Wang Xuance (, fl. 7th century) was a Chinese diplomat, military general, and travel writer. In 643 CE he went on a pilgrimage to India, together with Li Yibiao. Due to Tibet's aggressive stance, which threatened both Chinese and Indian states, The Tang and Kannauj had started to maintain friendly relations, and in 648, Tang Taizong (reign 626 to 649) of the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

(618 to 907) sent him to the Kingdom of Kannauj (510–1036), India, heading the third Tang mission, in response to

Harshavardhana Harshavardhana (Sanskrit: हर्षवर्धन; 4 June 590 – 647) was an emperor of Kannauj from April 606 until his death in 647. He was the king of Thanesar who had defeated the Alchon Huns, and the younger brother of Rajya ...

(reign 606 to 647) sending an ambassador to China. According to Chinese sources, on arriving in India he discovered that Harshavardhana had died. The new king, Aluonashun (supposedly

Arunāsva Arunāsva (also known as Aluonashun in Tang dynasty, Chinese sources and as Arjuna) was the governor of Mithila (region), Tirabhukti (modern north Bihar) who later usurped the throne of Kannauj. He had been the governor of Tirhut and a minister ...

), attacked Wang and his 30 mounted subordinates. Wang Xuance escaped to Tibet, and assembled a regiment of 700

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

ese

mounted infantry Mounted infantry were infantry who rode horses instead of marching. Unlike cavalry, mounted infantry dismounted to fight on foot. The original dragoons were essentially mounted infantry. According to the ''Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Editio ...

and 1,200 Tibetan

mercenaries A mercenary is a private individual who joins an War, armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rath ...

, which attacked Arunāsva, captivating him and 2,000 prisoners, and also taking a reported Buddhist relic for China. The success of this attack won Xuance the prestigious title of the "Grand Master for the Closing Court." He wrote the book ''Zhong Tianzhu Guo Xingji'' (Travel Notes of Central India), which included a wealth of geographical information.

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;Printed sources * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Xuance Chinese travel writers Tang dynasty diplomats Tang dynasty generals at war against Tibet Tang dynasty generals from Henan Tang dynasty writers Writers about India Explorers of South Asia