666 chin
their coffins. These efforts became even more urgent after the Lady
Hsing, whom Kao-tsung had made empress in absentia, had also died
in Manchuria in 1139. In addition, Kao-tsung sought the release from
captivity of his mother, the Lady Wei.
With the peace treaty of 1142, the relations of Southern Sung and
Chin entered their second phase which lasted until 1224. Even though
there were brief wars from 1161 to 1165, and 1205 to 1208, this was a
period of coexistance in which the Southern Sung until 1214 was the
junior partner. It ended with the unilateral rescinding by Southern
Sung of its tribute payments to Chin in 1214, a last war from 1217, the
unilateral rescinding by Chin of all congratulatory missions in 1223,
and the peace of 1224 in which the two revocations were recognized
by both sides. The remaining years from 1224 to 1234 were occupied
by Chin’s last struggle against the Mongols and the cessation of all
relations with Southern Sung.
In accordance with the treaty of 1142, a tight protocol was set up
which governed the exchange of congratulatory missions between
reigning rulers. Empresses Dowager/Grand Empresses Dowager no
longer congratulated through messengers of their own, nor did they
receive personal congratulations.
The exchange of congratulatory missions on the New Year’s Days
and birthdays of the emperors began to function routinely in 1144
and ceased after 1217. Its rescinding by Chin in 1223 therefore simply
acknowledged what had already happened. From 1144 to 1217, there
are only four unexplainable gaps gaps in these missions. There is no
mention of a New Year congratulation in 1209 by Chin, birthday con-
gratulations in 1200 and 1214 by Chin, and a birthday congratulation
in 1216 by Southern Sung. Four possible omissions compared to 261
recorded missions give us remarkably accurate statistics.^84
The statistics concerning the enthronements and deaths of emper-
ors are equally reliable. From 1142 to 1223, the Southern Sung and
Chin announced the enthronement of every emperor to each other.
They congratulated each other on the enthronement of every emperor
with one exception. Chin did not congratulate Ning-tsung in 1194.
They announced the death of every emperor, including that of abdi-
(^84) Note that the Chin court twice postponed congratulations because of solar
eclipses, for the birthday celebration of 1176 and for the New Year reception of
- It shows that the Jurchen shared the outdated Chinese superstitious fear of
these events.