Few Chinese ventured westward along the Silk Road and those that did, like Zhang, had very different motives.

BBC: Following the Silk Road to the end of China

Few cities in Asia so represented the great cultural currents that crossed and re-crossed the continent along the Silk Road.

BBC: Following the Silk Road to the end of China

Foreign archaeologists and explorers travelling along the Silk Road would visit the site and walk away with groups of manuscripts.

BBC: Silk Road treasures united on the web

Trade between West and East moved through Central Asia along the famed Silk Road, bringing development and prosperity.

ECONOMIST: At the crossroads | The

So Zhang, an ardent Buddhist, had set off along what we know as the Silk Road, to purchase original texts to bring them home for careful translation.

BBC: Following the Silk Road to the end of China