ABSTRACT
A scholar-official in the Song Dynasty (960–1279 CE), Hong Hao 洪皓 was sent as an emissary to the Nüzhen Jin Dynasty (1115–1234) in the second year of the era of Jianyan (1129 CE) in the reign of Emperor Gaozong 宋高宗 (r. 1127–1162). 321 There he was detained and held for over ten years. He refused to accept offers of appointment to the Nüzhen court, but secretly sent couriers to the Song Emperor to report on the situation in the Nüzhen empire. In 1142 he was released and returned home. His book Travel Records of the Pine and Desert Lands 松漠紀聞 (Songmo jiwen) was a record of his time in the regions controlled by the Nüzhen.
