Where did Monk Tang start his pilgrimage to the West?

Tang Monk set out from Chang'an to collect scriptures. In order to explore the differences in the theories of various Buddhist schools, Tang Monk traveled 50,000 miles west from Chang'an in the first year of Zhenguan. After many hardships, he arrived at Nalanda Temple, the center of Indian Buddhism, to collect scriptures. The Sanskrit and Buddhist scriptures Xuanzang brought home from India and Central Asia were very rich, with 526 and 657 volumes in total, which was of great help to the study of original Buddhist scriptures.

Extended information

Chang'an is the ancient name of Xi'an. It is the first capital city in history to be called "Beijing" and the first real city in history. When King Wen of Zhou Dynasty established the capital here, he built Fengjing. After King Wu came to the throne, he built Haojing, which was collectively called Fenghao. The abbreviation of Xi'an as "Hao" (hào) originated from this. In the fifth year of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty (202 BC), Chang'an County was established, and Changle Palace was built on the south bank of the Wei River, north of Afang Palace, and Qin Xingle Palace. In the seventh year of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty (200 BC), Weiyang Palace was built. In the same year, the capital was moved here from Yueyang , because it is located in Chang'an Township, it is named Chang'an City, which means "long-lasting peace and stability".

Chang'an is the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties. It is the capital with the most dynasties, the longest time and the greatest influence in Chinese history. It ranks first among the four major ancient capitals in China. It is the birthplace of Chinese civilization and the birthplace of China. The cradle of the nation, an outstanding representative of Chinese culture, and the largest city in the world during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Chang'an is the eastern starting point of the Silk Road and the starting point of the Sui-Tang Grand Canal. It is the only Chinese city so far designated as a world historical city by UNESCO. It is also known as the world's four major ancient civilizations along with Athens, Rome, and Cairo.

It has more than 7,000 years of civilization history, more than 3,100 years of city building history, and more than 1,200 years of capital building history (excluding accompanying capitals). There have been 13 dynasties in history, including Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang. The capital was built here, with a permanent population of 1.85 million during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty. As the capital of China and the political, economic and cultural center for more than a thousand years, it is known as the Museum of Natural History and is an internationally renowned tourist destination city.

Reference material Baidu Encyclopedia-Xuan Zang