the inscription on it. (*Fayuan Zhulin* Volume 29).
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This was the first time the envoy from China established a stone tablet in Mahabodhi.
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After Sīlāditya’s envoy was back in India, Emperor Taizong dispatched more than 20 people led by Wang Xuance again, together with two jaggery makers from mahābodhi-vihāra and eight monks, to go to Dongxia, a country in the Western Regions. And then they headed to Yuezhou to carry out the refinement of sugar. Three monks from mahābodhi-vihāra arrived in Chang’an first with Buddhism scriptures. The emperor gave an order to provide them food and arranged them to live in the Hongfu Temple to translate Buddhism classics like Dayan Sutra. Shortly after, a letter by Master Heun Sang came to ask them to stop the translation, and wait for the subsequent order to restart it. (*Continuation of Eminent Monk Biography*, volume IV, Biography of Master Heun Sang)
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In the Zhenguan 21^st^ year of Tang (647 CE), Li Yibiao returned to Tang and related to Emperor Taizong that he told the king of India that, “before Buddhism scriptures were introduced in China, some saints had written a number of classics which gained immense recognition among the people of different ages. If those classics could be brought to India, they would definitely be embraced deeply by the people here.” The king replied, “After you return to Tang, please translate those classics into Sanskrit. And I will read them and help to spread them. It will never be too late to promote them.” The Emperor then ordered Xuanzang to translate *Dao Dejing* into Sanskrit. Later Wang Xuance again led an envoy to India and in all probability took this translated version of *Dao Dejing* with him, which he then must have presented to King Kumara which is why there are records of how Kumara drafted soldiers into his army, maintained maps, etc.
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(*Zhang Yuan*)