n trade routes leading to Kashgar and Aulieata respectively.
Kucha absorbed some Chinese civilization but its doubtful loyalty to
the Imperial throne often involved it in trouble. It is not until the
Western Tsin dynasty that we find it described as a seat of Buddhism.
The Tsin annals say that it was enclosed by a triple wall and
contained a thousand stupas and Buddhist temples as well as a
magnificent palace for the king.[500] This implies that Buddhism had
been established for some time but no evidence has been found to date
its introduction.

In 383 Fu-chien, Emperor of the Tsin dynasty, sent his general
Lu-Kuang to subdue Kucha.[501] The expedition was successful and among
the captives taken was the celebrated Kumarajiva. Lu-Kuang was so
pleased with the magnificent and comfortable life of Kucha that he
thought of settling there but Kumarajiva prophesied that he was
destined to higher things. So they left to try their fortune in China.
Lu-Kuang rose to be ruler of the state known as Southern Liang and his
captive and adviser became one of the greatest names in Chinese
Buddhism.

Kumarajiva is a noticeable figure and his career illustrates several
points of importance. First, his father came from India and he himself
went as a youth to study in Kipin (Kashmir) and then returned to
Kucha. Living in this remote corner of Central Asia he was recognized
as an encyclopaedia of Indian learning including a knowledge of the
Vedas and "heretical sastras." Secondly after his return to Kucha
he was converted to Mahayanism. Thirdly he went from Kucha to China
where he had a distinguished career as a translator. Thus we see how
China was brought into intellectual touch with India and how the
Mahayana was gaining in Central Asia territory previously occupied by
the Hinayana. The monk Dharmagupta who passed through Kucha about 584
says that the king favoured Mahayanism.[502] That Kucha should have
been the home of distinguished translators is not strange for a
statement[503] has been preserved to the effect that Sanskrit texts
were used in the cities lying to the west of it, but that in Kucha
itself Indian languages were not understood and translations were
made, although such Sanskrit words as were easily intelligible were
retained.

In the time of the Wei, Kucha again got into trouble with China and
was brought to order by another punitive expedition in 448. After this
lesson a long series of tribute-bearing missions is recor