Why did Tang Xuanzang go to India instead of Indochina, but trudged in the desert and climbed the Pamirs?
I thought about this question when I was in primary school. It is obvious from the road map of Xuanzang's westward journey that it is much shorter to go from the southwest than to bypass northwest Central Asia. Wouldn't it be faster if Xuanzang set out for India from the southwest? However, when I grew up, I discovered that if Xuanzang went to the southwest, I'm afraid he couldn't go to India.
First of all, the southwest direction is not better than the northwest direction. After leaving Yumenguan, I went all the way west, went south in Tianshan area, bypassed Central Asia, and made a big circle before I arrived in India. It is said to be "108,000 Li", but it is almost the same.
Not only is it a long way, but more importantly, almost all the places Xuanzang passed along are desert Gobi and snowy mountain plateau. Not only is the environment harsh and desolate, not to mention whether he will get lost, it is also quite difficult to survive by luck.
Not to mention the Tang Dynasty in which Xuanzang lived, until now, the Tianshan Mountains and Pamirs in the northwest are still very dangerous areas, and few outsiders dare to set foot in these areas easily.
Relatively speaking, today's southwest and Indo-China Peninsula areas, with beautiful scenery, warm climate and developed tourism, seem to be good places, so some people think that Xuanzang should be a wiser choice to go to India from the southwest.
But in fact, it is more dangerous to take the southwest and Indochina Peninsula than the northwest.
During the Tang Dynasty, the vast southwest and Indochina Peninsula were not effectively developed, and there were dense virgin forests everywhere, full of miasma and snakes and insects. Except for the Red River Delta directly under the Tang Dynasty, most other parts of Indochina Peninsula are still in a relatively primitive state.
Different from today's tourist attractions, the southwest of the Tang Dynasty was mainly used as a place of exile. As for Indochina Peninsula, it didn't really develop until the Song and Yuan Dynasties in the Central Plains. If Xuanzang went to India from the southwest and Indochina Peninsula, it would be more difficult than bypassing the northwest. Xuanzang encountered water shortage and high rebellion in the northwest, but dehydration, poisoning and snakes and insects in the southwest.
In fact, although the environment in northwest Central Asia is relatively difficult, it can be developed earlier. In the mountainous basins and oases on the edge of the desert in Central Asia, the civilization was born very early, and the development level was much higher than that of Indochina Peninsula at that time. Although the density of civilized settlements is not very high, talk is better than nothing.
Secondly, Xuanzang sneaked out, so he couldn't walk south in The Journey to the West. The Tang Priest went to the West to learn Buddhist scriptures, and Li Shimin personally saw him off, which was huge and spectacular. Xuanzang, who really went to the west to learn from the scriptures in history, did not have this kind of treatment. Xuanzang was not treated like this, but went to India and sneaked out at great risk.
During the Wude period, Xuanzang had the idea of going to Tianzhu to seek Buddha, so he applied to the court many times. However, at that time, the Tang Dynasty had strict population control and was still fighting against the Turks, so Xuanzang's applications were rejected.
However, Xuanzang didn't give up until the Zhenguan period, when a monk from Qin Zhou came to Chang 'an to study, and then Xuanzang returned to Qin Zhou with him. After the Zhenguan period, Xuanzang mixed with local refugees and arrived in Liangzhou, where he was helped by Master Wei Hui, a monk from Hexi, and was able to leave Liangzhou and arrive in Guazhou.
In Guazhou, although Li Chang, the governor of Guazhou, had already received an order to intercept Xuanzang, Li Chang believed in Buddhism, not only did he not listen to the interception order, but also sent Xuanzang horses and dry food to send him out of Yumenguan.
Before the influence of the early Tang Dynasty in northwest China crossed Yumen Pass, Xuanzang went out of Yumen Pass all the way and set off with peace of mind.
If Xuanzang had chosen to go from the south, he might not have left the gate of the Tang Dynasty.
From Chang 'an to Yumenguan in the northwest, there are not many passes in the middle. It is difficult for Xuanzang to pass, but it is not that difficult. But if he went from the south, there were a large number of counties and counties in Hanzhong, Bashu and other places south of Chang 'an in the Tang Dynasty. In ancient times, the flow of population was strictly controlled. Xuanzang is easily questioned, and the possibility of leaving the Tang Dynasty is basically zero.
If Xuanzang wanted to go from the south, I'm afraid he had been stopped before he reached Indochina, let alone India.
Finally, there are technical problems. Ancient times are different from modern times. When the ancients went out to find directions, most of them could only sum up the experience of their predecessors. Although Sina, the predecessor of the compass, was invented long ago, the early Sina was cumbersome and inconvenient to carry, and it was still difficult to identify specific and clear routes.
In the northwest, due to the prosperity of the Silk Road, from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, the route in the northwest was relatively mature, so people from the Central Plains went to the western regions, or people from the western regions and Tianzhu people went to the Central Plains from the northwest.
In contrast, although the southwest is poisonous to Shu, this commercial road is not directly connected with the Central Plains, but exists as a channel between the southwest and India, and because of the dangers along the way, few people take this road except the caravan in the southwest.
Xuanzang's journey to the west was not aimless and random, but he prepared for the inspection in advance. According to the technology at that time, it was the safest and most reliable to take the northwest route.
Why don't Tang Priest go to India by sea, but he must trudge in quicksand and climb mountains, which means Indochina Peninsula is easy to walk, so why is it difficult to walk?
The situation is not as simple as you think, because Indochina Peninsula is the real dangerous place. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there was a religious Sect exiled from the north to the mountainous area of Yue Zhong, Zhejiang Province, called Shicheng Mountain Sect. Their school is relatively small, with three people, Master Yu Falan and two disciples, enlightened by the law and knowledgeable. Although there were only three people, they had a great position in the religion at that time. At that time, the Prajna School in China was divided into six schools and seven schools, and there were two masters in his family. They were founded in Buddhism, knowing its meaning, creating its knowledge and containing its Sect, and creating its Sect in Jia Dao. For those of us who don't know the history of Buddhism, we may not know the difference between this faction. We know that Buddhism developed very strongly in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, especially in the South. The 480 Temple in the Southern Dynasties was a grand occasion at that time. Early Buddhism was not as simple as a monk ringing a bell to recite scriptures. They include calligraphy monks, painting monks, literary monks and even very powerful medical monks. This Shichengshan school is the representative of a famous medical monk. Yu Fa was good at prescribing prescriptions, and was called into the capital by Emperor Ai of Jin for many times to help the emperor see a doctor.
Then why am I talking about this? What does it have to do with the route taken by Tang Priest? The relationship is coming, and Yu Falan and Yu are about to toss. After living in Yuezhong, Zhejiang Province from the north, Master Yu Falan felt it necessary to go to India, the birthplace of Buddhism, to study Buddhism, that is, to continue his studies. So he went south from Baoding with his master, so he decided to accompany him to India. At that time, there were two ways to seek dharma in India. One is a road similar to the Tang Priest, and the other is this road. Because the war in the north is closer to Vietnam, I chose the route mentioned by the questioner. They plan to go to Hanoi, Vietnam, then cross the peninsula, pass through Cambodia, Thailand and finally go to India. However, as soon as they arrived in Vietnam, there was a febrile disease. Master, a famous doctor, was seriously ill, so he died there, together with disciple Yu. Before the age of 30, he basically left no message, so he founded a fatalism Sect. what can I say? Die for the ideal! Also calculate a fair death honors the whole life!
So this road is not smooth at all. In addition, Tang Priest secretly went abroad to learn from the scriptures, which almost failed. It was with the help of Buddhists that he got out of Yumen Pass. In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, because the country had just been pacified and the society was not completely stable, it was forbidden to go abroad privately, which may also lead to Tang Priest's inability to choose this side of the sea. After all, you need official proof! And it's easy to expose yourself. This may be one of the reasons.
Because the food is not good, as long as you prepare a few hundred kilograms of food, you can ensure a long-term food supply.