In the spring of 629 CE, a lone monk slipped out of Chang’an under cover of darkness. No imperial escort. No royal decree. Just a cloth robe, a begging bowl, and an idea burning so bright it kept him awake for years: he had to reach India. His name was Xuanzang. And the journey he … Read more
If you had stood on the northern gates of Chang’an one spring morning in 139 BCE, you might have seen a man adjusting the bridle of his horse, a leather pouch at his waist, a scroll of imperial writ tucked in his chest sash. He was neither general nor merchant, though he bore the purpose … Read more
I still recall that dusty afternoon in the university library, when a sunbeam sliced through a stained-glass window and landed on a brittle scroll, whispering secrets of sailors who defied the edges of the known world. It wasn’t a blockbuster tale of empires or legendary heroes—it was the modest account of Phoenician mariners, teenagers and … Read more