Pagan Kingdom Sends Embassy to Song China

1067

King Anawrahta dispatched envoys from Pagan to the Song court at Kaifeng, establishing diplomatic ties that would yield both trade advantages and cultural exchange. The embassy carried gifts of precious stones and aromatic woods; it returned with Chinese ceramics and the prestige of recognition by the world's wealthiest empire. Pagan was announcing itself on the international stage - no longer a backwater but a kingdom worth knowing.