Fortitude in Flux: The Persistence of Translation Activities in the Changing Landscape of the Late Tang Period

Focusing on the translation team led by Prajña and Liyan during the reign of Emperor Dezong, the last massive translation activity in Tang China, this chapter explores the continuation of Buddhist scripture translation during the politically unstable late Tang era. It discusses the team’s workflow, organizational structure, and translation process, highlighting the translators’ unique qualities that helped them overcome the obstacles of the time and maintain the operation of the translation institution at Chang’an. This chapter also analyzes the historical role of monk translators in national affairs, the continued transformation of the elite translation model, and the emperor’s intention to strengthen imperial authority through sūtra translation. It concludes by examining the factors that sustained Buddhist translation activities during turbulent times and provides an overview of the revival of collective sūtra translation in the Song Dynasty.