continental south asia and the islands 717th month (August) (Sung shih 8:1b, 3a; Sung hui-yao kao 3997; Wen-hsien
t’ung-k’ao 332:17b).
On Aug.8, 1014, an edict referred to the arrival of envoys from
Pagan (P’u-tuan) (Sung hui-yao kao 10122:11b).
In the 6th month (July) of 1106, envoys from Pagan (P’u-kan) were
received at the Sung court. An edict ordered that the protocol should be
the same as for Chu-lien. The Imperial Secretariat objected. Chu-lien
was a dependency of “rivijaya. An imperial communication addressed
to it during the hsi-ning period (1068-1077) had been written on plain
white paper.^152 Pagan on the other hand was a big state and should
not be treated like a small state. The protocol for Pagan should be the
same as for the Ta-shih (Arabs) and Chiao-chih. Emperor Hui-tsung
accepted this (Sung shih 489:11b-12a; Wen-hsien-t’ung-k’ao 332:19b).^153
Shih-tzu.
Shih-tzu or Ceylon sent six missions from c.405 to527 to Eastern
Chin, Liu Sung, and Liang of the Six Dynasties.^154
During T’ang, Shih-tzu supposedly had the largest ships trading
with China. They were up to 200 feet long and carried 600-770 men.
Many had life boats and homing pigeons.^155 It was on vessels like these
that the missions arrived.
The first mission from Shih-tzu to the T’ang court is recorded for
669, when envoys offered gifts.^156 At the end of 711, they offered
regional objects (Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5026).
In the 1st month (Jan./Feb.) of 746, envoys from the king of the
Shih-tzu State, Shih-lo-mi-chia,^157 presented big pearls, necklaces of
fine gold, 40 sheets of fine cotton fabrics, and Buddhist texts of the
Mahayana School on palm leaves (Hsin T’ang shu 222C:9a; T’ang hui-
yao 100:16a; Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5030).
In the 3rd month (Apr./May) of 750, the Shih-tzu State presented
(^152) Instead of a more valuable material.
(^153) Hirth and Rockhill, Chau Ju-kua, p.59 note 1, confuse missions from Champa
with those from Pagan. 154
See my Six Dynasties, vol.II, p.88.
(^155) See Schafer, Golden Peaches, p.13.
(^156) By Hsin T’ang shu 222C:9a dated 670. This probably means that the envoys
remained in Ch’ang-an through the New Year.
(^157) By Schafer, Goldern Peaches, p.222, identified as SÊlamegha.