元旦朝會

At the New Year great assembly the emperor sat in the Hall of Grand Celebration. Four towering figures in armor stood at the corners — the Palace Guard Giants. Envoys from every nation entered to offer congratulations. The hall displayed the imperial guard in full array; the civil officials wore court dress; the exam candidates from the provinces stood in scholar’s garb, two-liang caps and blue-trimmed white robes. The tribute commissioners of each prefecture presented local products. The envoys: the Liao chief envoy wore a golden cap with a long pointed back like a great lotus leaf, a purple narrow robe and golden belt fittings; his deputy in formal gold-belted dress dressed like a Chinese official. The chief envoy’s bow: standing on the left foot, kneeling on the right, both hands on the right shoulder — one bow. His deputy bowed in Chinese fashion. The Xia envoys wore golden caps, short-patched uniforms, crimson narrow robes, golden belt fittings and diaodun legwear; they pressed their hands together and bowed. The Goryeo and Southern Fan Jiaozhou envoys dressed in Chinese style. The Uighurs were long-bearded and high-nosed, heads wrapped in bolts of silk, robes worn loose. The Khotanese wore small golden-flower felt caps, gold-threaded battle dress and belts, and came with wives and sons, riding camels with felt hoods and bronze bells, bringing tribute. The Srivijayans were lean, heads wrapped, in crimson robes woven with Buddha faces. The five tribes of the Southern Fan wore topknots and black felt, bowing like monks. They were immediately given Chinese-style brocade robes. The Zhenla, Dali and Dashi states sometimes sent tribute at other times. The Liao envoys stayed at the Duting Lodge; the Xia at the Western Duting Lodge; Goryeo at the Tongwen Institute outside Liang Gate; the Uighurs and Khotanese at the Liubin Office; the various Fan states at the Zanyun Institute or the Huaiyuan Station. Only the Liao and Goryeo missions were feasted at their own lodges.

After the Liao envoys’ audience, the next day they burned incense at the great Xiangguo Temple; the day after, they went to the Southern Imperial Garden for archery. The court selected military officers skilled in archery to accompany them, and feasted them there; the three-tier retinues all attended. A dozen or so of the Archery Guard were lined up before the targets. The envoys mostly shot with crossbows: a Liao man in a headless small turban and brocade jacket stepped on the crossbow, spun and set the arrow, passed it to the envoy, who took careful aim — then and only then was the envoy told to trip the trigger. By custom the Chinese counterpart shot with a bow. A hit earned decorated trappings, a silver-saddled horse, clothing, and gold and silver objects, each according to merit. When the Chinese counterpart scored, the street children of the capital blocked the road competing to sing refrains, and the onlookers formed a wall. The next day the envoys took their leave at court. When the audience ended, the lantern mountain before the palace had already been dressed in colors — with divine speed.