272 the southwest
This is the distribution by 20-year periods of the 53 recorded Nan-
chao missions after the unification of the tribes in 730 to T’ang, Later
T’ang, and Sung:
730- 746:^581
747- 766: 1
767- 786: 0
787- 806: 15
807- 826: 14
827- 846: 9
847- 866: 1
867- 886: 7
887- 906: 0
907- 926: 1
927- 946: 0
947- 966: 0
967- 986: 0
987-1006: 0
1007-1026: 0
1027-1046: 0
1047-1066: 0
1067-1086: 1
1087-1106: 0
1107-1126: 3From 750 to 794, Nan-chao and T’ang were at war, which included
the time of An Lu-shan’s uprising. Then came a peaceful period
with many missions from 794 to 846, only interrupted by a brief
war from 829 to 830. Another war followed from 859 to 876. After
a brief increase, missions ceased for the rest of T’ang, and only one
is recorded for the Five Dynasties. Relations revived slightly at the
end of Northern Sung and at the express wish of that dynasty in
- The Southern Sung withdrew from 1127 into isolationism and
xenophobia.
The specified goods brought by the Nan-chao missions are rarely
mentioned and fall into the following categories:
(^58) 17-year period.