Xuanzang in History, Imagination, and Art

Xuanzang in History, Imagination, and Art
Max Deeg
Dorothy Wong

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The Chinese monk Xuanzang (602?–664) is a towering figure in the history of Buddhist interactions between ancient China and India. His journey to India between 629 and 645, recorded in the Record of the Western Regions of the Great Tang, remains a vital source for understanding Buddhist doctrine and practice across Asia in the seventh century. Upon returning to Tang China,
Xuanzang’s extensive translation work played a critical role in shaping Chinese Buddhist traditions. More than a historical figure, he has come to symbolise the intellectual, spiritual, and cultural aspirations that have long animated exchanges between India and China.

This two-part talk explores Xuanzang’s legacy through historical records, images he brought from India, and evolving representations of Xuanzang as the archetypal pilgrim. It invites us to reflect on the many ways he has shaped – and continues to shape – ideas about inter-Asian connectivity.

SPEAKERS


Max Deeg is Professor (Chair) in Buddhist Studies at Cardiff University. His research focuses on the history of Buddhism, particularly its spread to East Asia. Deeg has a particular interest in Chinese Buddhist travelogues and has been a Principal Investigator on the “Xuanzang Trail” project in Bihar, funded and supported by the Bihar Heritage Development Trust. He is currently preparing a new multi-volume translation of Xuanzang’s Record of the Western Regions of the Great Tang with extensive commentary.


Dorothy C. Wong is Professor of Art History at the University of Virginia, where she has taught for over 25 years. She specialises in Buddhist art in China from the first millennium. Her research addresses art in relation to religion and society, and the relationship between religious texts, doctrine, and visual representations. Her recent publications include two forthcoming titles on miraculous images – one on their potency across time and space, the other on activation and agency – as well as a monograph investigating the first image of the Buddha.

MODERATOR


Tansen Sen is Professor of History and Director of the Center for Global Asia at New York University Shanghai, and Associated Full Professor of History at NYU. He is a Visiting Academic at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. His current projects include a monograph on the Chinese admiral Zheng He and a book on Jawaharlal Nehru’s engagement with China.


^{Image: Xuanzang mid-stride, with a backpack full of sutra scrolls. Japan, Kamakura period, 14th century. Colour on silk. Tokyo National Museum, A-10600.
Integrated Collections Database of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan.}