Xuanzang

In this article about Xuanzang and his legacy, what does the author mean when he says that the Xuanzang stories became the Chinese equivalent of the Ramayana? What does he see as Xuanzang's greatest accomplishment? What is the "Xuanzang spirit"?

The Legend of Miao-Shan

What elements of Buddhism are incorporated in this legend from the era of the Song dynasty? What are the desires of Miao-Shan in this story? Why does she ask her father to cure the "three misfortunes"?

The Sharshina Diary

Read this diary down to the second illustration. How would you describe this girl's life? Can you determine the economic class of her family? Why did she and her family go to the Royal City?

Why does this girl take such pleasure in the Genji stories? What does her family think of this interest? Does her interest tell you anything about Japanese society in the Heian period?

Matteo Ricci: The Art of Printing (late 16th Century CE)

According to Matteo Ricci, when did printing come to Europe? When did it originate in China? How did European and Chinese printing differ? Why?
Matteo Ricci described the spread of printing from China to Europe. What other cultures adopted printing between its development in China and its spread to Western Europe? Why do you think Ricci omitted mention of those cultures?