Chinese pilgrims in India

Chinese Pilgrims in India

The Chinese attitudes of India "vary from total absence of curiosity to wild fanciful misapprehension" and from these attitudes, the perceptions of the Chinese towards India can be derived (Mather, 1992). Though, most accounts that have emerged from History of the Han Dynasty speak to mutual respect- falling in the middle of the spectrum. The account tells of a positive relationship with India and the respect for certain things in Indian society including basic cleanliness, the demeanor of the people, and respect for their customs and traditions describing them as "timid and excitability, their real intentions are pure and genuine" (Mather, 1992). The earlier accounts of the Chinese in regards to India is overwhelmingly positive- there is a certain sense of curiosity, fascination and respect which allows for a strong relationship in the earlier timeframes of their relationship. "The accounts in the various Six Dynasties histories" do not indicate any "condescension" (Mather, 1992).

The factors that affect the perceptions and the account of these themes include some personal accounts. It is along the journey that pilgrims took that certain things were noticed and mentioned- the exchange of goods, people noticing the customs and traditions of the Indian culture, the general cleanliness that was previously mentioned in an account, the overall aura and demeanor of the Indian people. Pilgrims were more or less "ambassadors" of China that represented the country in their spiritual journey; thus, the main factor that impacted these positive perceptions is the people that took this journey. The individual parts that eventually comprised the whole helped develop and establish the relationship that was fostered between ancient India and ancient China.

Though, this overall positive perception of India changed "after the rise of ecclesiastical Taoism" which was influenced by the Indian culture and faith, because of this influence it also made Hinduism a rival faith (Mather, 1992). Because of this rival, Taoism criticized Buddhist and India in many ways. They produced a "pseudo-canonical work, known as the Scripture of Lao-tzu Converting the Barbarians" which told a story of how Lao-tzu proceeded to India and was re-born as Prince Siddhartha, which was not true; but, in order to bolster the image and overall reputation of Taoism and tarnished that of India (Mather, 1992). Because of rhetoric that was rampant through the region, the result was "a skewed perception among some Chinese intellectuals that Indian must have been a race of violent and uncouth barbarians" (Mather, 1992). The once positive relationship between the two regions was tarnished, as evident by the "Discourse on Triple Destruction" which illuminates the barbarian traits that the Indian people have (Mather, 1992). This laid, along with the foundational elements Scripture of Lao-tzu Converting the Barbarians, for a negative perception of India and allowed for Bhuddism to flourish on Chinese terms.