The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, in twelve volumes, is a historical and geographical account of the Western Regions during the Tang dynasty. Its author was Xuanzang, a renowned Tang Buddhist monk, Buddhist theorist, and translator. The book covers 138 countries and regions in what is now Xinjiang, as well as Central and South Asia. It describes their geography, land and water routes, climate, produce, peoples, languages, history, politics, economic life, religions, culture, and customs. It gives particularly detailed accounts of religious monasteries and Buddhist stories and legends in each region. For people in China at the time, this was a rare and invaluable work for understanding the world beyond their borders. Earlier accounts of the Western Regions had either contained too much myth and legend or covered too small an area. Drawing on what he had seen and heard, Xuanzang recorded the historical and geographical conditions of what are now Xinjiang, Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and neighboring regions, overcoming both shortcomings. His account was rich in detail and accurate, and archaeological discoveries made in modern times have confirmed its reliability.
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