Xuanzang

Xuanzang wanted authoritative Buddhist scriptures and clearer answers to doctrinal disagreements he encountered in China. He left around 629 despite restrictions on foreign travel and journeyed overland through Central Asia.

At Nalanda in northern India, Xuanzang studied Buddhist philosophy, especially Yogacara teachings, under the renowned monk Silabhadra. Nalanda was then one of the major monastic and intellectual centers of the Buddhist world.

He returned to Chang'an in 645 with hundreds of Buddhist texts as well as images and relics. With teams of assistants, he translated major works including the Heart Sutra and the extensive Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra.

Yes, the historical Xuanzang inspired the monk Tang Sanzang in the novel Journey to the West. The novel adds Sun Wukong, demons, and miracles to a real pilgrimage that was recorded in the Great Tang Records on the Western Regions.