The Tang Priest's Journey for Scriptures
During the reign of Emperor Tai Zong （627-649） of the Tang Dynasty， at his request， esteemed Buddhist Monk Xuan Zang was sent to India， the birthplace of Buddhism， for scriptures. From Chang'an （present-day Xi'an）， the capital of the Tang Dynasty， the monk journeyed west. When he eventually fulfilled the mission and returned， seventeen years had passed. From that time forward， Buddhism spread across China. As this legendary trip was told and relold by later generations， many embellishments were zealously added. Wu Cheng'en， using popular versions of the story along with his own fictional details， created the intriguing classical novel Journey to the West. The Tang Priest， Monkey， Pig and Friar Sand characters from the book are popular images among Chinese people.
Note： Wu Cheng'en（1500-1582）， was a Ming Dynasty novelist.
唐僧取经
唐贞观年间（公元627 -649年），唐太宗重视佛教，派僧人玄奘到佛教发源地去取真经。唐僧离开长安，一直西行。用了长达十七年的时间，终于实现了自己的伟大宏愿，到达天竺国（今印度）取回了真经。从此，佛教在中国弘扬、传播。玄奘取经事，历史上确有其人其事，《西游记》就是根据这段历史而写成的一部文学著作，小说家吴承恩在民间口传的基础上，又加进了不少神话色彩，更增强了故事的可读性和趣味性。小说中的唐僧、孙悟空、猪八戒、沙僧等人物形象，在中国家喻户晓，老幼皆知。
