The “Jiaoxiecheng” Narrative and Cultural Exchange Between Asia and Europe in the Tang Dynasty

The “Jiaoxiecheng” narrative, compiled on the basis of the Japanese monk Ennin’s experiences in Tang China, began circulating in society from the late Heian period. Continuously evolved and adapted by later generations, it became a famous Buddhist setsuwa (anecdotal tale) in ancient Japan, yet it was not a Japanese original. The compilation and evolution of the “Jiaoxiecheng” narrative were products of Eurasian cultural exchange during the Tang Dynasty. Its ideological origins lie in the excessive alienation of the Huichang Persecution of Buddhism and the constructed image of Emperor Wuzong among certain groups in Central China at that time. Furthermore, the nostalgia for the homeland revealed in the story’s depiction of Ennin’s experiences in Tang China is actually a microcosm of the homesickness felt by Japanese scholars who traveled to Tang for study and Buddhist teachings, set against the broader context of Sino-Japanese cultural exchange. The cross-cultural perspective presented by the “Jiaoxiecheng” narrative provides an important reference for studying the openness of Tang culture and offers new textual evidence and dimensions for contemplating the relationship between ancient China and Eurasian cultures.