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Fah Shean was a famous monk in the Northern and
Southern Dynasties who traveled to the west in search of Buddhist
sutras. He set out from Changan, passed through more than 30 countries,
and finally arrived in India. He lived there for 15 years, learning
Sanskrit and making copies of the sutras. Fah Shean traveled to
Sri Lanka on a large trading vessel, sailed for a thousand miles,
passed through the South China Sea, and finally got back to China.
He faced storms, huge waves and the risk of death with great courage,
and left us a valuable record of his journey. He was the first person
to bring back sutras from the west, and was also the first person
to open up the sea route between China and India.
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