Countries are big and small, and dynasties change, which is an eternal law of social and historical changes. This is because the formation of each country has its own history and roots, and its size is also limited by its national strength. In this social situation, in order to achieve domestic peace and establish good relations with neighboring countries, a unique tribute system in ancient times was formed.
This tribute system, in China, can be traced back to the Ji Fu system in Shang and Zhou Dynasties. At that time, this system was limited to China, and the relationship between the royal family and the vassal States was bound.
The tributary system was finally established in the Western Han Dynasty, mainly because of the strong national strength of China in the Western Han Dynasty. First, Liu Bang unified the whole country, and later, Wenjing was rehabilitated and the national economy was restored. By the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the country reached its heyday and attacked the Xiongnu in the north, making all the surrounding small countries submit.
This is the social and historical background of the tribute system. Specifically, the operation of the tribute system is as follows: the small neighboring countries pay tribute to the big neighboring countries, which shows that they have been blessed by the big countries and formed a joint relationship. Their own country is invaded by internal or external forces, and the big powers help to coordinate.
This system lasted for thousands of years until the Qing Dynasty. When small countries pay tribute, the tribute items are generally unique to their own countries, such as gold and silver jewelry, precious fruits, war horses, cattle and sheep, and of course, beautiful women.