524 hsia
gratulated Jen-hsiao 36 times from 1151 to 1192, and Shun-yu every
year from 1194 to 1203.
It is clear from this survey that the entries in Sung shih,Liao shih,
andChin shih cannot be complete. They are rich enough, however, to
reveal an increasing sophistication in foreign relations, which became
a routine by Chin times.
This is the distribution by 20-year periods of the 88 recorded
missions from Hsia to Sung, the 109 missions to Liao, and the 187
missions to Chin:
Missions from HsiaTo Sung To Liao To Chin
947- 966 1
967- 986 1 2
987-1006 8 31
1007-1026 5 2
1027-1046 6 18
1047-1066 16 18
1067-1086 18 11
1087-1106 23 21
1107-1126 7 6 7
1127-1146 0 40
1147-1166 0 40
1167-1186 1 41
1187-1206 0 47
1207-1226 2 12It can be seen that Hsia at first cultivated closer ties with Liao than
with Sung. Conflicts between the two states were few, tensions in 991
and 1043-1044, war from 1049 to 1051. Three Hsia rulers married
Liao princesses, Chi-ch’ien in 989, Yüan-hao in 1031, and Ch’ien-shun
in 1105, whereas there were never any marriage relations between the
Hsia, Sung, and Chin houses. Liao desired stability and status quo
and hence mediated between Hsia and Sung in 1042, 1043, 1098,
1099, 1105, and 1106. But when Hsia grew stronger and Liao weaker,
the relations of Hsia to Sung improved. They came to an end after
the fall of Northern Sung in 1127. Emperor Kao-tsung attempted to
open diplomatic and commercial intercourse with Hsia from 1128 to