Travels of Fa-hsien, The [法顕伝] (Chin Fa-hsien-chuan; Hokken-den): An abbreviation of The Travels of the Eminent Priest Fa-hsien, also known as The Record of the Buddhistic Kingdoms. An account by Fa-hsien (c. 340–420), a Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, of his journeys in Central Asia and India. In 399, around age sixty, Fa-hsien left Ch’ang-an and journeyed through Central Asia to India. There he visited Buddhist sites and sought out Buddhist scriptures. He proceeded to Sri Lanka and visited a number of countries in Southeast Asia as well, returning to China by sea some fifteen years after his departure from Ch’ang-an. The Travels of Fa-hsien is valued for the information it provides on the customs, cultures, and practice of Buddhism in India and other countries in the early fifth century.