continental south asia and the islands 35the Ministries of Revenue and War on June 22, 1156, the Ministry
of War on Apr.28, 1159, and the Ministry of Rites on Aug.24, 1175.
Proper bureaucratic channels had to be observed. But the chief pur-
pose of the missions was trade.
The Chinese historians sometimes make it easy for themselves by
recording that Chiao-chih/Annam offered regional objects. But it is not
unusual that they specify the gifts and merchandise in detail. These were
live rhinoceroses and elephants, rhinoceros horns and elephant tusks,
a purported ch’i-lin, occasional horses,^86 vessels of gold and silver,^87
pearls, kingfisher’s feathers, pongee and other silken fabrics, aromat-
ics, gharu wood, pewter, tortoise shells, and red ore. It is obvious that
some of these items were luxury articles for the court. Others, such
as ores, were commercial goods. The Chinese government matched
gifts for gifts, and also payed in copper cash or precious metals. We
have seen that in August of 1022, envoys presented official gifts and
merchandise evaluated at 1,682 strings of cash, for which they were
paid 2000 strings of cash. In the 3rd month (May/Apr.) of 1028, the
high officials memorialized that the envoys, perhaps privately, had sold
fragrant drugs at the price of 3,060 strings of copper cash. An edict
ordered that they be reembursed with 4000 strings of cash. In the 6th
month (June/July) of 1273, the Chinese court paid 500 ounces of gold
and 500 bolts of silk for the regional objects presented by Annam.
The profit in 1022 was 19%, and in 1028 31%. Even allowing for
the possibility that the Chinese authorities and merchants undervalued
the foreign goods, the profit was far from low. In any event, it made
the Annamese come back for more.
The chief Chinese gifts were garments and precious belts, vessels of
gold, silver, and porcelain, silk and brocade, valuable horse trappings,
armour, tea, books if requested, and fish wallets for the envoys.
In addition to this official exchange of gifts and trade, there also
was regular commerce. A joint market was opened on the south coast
of present Kuang-tung in 1010. It has been seen that local officials in
that area reported to the court in 1022 that they had received from
Chiao-chih a shipment of 5,300 catties of cassia bark, valued at 1,700
strings of copper cash and that the court had ordered its purchase. Chao
(^86) This was during Northern Sung, when China got all the horses it needed
from its northern neighbours. The horses from Chiao-chih must therefore have been
a special and appreciated breed.
(^87) Gold and silver objects were not recorded by their number but their weight.