兩宋時期與鄰近國家相互往來，主要有北邊的遼、金，西邊的夏國，東北亞的高麗、日本，南方的交州，以及西南諸國等。其間的互動，有屬於政治外交上的朝貢形式，有偏於經濟上的商業貿易形式。朝貢乃藉禮儀定位宗屬、賓主關係，貿易則依商稅法規買賣交易，兩者有分別行之，亦有併而行之者。宋與高麗通使往來依形勢消長而有變化。宋麗關係由互動時的禮儀制度可見一斑。北宋末年，徐兢為宋派赴高麗的使節團成員，返國後所撰《宣和奉使高麗圖經》四十卷，記錄下往來高麗的所見所聞，其中以高麗王「受詔」及祭吊為核心任務，禮儀過程，包括：節仗奉迎、受詔導拜、燕禮、祭奠吊慰與拜表等禮儀內容，盛大的場面，敬虔的禮儀，優厚的接待，彰顯出宋麗關係達於高峰具體而實質的表現。

During the Sung Dynasty, it exchanged with neighboring countries, mainly including Liao and Jin in the north, Xia in the west, Goryeo, Japan in Northeast Asia, Jiaozhou in the south, and southwestern countries. The interaction between them hasAform of tribute in political diplomacy andAform of commercial trade. The tribute is to use the ceremonial ritual to locate the relationship between the sage and the guest, and the trade is to be traded and sold according to the stipulations of the commercial tax. The two have separate actions, and there are also those who do it. Sung and Goryeo made the exchanges change according to the situation. Sung and Goryeo relationship is evident from the ritual system at the time of interaction. At the end of the Northern Sung Dynasty, Xu Jing wasAmember of the envoy of the Sung Dynasty who went to Goryeo. After returning to China, he wrote forty volumes of the "Xuan He Feng Shi Gao Li Tu Jing", recording what he saw and heard from Goryeo. The ritual as the core task, including: greeting by ritual team, accept edict meanwhile guiding worship, sacrificial rites and condolence, worship edict etc.. Such as ceremonial content, grand scenes, godly manners, generous reception, highlighted Sung and Goryeo relationship achieve the specific and substantial performance of the peak.