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- 01Xuanzang traveled roughly 25,000 kilometers on foot across deserts, mountain passes, and war zones over 16 years.
- 02He returned in 645 CE with 657 Buddhist texts, 150 relics, and statues — requiring 22 horses just to carry the load.
- 03Emperor Taizong, who had initially refused him an exit permit, personally received him and funded a translation bureau that produced 1,335 translated volumes.