As we all know, although the four famous works in China are all novels, almost all of them have a certain historical background. For example, the historical background of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is the dispute between the Three Kingdoms in the late Han Dynasty, dominated by Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Sun Quan, and forces. Even the mysterious novel "Journey to the West" is written against the historical background of the Tang Dynasty and Tang Taizong.
Tang Taizong was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and he can be called the first emperor of the ancient world. Under the rule of Emperor Taizong of Tang, the Tang Dynasty, which had undergone the rule of Zhenguan, reached an unprecedented level of prosperity. Cultivate internally and expand the territory externally. Conquered high-yielding Gaochang, Guizi, Tuguhun and other countries. It is also called "Heavenly Khan" by all ethnic groups in the north.
As mentioned in the first half of the Journey to the West, Tang Taizong Li Shimin set up a banquet for Tang Monk, gave Tang Monk a purple gold bowl to facilitate the transformation of fate along the way, and gave Tang Monk a thing called "Customs Clearance Wenmu". Tang Monks often came out later. It is precisely because of this customs clearance document that tang monks are much more convenient on the way to take the scriptures.
As long as Tang Monk passed by a place, he would take out this customs clearance document and come out. Then tell the other party that he is from the Eastern Tang Dynasty and wants to go to the system to seek the rightness. The person who gets the clearance document is generally the king. After the other party read the customs clearance document, he looked at Tang Monk in surprise, and he did not dare to let it go in the slightest.
Then many readers may wonder, what exactly is written on this customs clearance document? What's so special about it? In fact, there are six main words on this customs clearance document that are the most conspicuous. These six words are "The Imperial Gift of the Great Tang Dynasty". These six words were already enough to explain the identity of the Tang monk.
In addition to these six conspicuous characters, it also details the identity of Tang Taizong and the intention of Tang Monk's westward journey. These are recorded in more detail in the Journey to the West. There are about a hundred or so words, which can be summed up. First, the Tang monk went to the Western Heavens to learn the scriptures on behalf of Li Shimin (don't be embarrassed).
Second, going to the Western Heavens to take sutras is in the name of the bodhisattva (deterrence), and the third Tang monk went to take sutras for the sake of purifying sentient beings (don't miss the big thing). Therefore, on the way, as long as the countries understand this instrument, there is basically no face. On the way, the Tang monks passed through more than a hundred countries and regions, including the recorded 13 large countries, all of which were immediately stamped and released.
It can be said that this customs clearance document of the Tang monk is an ancient version of the "strengthened passport", because with such a wenmu many countries that want to curry favor with the Tang, and even many of the vassal countries that are still paying tribute to the Tang are naturally like the arrival of Chincha. Even in the distant western regions, I am afraid that it is rare to have heard of the prestige of the Tang Dynasty.
In real history, the tang monk was originally named Xuanzang. In order to explore and correct the differences in the teachings of the various schools of Buddhism, Xuanzang traveled 50,000 miles west alone in the first year of Zhenguan (627). It took 17 years before we reached nalanda monastery in India to take the sutras. It has made indelible contributions to the development of Buddhism in China.