Place
Western Han imperial capital and departure point of Zhang Qian’s mission.
139 BCE–126 BCE
Sent by Emperor Wu of Han to seek an alliance with the Yuezhi, Zhang Qian travelled west from Chang’an, survived long captivity by the Xiongnu, reached Central Asia, and returned with new information about lands and exchange networks beyond Han territory.
399–412
The Chinese Buddhist monk Faxian travelled overland through Central Asia into northern India in search of authoritative monastic texts, studied at major Buddhist centres, and returned to China by merchant ships through Sri Lanka and Java.
629–645
The monk and scholar Xuanzang left Tang China for Central and South Asia, crossed the Tian Shan and Hindu Kush, studied for years at Nalanda and other Buddhist centres, and returned with manuscripts that transformed Buddhist scholarship in East Asia.