Since ancient times, the mutual exchange of Han Chinese Buddhist texts has been an essential aspect of the development of Buddhism that cannot be overlooked. For example, during the late Ming and early Qing periods, many Chinese Buddhist scriptures were transmitted to Japan, which indirectly prompted Japanese monks to reflect on the existence of their own literature and led to the acceptance and revision of ideas. This can be glimpsed in the efforts of Japanese Soto Zen monk Dōsui, who actively sought to request and donate texts to China.

Historically, there have been many who traveled from Japan and Korea to China in search of teachings, and there were also numerous Chinese monks who propagated Buddhism in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. For instance, the only monk from Japan to have visited Sichuan, the author of Ming'e Collection, and the Japanese monk Xuecun, who received poetry from the Ming founder, as well as the monk Juehai Zhongcun, who corresponded with Ming Taizu. This indicates that exchanges between the two countries were still vibrant during the Yuan and Ming dynasties.

However, exchanges were interrupted for over a century during the late Qing period until the monk Xiaoguan Qixiang from the True Sect traveled to China to spread teachings and engaged in debates on Pure Land thought with Yang Wenhui, marking the revival of interactions between Japanese and Chinese monks.

Overall, the history of East Asian literary exchanges shows that the transmission of Buddhist texts was the most active and significant, receiving more attention than other texts, such as Confucian classics. The differing evaluations and significance placed on the same Buddhist texts and figures by East Asian countries reflect specific value judgments. Therefore, cherishing and examining these previously overlooked rare documents may yield new discoveries in cultural and religious history, necessitating ongoing attention and effort in the future.

Prof. Liao Chao-Heng, Ph.D. in Literature from the University of Tokyo. Researcher at the Institute of Chinese Literature and Philosophy at Academia Sinica. Former visiting professor at the University of Tokyo. His main research areas include the theory of classical Chinese literature, the cultural history of Buddhism in early modern East Asia, and the history of cultural exchange in East Asia. He has received several honors, including the Excellent Young Scholar Award from Academia Sinica (2005) and contributions to the Journal of the Japanese Association for Chinese Studies.

He is the author of Zhong Bian, Shi Chan, Meng Xi: Presentations and Developments of the Cultural Discourse of Zen in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and Zhong Yi Pu Ti: An Analysis of the Loyalty and Righteousness Discourse of the Remaining Monks at the Turn of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. He has edited works such as Sacred Tradition and Poetry Zen: A Collection of Studies on Chinese Literature and Religion and A History of Chinese Buddhist Literature (Volume II: Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing). He has also translated Buddhism and Confucianism by Japanese scholar Araki Kigen.