Our itinerary in China, after viewing the solar eclipse, is a pilgrimage to sites important in the history of Zen Buddhism--from the legendary Bodhidharma who is often credited with bringing Buddhism from India to China in the 5th century, to Nampo Jomyo, a key figure in bringing Rinzai Zen to Japan in the 13th century. Thanks to books by Andy Ferguson and Bill Porter, zen aficionados such as ourselves can actually tramp around China and visit the cave where Bodhidharma sat in meditation for nine years, or sit zazen at the temple of Joshu's famed cypress tree.
My interest in this journey began with the Dharma Lineage that is chanted each day during the morning service at the Tahoma Zen Monastery on Whidbey Island. This list pays homage to Shakyamuni (563 - 483 BCE) and a line of 81 subsequent teachers up to Yamado Mumon Roshi (1900-1988) of the Rinzai sect. I thought it might be fun to track down some of the Chinese Patriarchs of the 6th to the 13th centuries in their own environs.
Fortunately, Bill Porter, author and translator of Buddhist texts made just such a trip to China three years ago, which he has described in his book, Zen Baggage. Below is an adaptation of an itinerary prepared for us by Andy Ferguson; and revised slightly after consultation with Bill Porter.
See also this document cross-referencing the names of the Chinese Patriarchs from these different sources.