Xuanzang ( Wade-Giles: Hs黙n-tsang; c. 602 - 664) was a famous Chinese Buddhist monk; scholar; traveler; and translator who described the interaction between China and India in the early Tang period. Born in Henan province of China in 602 or 603; from boyhood he took to reading sacred books; including the Chinese Classics and the writings of the ancient sages. While residing in the city of Luoyang; Xuanzang entered Buddhist monkhood at the age of thirteen.

Due to the political and social unrest caused by the fall of the Sui dynasty; he went to Chengdu in Sichuan; where he was ordained at the age of twenty. From Xingdu; he travelled throughout China in search of sacred books of Buddhism. At length; he came to Chang'an; then under the peaceful rule of Emperor Taizong of Tang. Here Xuanzang developed the desire to visit India. He knew about Faxian's visit to India and; like him; was concerned about the incomplete and misinterpreted nature of the Buddhist scriptures that reached China.

He became celebrated for his seventeen year overland journey to India; which is recorded in detail in his autobiography and a biography; and which provided the inspiration for the epic novel Journey to the West.