The Chinese Buddhist monk Faxian recorded his journey to India in A Record of Buddhist Kingdoms.
Faxian traveled from China to India between 399 and 414, seeking Buddhist texts and visiting important religious centers. His route crossed Central Asia, where he passed through regions connected by the overland networks later commonly called the Silk Road, before reaching northern India.
His account describes monasteries, Buddhist communities, political territories, roads, and travel conditions. It is an important source for the history of Buddhism and for the cultural connections linking China, Central Asia, and India in late antiquity.
Faxian is sometimes confused with Xuanzang, another famous Chinese monk who traveled to India more than two centuries later. Xuanzang journeyed in the 7th century and wrote a different account, while Faxian’s travels belong to the late 4th and early 5th centuries.