Li Chi Ch'ang

Travels to the West of Qiu Changchun

The Travels to the West of Qiu Changchun was a record of the journey embarked on by the Taoist monk Qiu Chuji who traveled from Shandong through Central Asia to present himself before Genghis Khan. In 1220, on the invitation of Genghis Khan with a golden tablet, Qiu Chuji left his hometown in Shandong with nineteen disciples and traveled through Beijing and traveled north. In June, they reached Dexing (present-day Julu Hebei) and stayed in the Longyang Taoist Temple from summer to the end of winter. On February 1221, they resumed their journey. When asked by friends and disciples when to expect the master to return, the master answered, "In three years, three years." On February 3rd, they reached Cuiping Pass (west of Zhangjiakou), and they saw the Taihang Mountains to their south. Traveling north and then northeast, they arrived at Gailipo salt lake (now named Jiuliancheng Naoer, in the south of the Taibus Banner). From there, they went to Lake Buir, Hulunbuir, Ulan Bator, Arkhangai, Altay Mountains, Beshbalik, Dzungaria, and Samarkand and arrived at Hindu Kush of Afghanistan in 1222 and presented himself before Genghis Khan. The journey to Persia and back took three years, from 1220 to 1224. The record was written by a disciple Li Zhichang (Li Chi Ch'ang), who accompanied Qiu on the journey. The Travels consisted of two parts, the first part described the details of the travel to the West and back; the second part contained advice from Qiu Chuji to Genghis Khan.