188 korea
According to Wen-hsien t’ung-k’ao 325:51a, Koryo sent envoys from 936
to 944. Missions are recorded for 936, 939, and 943. The text does
not say annually so that three missions may be the truth or close to
it. In short, while there must be omissions, the statistics are complete
enough to reveal trends.
This is the distribution by 20-year periods of the 82 missions recorded
from Koryo to Wu-yüeh, the Later Liang, Later T’ang, Later Chin,
Later Chou, and Sung, the 80 missions from Koryo to Liao, and the
190 missions from Koryo to Chin:
Missions from KoryoTo China To the Khitan/Liao To Chin
907- 926: 3 6
927- 946: 11 2
947- 966: 11 0
967- 986: 7 0
987-1006: 11 14
1007-1026: 7 9
1027-1046: 1 10
1047-1066: 0 15
1067-1086: 8 8
1087-1106: 7 11
1107-1126: 9 5 2
1127-1146: 5 45
1147-1166: 2 43
1167-1186: 0 47
1187-1206: 0 45
1207-1226: 0 8
Before the Liao became a great power, the Koreans preferred to send
missions to China. While this never led to a formal alliance, close
political relations could be an advantage for both sides. Thereafter,
the majority of the Koryo missions went to Liao, which had become a
dangerous neighbour. The great number of missions from Koryo to
Chin was not only necessitated by the need to negotiate and trade with
another strong state, but also because diplomatic protocol by that time
required congratulations on the New Year Days and the birthdays of