[8] During the Tang dynasty's era of "Zhen Guan" (of Emperor Taizong), Xuan Zang, a young Buddhist monk, in his quest to find the essence of Buddhism, embarks on a journey to India, that is fraught with perils and dangers.

Soldiers get in his way, his disciple betrays him, he struggles through deserts, is short on food and water, and traverses treacherous snow-covered mountain ranges.

[1] By the time he returns to China, he is a little over 40 years old and he then devotes the remainder of his life to translating and studying the Sanskrit scriptures that he carried back from India.

[5] The story of Xuanzang's epic quest is shown as a series of encounters with characters portrayed in cameo performances listed in part below in order of appearance.

It was a prestige project as the first agreement on joint productions was signed in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in May 2015.

The director noted that "We spent a long time with Sanskrit scholars, both in India and Peking University, to get this right, and we had Huang Xiaoming do the lines himself".

For example, the film begins with a scene of baby Xuanzang being placed in a basket and floated down river where he is rescued by a monk who teaches him Buddhist scriptures.

According to a review in the India Today: "As of May 3, [2016] Xuanzang was a lowly seventh at the box office, despite heavy government promotion, earning less than a tenth of a top-grossing Chinese romantic comedy that released on the same day."

For example, a review by Derek Elley on the Sino-Cinema website commented that "most of Xuanzang's encounters are quite engrossing, thanks to the casting" and he goes on to praise several of the actors.

He further commented that: "Given the need to have a star in the title role, and one who can project a strong sense of conviction, Huang is an excellent choice, all firm jaw and intense gaze.

Though he doesn't get much chance to build a personality for Xuanzang outside his Buddhist platitudes, Huang does manage to carry the film on his shoulders .

"[9] During an interview with India Today, the director, Huo Jianqi, insisted that Xuanzang was worth the effort, and has praised both governments for backing what he says is a long-overdue venture.