Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Compilers' Note
- Introduction (English and Chinese)
- Part One
- 1 Ancient Chinese Names of India
- 2 The Beginnings of Buddhism in China
- 3 Indian Influence on Chinese Thought
- 4 A Note on the Avadānaśataka and its Chinese Translation
- 5 Bodhisattva-śīla of Śubhākarasiṁha
- 6 A Fragment of the Kāśyapa Saṁhitā in Chinese
- 7 The Chinese Mysticism
- 8 Some Early Buddhist Missionaries of Persia in China
- 9 Some Letters of Hiuan-Tsang and his Indian Friends
- 10 New Lights on the Chinese Inscriptions of Bodhgayā
- 11 A Buddhist Monk of Nālandā amongst the Western Turks
- 12 Political Relations between Bengal and China in the Pathan Period
- 13 Chinese Coins from Tanjore
- 14 Report on a New Hoard of Chinese Coins
- 15 Ki-pin and Kashmir
- 16 Sino-Indian Relations – The Period of the United Empires (618–1100 A.D.)
- Part Two Short Articles
- Part Three Articles in Bengali
- Appendix
- Index
8 - Some Early Buddhist Missionaries of Persia in China
from Part One
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 March 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Compilers' Note
- Introduction (English and Chinese)
- Part One
- 1 Ancient Chinese Names of India
- 2 The Beginnings of Buddhism in China
- 3 Indian Influence on Chinese Thought
- 4 A Note on the Avadānaśataka and its Chinese Translation
- 5 Bodhisattva-śīla of Śubhākarasiṁha
- 6 A Fragment of the Kāśyapa Saṁhitā in Chinese
- 7 The Chinese Mysticism
- 8 Some Early Buddhist Missionaries of Persia in China
- 9 Some Letters of Hiuan-Tsang and his Indian Friends
- 10 New Lights on the Chinese Inscriptions of Bodhgayā
- 11 A Buddhist Monk of Nālandā amongst the Western Turks
- 12 Political Relations between Bengal and China in the Pathan Period
- 13 Chinese Coins from Tanjore
- 14 Report on a New Hoard of Chinese Coins
- 15 Ki-pin and Kashmir
- 16 Sino-Indian Relations – The Period of the United Empires (618–1100 A.D.)
- Part Two Short Articles
- Part Three Articles in Bengali
- Appendix
- Index
Summary
China came in contact with the Iranian world for the first time towards the end of the 2nd century before Christ when Chang Kien, the famous Chinese explorer came back to China (126 B.C.) after a long absence of twelve years. Chang Kien was sent to negotiate with the western powers, especially with the Scythians, established at that time in the valley of the Oxus, in view of forming an alliance against the Huns who were a formidable menace to empire. Though the political mission of Chang Kien did not immediately succeed he brought definite information about the kingdoms which were flourishing at that time in the western region – especially Ta-yuan (Ferganah), K'ang Kiu (Sogdiana), Ngan-si (Parthia), etc.
Subsequently when the first official embassy of China was sent to Parthia under the reign of Emperor Wu-ti (140–86 B.C.), the King of the country ordered twenty thousand cavalry to meet them on the eastern frontier and entertained them well. All the Chinese annals trace their relation with Parthia from this date. Parthia came to be known to the Chinese as Ngan-si through the name of the dynasty ruling over Parthia in that period namely the Arsacidan. Ngan-si (An-si) in ancient Chinese pronunciation would give as Ar-śak (Arsak). The description of the country, as given by the Chinese historians of that period answer very well to the empire of the Arsacides.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- India and China: Interactions through Buddhism and DiplomacyA Collection of Essays by Professor Prabodh Chandra Bagchi, pp. 91 - 94Publisher: Anthem PressPrint publication year: 2011