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Xu Xiake was a famous geographer and traveler in the Ming Dynasty of my country, and the author of the famous Chinese geography book "Xu Xiake's Travels".
Travellers or writers who traveled like him, the more famous one is Li Daoyuan in the Northern Wei Dynasty (about 470-527, courtesy name Shanchang, from Fanyang Zhuozhou. A geographer in the Northern Dynasties and the Northern Wei Dynasty) . His official career was bumpy and he failed to fulfill his talents. He was well-read and visited Shandong with his father when he was young. Later, he traveled to the Qinling Mountains, north of the Huaihe River and south of the Great Wall, inspecting rivers and ditches, and collecting relevant customs and customs. , historical stories, myths and legends, and wrote forty volumes of "Shui Jing Zhu"), Yuan Hongdao (also named Zhonglang, also named Wuxue, also named Shigong, also named Liuxiu. Han nationality, from Huguang Public Security Bureau. Twenty years of Wanli. Jinshi, who has successively served as the magistrate of Wuxian County, the head of the Ministry of Rites, the head of the Ceremony Department of the Ministry of Personnel, a middle-ranking doctor of Jixun, and a doctor of Guozi. The world believes that he is the most accomplished among the three brothers. Gu Yanwu (Han nationality, directly under the control of Suzhou in the south of the Ming Dynasty). A native of Qiandeng Town, Kunshan, his real name was Jiang, his nickname was Fan Han, his aliases were Jikun and Guinian, his courtesy name was Zhongqing, and he was from Ning. He also signed himself as Jiangshan servant. After the defeat of Nandu, he changed his name to Yanwu because of his admiration for Wen Tianxiang's student Wang Yanwu. There is Tinglin Lake next to his former residence. Scholars revered him as Mr. Tinglin. He was an outstanding thinker, classics scholar, historian and phonologist in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. He was known as the "Three Great Confucians" in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties together with Huang Zongxi and Wang Fuzhi. )etc.
This is the so-called "Top Ten Travelers in Ancient China" summarized by netizens, for reference only:
1. Xu Xiake
Xu Xiake, born in the Ming Dynasty In the 14th year of Wanli, he was born in Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province. His name was Hongzu and his courtesy name was Zhenzhi. He was a great geographer, traveler and explorer. He is also known as the "Traveling Saint", "Xiaxian" and "The Patriarch of Travel Friends" by later generations. During his life, he traveled all over China's beautiful mountains and rivers, which is extremely legendary. Influenced by the culture of a farming and reading family, Xu Xiake was eager to learn when he was young and read a lot of books, especially the Dijing Tuzhi. The young man immediately set up his travel ambition of "a real man travels in the blue sea in the morning and stays in Cangwu in the evening". Xu Xiake's footprints cover today's 16 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. He was not afraid of hardships and dangers. He was robbed three times and ran out of food several times, but he still moved forward bravely and rigorously recorded the results of his observations. Until he entered Lijiang, Yunnan, and was unable to walk due to foot illness, he still insisted on writing "Travel Notes" and "Mountain Chronicles", and basically completed the "Xu Xiake Travel Notes" with more than 2.4 million words. At the age of 53 (1640), Yunnan local officials sent Xu Xiake back to Jiangyin by car and boat. He died of illness at home in the first month of his 54th year. "Xu Xiake's Travels", written by Xu Xiake after 30 years of investigation, has a profound influence at home and abroad, with more than 2.6 million words.
2. Xuanzang
Xuan Zang (602-664), named Chen Ye, was from the Feng family in Luozhou (now the ancient city of Huaguo in Yanshi, Henan). The famous Master Tripitaka of the Tang Dynasty, a Buddhist scholar and traveler, was known as the three major translators of Chinese Buddhism along with Kumarajiva and Zhenti. One of the greatest translators in the history of Chinese Buddhism. One of the founders of the Consciousness-only Sect.
After becoming a monk, I visited famous Buddhist teachers. I felt that the different schools of thought were different and it was difficult to reach a conclusion, so I decided to go to Tianzhu to study Buddhism. In the third year of Zhenguan reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, he left Yumen Pass from Liangzhou and traveled westward, and arrived in Tianzhu after many hardships. He first learned from Jie Xian at Nalanda Temple. Later, he traveled to various parts of Tianzhu and debated with local scholars, and became famous in the five Zhu countries.
In the third year of Zhenguan, he set out from Chang'an and passed through Lanzhou to Liangzhou. The local Master Huiwei respected Xuanzang's ambition and ordered his apprentice to secretly send Xuanzang forward. They were afraid of being captured by officers and soldiers during the day, so they traveled at night. When he arrived at Guazhou, the horse he was riding fell dead again. Xuanzang bought an old and thin red horse that had been to Yiwu (Hami) 15 times, and traveled alone.
After seventeen years of unremitting asceticism, Master Xuanzang returned to Chang'an in the 19th year of Zhenguan.
His stories have been widely circulated among the people in the past dynasties, such as the drama "Tang Sanzang Seeking Buddhist Scriptures from the West" by Wu Changling in the Yuan Dynasty, and the novel "Journey to the West" by Wu Chengen in the Ming Dynasty, all of which are derived from his deeds.
3. Zhang Qian
Zhang Qian (about 164 BC to 114 BC), Han nationality, courtesy name Ziwen, was born in Chenggu, Hanzhong County (now Chenggu County, Shaanxi Province), China The outstanding explorers, travelers and diplomats of the Han Dynasty made significant contributions to the development of the Silk Road. The Han Dynasty opened up the north-south road leading to the Western Regions, and introduced sweat horses, grapes, alfalfa, pomegranates, walnuts, flax, etc. from the countries in the Western Regions.
Zhang Qian left Longxi in the third year of Jianyuan (138 BC), passed through the Xiongnu, and was captured. During the more than ten years of the Xiongnu period, although Zhang Qian married a wife and had children, he always adhered to the Han Dynasty. Later, he finally escaped and traveled west to Dawan, passed through Kangju, arrived at Dayuezhi, and then to Daxia, where he stayed for more than a year before returning. On his way back, Zhang Qian changed his route to the south, near Nanshan, but was captured by the Huns and detained for more than a year. In the third year of Yuanshuo (126 BC), the Huns were in civil strife. Zhang Qian took the opportunity to escape back to the Han Dynasty and reported in detail the situation in the Western Regions to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu granted him the title of Taizhong Dafu. When Zhang Qian was in Daxia, he learned that Daxia could be reached by taking the road from the southwest of Shu (today's Sichuan Basin) to Shendu (today's India). He persuaded Emperor Wu to open a southwest barbarian road, but it was blocked by the Kunming barbarians and could not be passed. In the sixth year of Yuanshuo, Zhang Qian followed Wei Qing to conquer the Huns. He was granted the title of Marquis of Bowang for his meritorious service. Later, Zhang Qian persuaded Emperor Wu to unite with Wusun (in today's Ili River Basin). Emperor Wu then worshiped Qian as Zhonglang General. In 119 BC, he led 300 people, tens of thousands of cattle, sheep, gold and silk, as an envoy to Wusun.
Zhang Qian went to Wusun and sent deputy envoys to Dayuan, Kangju, Yuezhi, Daxia and other neighboring countries. This trip also achieved great results. Countries in the Western Regions also sent envoys to visit Chang'an. Wusun sent an envoy to send Zhang Qian back to the Han Dynasty and offered a horse to express his gratitude.
In the second year of Yuanding (115 BC), Zhang Qian returned. Zhang Qian was the first to achieve Han's expansion into the Western Regions. Because of Zhang Qian's prestige in the Western Regions, the envoys sent by the Han Dynasty were often called Bowang Hou to win the trust of other countries.
4. Zheng He
Zheng He was born in the fourth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1371), and his original name was Ma Sanbao. In the winter of 1381, the thirteenth year of Hongwu, the Ming Dynasty army attacked Yunnan. When Ma Sanbao was 10 years old, he was taken prisoner to the Ming camp, castrated into an eunuch, and then entered Zhu Di's Prince Yan's palace. During the Jingnan Incident, Ma Sanbao made military exploits for King Zhu Di of Yan in Zhengzhou, Hebei (now Renqiubei, Hebei, not Zhengzhou, Henan). In the second year of Yongle (1404), Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, believed that the surname Ma could not be admitted to the Sanbao Palace, so he gave Ma Sanbao the surname Zheng in the Nanjing imperial book with the character "Zheng", changed his name to He, and was appointed as an internal official, eunuch, and the fourth rank. Second only to the Supervisor of Ceremonies. In the sixth year of Xuande (1431), Zheng He was granted the title of Sanbao eunuch.
On July 11, 1405 (the third year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty), Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty ordered Zheng He to lead a huge fleet of more than 240 ships and 27,400 crew members on a long voyage. He visited more than 30 countries and regions in the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean, deepening China's friendly relations with Southeast Asia and East Africa. Each time he set out from Liujiagang, Suzhou. Until 1433 (the 8th year of Xuande in the Ming Dynasty), he made as many as seven voyages in one year. The last time, when he returned to Guli in April of the eighth year of Xuande's reign, he died of illness on the ship.
His voyage was 87 years earlier than Columbus discovered the American continent, 92 years earlier than Vasco da Gama, and 114 years earlier than Magellan. In the history of world navigation, he was opened up a direct route through the western Pacific and Indian Ocean and other oceans. 600 years ago, starting in 1405, for 28 years, Zheng He led more than 200 ships of China's Ming Dynasty to sail the world's seas and visit various countries.
5. Jianzhen
Jianzhen (688~763), also known as Jianzhen (がんじん) in Japanese, was a monk in the Tang Dynasty of China, a descendant of the Nanshan Sect of the Vinaya Sect, and the founder of the Vinaya Sect of Japanese Buddhism. , famous medical scientist. The Japanese people call Jianzhen "the balance of the balance", which means that his achievements can represent the roof (meaning the peak) of the culture of the balance era.
Jianzhen, whose common surname was Chunyu, was from Jiangyang, Guangling (now Jiangdu, Jiangsu Province). When he was fourteen years old, he became a novice monk at Dayun Temple and studied Buddhism with the eminent monk Zhiman Zen Master. He then went to Chang'an to receive full ordination from Master Hongjing for three years, and then returned to Yangzhou with profound knowledge. Japanese monks Rongrui and Puzhao came to China to study Buddhism and urged Jianzhen to go to Japan to spread Buddhism. Jianzhen readily agreed, overcame various difficulties, and succeeded six times. He arrived in Japan in the twelfth year of Tianbao (753) carrying Buddhist scriptures, Buddhist utensils and Buddha statues. At this time, Jianzhen was blind, but he still worked hard to promote Buddhism, spread Chinese culture, and used his rich experience to teach medical knowledge, especially the spices and medicines he brought, etc., to this day, Nara Shoti Temple and Todaiji Shosoin Temple in Japan Its remains are still preserved. Tried to cure the diseases of Empress Dowager Guangming and Emperor Shomu (see Tiantai Wuyao). Japan once awarded him the titles of "Great Monk Capital" and "Dawa Shang", and the Japanese people praised him as the "Master of Crossing the Sea". His works include "Secret Recipes of Master Jian", but unfortunately it has not been circulated.
6. Wang Dayuan
Wang Dayuan (1311~?) was a private navigator during the Yuan Dynasty. The name is Huanzhang. Nanchang people. In the first year of Zhishun (1330), Wang Dayuan, who was only 20 years old, took a merchant ship from Quanzhou for the first time and sailed to sea, passing through Hainan Island, Champa, Malacca, Java, Sumatra, Myanmar, India, Persia, Arabia, Egypt, and across the Mediterranean to Morocco. Then he returned to Egypt, went out of the Red Sea to Somalia and Mozambique, crossed the Indian Ocean back to Sri Lanka, Sumatra, and Java, passed through Australia to Kalimantan, and the Philippines back to Quanzhou, which lasted for 5 years. In the third year of the Yuan Dynasty (1337), Wang Dayuan sailed from Quanzhou again, passing through the Nanyang Islands, the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Mozambique Strait in Africa and various parts of Australia, and returned to Quanzhou in the fifth year of the Yuan Dynasty (1339).
After Wang Dayuan returned from his second trip to sea, he began to organize his notes at the request of the Quanzhou magistrate and wrote "Dao Yi Zhi Lue". "Dao Yi Zhi Lue" is divided into 100 items, 99 of which are personal experiences, involving more than 220 countries and regions. It has important reference value for studying the history and geography of the transportation and sea lanes between China and the West in the Yuan Dynasty, and has attracted world attention. After 1867, many Western scholars studied the book and translated it into multiple languages ??for circulation, recognizing its great contribution to world history and geography.
7. Faxian
Faxian (334-420) was a native of Wuyang, Pingyang County, Sizhou, Eastern Jin Dynasty (now Linfen area, Shanxi Province). It is said that he was from Shangdang County, Bingzhou A native of Xiangyuan (now Xiangyuan, Shanxi). He is a famous monk in the history of Chinese Buddhism, an outstanding Buddhist revolutionary figure, the first Chinese master to study overseas for Buddhist scriptures and seek Dharma, and an outstanding traveler and translator.
Fa Xian became a monk at the age of 3.
In the third year of Long'an in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (399), he set out from Chang'an (today's Xi'an City), passed through the Hexi Corridor and the desert west of Dunhuang to Yanyi (near today's Yanqi, Xinjiang), and went southwest through the present-day Taklimakan Desert to Khotan (today's Xinjiang). Hotan), south across Congling, via the Indus River Basin, passing through present-day Pakistan, entering Afghanistan, then returning to Pakistan, and then entering the Ganges River Basin in the east, reaching Tianzhu (now India), and then crossing southern Nepal to eastern Tianzhu. He stayed in Badavuyi (now Patna), the capital of the Magadhi Kingdom (i.e. Magadha), for three years to study Sanskrit and Buddhist scriptures. The monks who accompanied him either died or stayed in Tianzhu, so Faxian returned home alone by sea. He took a merchant ship from the famous seaport of Eastern Tianzhu, Domoli Emperor (today's Demuluk, southwest of Kolkata) to Shizi Kingdom (today's Sri Lanka), where he stayed for 2 years to obtain the scriptures. He then returned east by merchant ship, passing through Yapati on the way. (today's Sumatra or Java Island), changed ships and sailed north. Landing near Laoshan in the southern part of today's Shandong Peninsula, he transferred to the land route and arrived in Jiankang (now Nanjing) in the ninth year of Yixi (413). In the 10th year of Yixi's reign (414), he wrote about his 15-year journey to Tianzhu, and two years later added it to the "Fa Xian Zhuan" that has been passed down to this day. The earlier extant version is the Song Dynasty collection.
"Fa Xian Zhuan" is also known as "Buddha's Country", "Buddha's Travels to Tianzhu", "Li's Travels to Tianzhu", etc. The territory described in the book is very vast, covering the geography, transportation, religion, culture, products, customs and even society and economy of about 30 countries in Central Asia, India, and Southeast Asia. It is the land between China and India. The earliest account of maritime traffic and the first complete travel record of Central Asia, India, and Southeast Asia in ancient China, it occupies an important position in the history of geography and navigation in China and South Asia.
8. Qin Shihuang
Qin Shihuang (259 BC - 210 BC), the monarch of Qin at the end of the Warring States Period, the first founding emperor of the Qin Dynasty to complete the unification of China, also known as Qin Shihuang . The surname Ying is Zhao, and his name is Zheng. Qin Shihuang was the first monarch in Chinese history to use the title of "emperor". He was hailed as "one emperor through the ages" by the Ming Dynasty thinker Li Zhi.
Qin Shihuang pioneered the post station system and built post roads. "Build post roads and establish counties." In ancient times, a post station was a place where people who conveyed palace documents and military intelligence, or officials who came and went, had food, lodging, and exchange horses on the way.
Qin Shihuang built a Chidao that radiated from Xianyang to the whole country and extended in all directions. From the second year after unifying the world, he began to hold large-scale parades. He has been emperor for 12 years and has toured 5 times, averaging more than once every 2 years.
The first tour traveled to western Ningxia and eastern Gansu, passed through Longxi Gansu, and arrived at Tianshui and Li County, the hometown of the ancestors of the Qin people. Then they followed the ancestors' eastward route back to Baoji, Qishan, Fengxiang, and returned to Xianyang.
The second tour, the first trip eastward to climb Mount Feng and Mount Tai, sealing the mountains and engraving stone monuments. He went to Yantai and Jiaonan, followed the East China Sea to Haizhou and Xuzhou in Jiangsu, then went south to Anhui, crossed the Huaihe River, and to Henan, where he passed through Changsha and other places in Hunan.
For the third time, he visited the coastal areas of Shandong Peninsula. In order to go to the fairy island on the sea to obtain the elixir of youth, he sent Xu Fu to take 500 boys and girls to sail out to sea.
The fourth journey was in 215 BC, when he went north. Crossed the Yellow River from Tongguan to Shanxi, arrived at Handan, Hebei, and arrived at Qinhuangdao in the east. After leaving Shanhaiguan, we arrived at the seaside of Suizhong, Liaoning. On the way back to Inner Mongolia, we passed through Yulin and Yan'an in Shaanxi Province and returned to Xianyang.
In 210 BC, he embarked on his fifth tour. It has arrived in Hubei, Hunan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, and Hebei. As a result, he died on the journey.
9. Wang Xuance
Wang Xuance, Han nationality, was from Luoyang, Henan Province in the Tang Dynasty. In the early Tang Dynasty, he was an envoy who went to India three times (four times to India) between the 17th year of Zhenguan and the first year of Longshuo (643-661). Zeng Guanrong was the magistrate of Huangshui County in Rongzhou, and the right guard led the governor Shi.
In March of the 17th year of Zhenguan, the Tang Dynasty sent Li Yibiao, the Prime Minister of Xingwei Temple, as the chief envoy and Wang Xuance as the deputy envoy. They accompanied the Indian envoys to apply for employment and arrived at Wangshe City in the Kingdom of Magadha in the first month of the 19th year of Zhenguan. (now Rajgir, southwest of Bihar, India), returned to China the following year.
In the 21st (or 22nd) year of Zhenguan, Wang Xuance again served as the envoy and went to India with his deputy envoy Jiang Shiren. Before the arrival, King Harsha died, and Arona, king of Dinavudi (now Tirut in northern Bihar, India), was established and sent troops to prevent the Tang envoys from entering. All thirty of Xuance's cavalry were captured, and he himself went to the western border of Tubo to seek help. Songtsen Gampo, the Tubo Zanpu, sent out an army of 1,200 men, and Nalingdeva, the king of Nibala (today's Nepal), had 7,000 cavalry, and the chapter of Xiqiang asked for troops to assist Xuance, and captured Alona Shunli. Return. In the third year of Emperor Xianqing's reign, Xuance went on a mission to India for the third time. The following year, he arrived in the country of Polija (northern Dabanga in today's India). In the fifth year, he visited the Mahabodhi Temple and paid homage to the Buddha before returning.
In the 22nd year of Zhenguan, minister Wang Xuance captured an Indian monk named Naluo Suopo during foreign operations. In order to cater to Li Shimin's psychology of begging for immortality, he was dedicated to Li Shimin. This Indian monk boasted that he was 200 years old and specialized in the art of immortality. He vowed that eating the elixir he made would make him immortal.
When Wang Xuance returned to Chang'an, it was already the 22nd year of Zhenguan (648 AD). Li Shimin immediately promoted Wang Xuance to two levels, named him Chaosan doctor, and held a grand ceremony to escort him to the imperial court. Aronashun presented the captives to the Ancestral Temple.
Soon Li Shimin died of poisoning. At this time, it was only one year since Wang Xuance returned to China.
Wang Xuance was implicated in Li Shimin's death and his career was hampered, and he was never promoted throughout his life. Xuance went to India several times and brought back Buddhist cultural relics, making contributions to the cultural exchanges between China and India. He is the author of ten volumes of "Travel Records of the Kingdom of Zhongtianzhu" and three volumes of pictures. Today, only fragments of text remain, scattered in "Fa Yuan Zhu Lin", "Collection of Sutras" and "Sakyamuni Fangzhi".
10. Du Huan
Du Huan, a traveler from the Tang Dynasty in China, also known as Du Huan. A native of Xiangyang County (now Xiangyang, Hubei Province), his birth and death years are unknown. In the tenth year of Tang Tianbao's reign (751), he followed Gao Xianzhi and was captured in a battle with the Dashi (Arab Empire) army in Talos City, and lived as a prisoner for nearly ten years. Later, he traveled to Africa, Egypt and other countries, becoming the first Chinese to visit Africa and write a book. In the early years of Baoying (762), he returned to China on a merchant ship and wrote the book "Jing Xing Ji". Unfortunately, it has been lost. However, Du You's "Tongdian" (written in 801) quoted this book, and more than 1,500 words have been preserved to this day. "Jingxingji" is China's earliest ancient book that records Islamic teachings and the spread of production techniques by Chinese craftsmen in food. It also records the history, geography, products, customs and customs of several countries in Asia and Africa.
The Tang Dynasty was an era when China had a lot of contact with Western countries. Traffic on the Great Silk Road was constant during the Tang Dynasty. As a traveling literati, Du Huan left a book called "Jing Xing Ji" in that time and space full of flowers. Du Huan traveled throughout the Black Food Country from 751 to 762, so he left behind a wealth of what he saw and heard, the most important part of which was about Islamic medicine, including the domestic nunnery in Bahna There are falcons produced in Luo and Tunisia on the south coast of the Mediterranean Sea, sesame oil and almonds produced in the Yajulu River Island, and Junda and fennel produced in the Molu Kingdom. Du Huan also traveled to Alexandria, Egypt, and praised the Mediterranean medicine at that time.