Before his resignation from the throne, Michael VII may have sent an embassy to Song China, following a series of Byzantine embassies to the earlier Tang Empire of China. From the "Wenxian Tongkao", written by Chinese historian Ma Duanlin (1245–1322), and the "History of Song" it is known that the Byzantine emperor Michael VII Parapinakēs Caesar ("Mie li sha ling kai sa" 滅力沙靈改撒) of "Fu lin" (i.e. Byzantium) sent an embassy to China's Song dynasty that arrived in November 1081, during the reign of Emperor Shenzong of Song (r. 1067–1085). The "History of Song" mentions how the Byzantine diplomat and official named "Ni-si-tu-ling-si-meng-p'an" offered saddled horses, sword-blades, and real pearls as tributary gifts to the Song court.