The Economist.
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In the 7th century, a Chinese monk named Xuanzang undertook a journey to the west.
His destination was India, which China then held in high regard as the birthplace of Buddhism.
When Xuanzang returned home after 16 years,
it was with dozens of scriptures whose translation would profoundly influence the religion's development in China.
But he came back with other useful knowledge too, including about Indian politics, economics, and geography.
This he set down in his Records of the Western Regions.
The Buddhist monk was, perhaps inadvertently, also an early scholar of India.
Much has changed in the 14 centuries since then,
not least China's view of its neighbour, which these days is rather less rosy.
Another big difference is in how China builds up expertise about the outside world.
Until 2022, research about a country or region was spread across disciplines.
A scholar might study India in the Department of History before taking a doctorate in political science.
That year, China's Education Ministry accorded 'first-level' status to area studies,
allowing universities to create interdisciplinary departments and award degrees focused on particular bits of the world.
The restructuring reflected China's need to better understand the world it seeks to influence.