Gold was given to him by both the Kyoto court and by the retired Emperor Uda in order to fund a visit to China. His original purpose was both to study at the temples on Mount Wutai and to make a pilgrimage following the Buddha's footsteps. In 983, Chōnen departed Japan upon the ship of the Chinese merchants Xu Renman and Chen Renshuang, accompanied by his disciples, Ka'in and Jōsan. They visited various Buddhist sites in and around Yue Prefecture (Zhejiang), Hangzhou, and Yangzhou, most notably the Kaiyuan Temple (Chaozhou). At the Kaiyuan Temple, Chōnen had hoped to view an image of Śākyamuni, carved from sandalwood at the order of the ruler of Udayana, that was believed to represent the true form of the Buddha. However, the image had been moved to Kaifeng.