The Evolution Of The Sino-vietnam Partriarchal-vassal Relationship In 19th Century

From 10th century to the end of 19th century, there was a special kind of tributary and coronation called Partriarchal-Vassal system to maintain the relationship between China and Vietnam. In this system, Vietnam treated China as a suzerain and it paid tribute to China on time. The king of Vietnam was coronated by China government. China didn't interfere in the internal affairs of Vietnam. This Partriarchal-Vassal relationship won't declare to finish until Vietnam became to Pairs colony in 1885.As the last period of Partriarchal-Vassal relationship of Sino-Vietnam, that relationship in 19th century, which experienced a succession of variation from establishment to development and disintegration, is also a transitional period for the traditional foreign relations of China from Partriarchal-Vassal system to modern foreign system. With abundant connotation, it can well manifest the historical process and main characteristics in the last period of Sino-Vietnam Partriarchal-Vassal relationship. After the modern times, confronted with the invasion of western powers, aggression and expansion of Japanese growing up after Meiji Reformation, the traditional Partriarchal-Vassal system connected China with Vietnam again based on the original political relationship of tribute intercourse to fight with the aggression of western colonies together, which to some extent has curbed the process of expansion and colonization.This paper which focuses on the evolution of Sino-Vietnam Partriarchal-Vassal relationship in 19th century can be divided into the following four parts:Chapter one introduces the close developing stage of Sino-Vietnam Partriarchal-Vassal relationship in the beginning of 19th century. During this period, although the Chinese Feudal Society had gone downwards and Vietnam was also in a turbulent period of regime change, there was a close Partriarchal-Vassal intercourse between China and Vietnam; moreover, the official relation has gradually developed further.Chapter two presents the sluggish and suspensive period of Sino-Vietnam Partriarchal-Vassal relationship in middle of 19th century. Since the middle of 19th century, due to the continuous aggression from the western powers, the turbulent political situation of the two countries and especially the Movement of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom which hindered the way of tribute intercourse between China and Vietnam, the Sino-Vietnam Partriarchal-Vassal relationship was once suspended from 1853 to 1869.Chapter three describes the gradual disappearing and disintegration stage of Sino-Vietnam Partriarchal-Vassal relationship in end of 19th century. On the eve of Anti-France War, China carried on negotiation with France on the Vietnamese, which is a period of strengthening political relation and communication in order to resist the western powers together. France sent messengers to conduct negotiations with Qing Government; meanwhile, it tightened aggression to Vietnam and extensively affected Sino-Vietnam border. In 1883, France provoked a war while the Qing Government, no result suing for peace, declared war on France under the pressure of public opinion. In spite of the Great Victory of Zhen Nanguan and heavy losses of France by Chinese Army which obtained the war initiative, the Qing Government, compromising and signing unequal New Treaty of Sino-France,completely lost the war. The Sino- Vietnam Partriarchal-Vassal system collapsed completely and China had lost its suzerainty to Vietnam.Chapter four discusses the reason of disintegration of Sino-Vietnam Partriarchal-Vassal relationship and the influence to Sino-Vietnam. Generally speaking, it is mainly caused by the aggression of the western powers and the declination of Chinese strength as a suzerain. After the disintegration of Sino-Vietnam Partriarchal-Vassal relationship, the more turbulent political situation in China and Vietnam appeared; meanwhile, it also somehow enervated the East Asia Partriarchal-Vassal System centering on China. From then on, the western powers invaded the Eastern Asia much more unscrupulously.In general, although the Partriarchal-Vassal System played certain role in resisting the foreign aggression objectively, it is anyhow a kind of unequal feudal international relation system in essence. What is more, with the gradual declining of Qing Dynasty and deepening of Chinese semi-colonization, the Partriarchal-Vassal System will disintegrate and collapse thoroughly.