"buddhist Records" Popular Culture Study

The book Pilgrimage to the West in the Tang Dynasty is an excellent and famous work in Chinese cultural heritage. It tells lively the various difficulties Xuanzang encounters during his trip from Chang'an in Tang Dynasty to the western area Tianzhu and also portrays the real life of the majority people in Xiyu. The Pilgrimage, from which we can see the real life of the west, ranging from material production to ideological beliefs as well as their customs and habits in clothing, food, transportation and housing, is more than a book of travelling notes. This thesis aims to relive the general folk culture of Xiyu in Tang Dynasty through exploration of Xuanzang's life story and analysis of the Pilgrimage.This thesis will focus on the Buddhist models of transportation and rituals at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty and also the material life and folk culture in Xiyu portrayed by the Pilgrimage. The first chapter is about the main traffic routes and traditions of going to the west at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty. The second chapter will concentrate on the text of the Pilgrimage itself and portrays the distinctive folk culture of Xiyu in clothing, food, transportation and housing. The third chapter will focus on the development of Buddhist culture in Xiyu.This thesis will examine people's beliefs in travelling, Buddhist culture and folk culture in Xiyu through references and logical analysis and will try to relive the real look of them at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty. It aims to relive the life and customs of Xiyu, the Buddhist models and rituals of travelling and the distinctive characteristics of their material life and customs in Xiyu, Tang Dynasty.