62 continental south asia and the islands
in 1008, conveyed the congratulations. Only one ruler of “rivijaya
is stated to have received a Chinese title. This was in 724, when the
king was made a General-in-chief. That was not an impressive title
for a man who governed a powerful state.
The Chinese, being obsessed with rank, presented belts of differ-
ent value to foreign envoys. The fact that the envoys from “rivijaya,
except in 1028, received silver belts and not golden belts, shows that
the Sung court did not realize the importance of this state.
Envoys from “rivijaya were appointed to nominal Chinese offices,
but that was a standard practice of the Chinese to impress and flatter
foreigners and themselves. That the government felt responsible for
envoys while they were on Chinese territory is shown by the fact that
it assumed the expenses for a deceased envoy in 1082 or 1083.
It is hard to say whether all missions from “rivijaya to China are
recorded in the sources. Hsin T’ang shu 222C:5a states that envoys
arrived frequently between 713 and 741. The actual missions listed
are three. That is hardly frequent. Some missions must therefore have
been omitted.
Missions from “rivijaya are recorded for most months of the year,
but the preferred time of arrival was the winter. This means that the
envoys sailed to China with the end of the summer monsoon and
returned with the end of the winter monsoon.
The following table shows the recorded 38 missions from “rivijaya
to T’ang and Sung by 20-year periods:
687- 706: 1
707- 726: 2
727- 746: 2
747- 766: 0
767- 786: 0
787- 806: 0
807- 826: 0
827- 846: 0
847- 866: 0
867- 886: 0
887- 906: 1
907- 926: 0
927- 946: 0
947- 966: 5
967- 986: 7