A Study On The Evolution Of The Western Han Dynasty's Tributary System

The tributary system is a political order system that centers on the ancient China and appears as the net-hierarchy. The ancient China precedes the countries around it on the politics, military, economy and culture, it can provide the powerful safeguard for the stable order of the system. The dependencies or ambassadors have the audience with the emperor who rewards and knight other countries to show the emperorship of all the world and the dependencies present tribute to show the acknowledgment and respect for the emperor. The ancient China establishes the tributary system with itself as the center by this way. The establishment and operation of the tributary system expand all sides gradually with the integrated strength.Qin-Han Dynasty is the first grand unification epoch. The tributary system is initially shaped. At the early time of Han Dynasty, the royal court inherits the abuse and poverty of the Qin Dynasty. As the Han court's power is rather weak than the Huns court, the thought of "the emperor's world is without frontier"faces the challenges by the reality and the Han court has to be brothers with the Huns court. Then the equal respect of the "Hua Yi"takes place. Therefore, the tributary systems of the Han court and the Huns court both exist in the east world. However, the essence of the Han and the Huns is that the Han court presents the tribute to the Huns temporarily. That the sequence of dignity and lowliness are disorder leads to the Emperor Han Wu determines to break the situation of equal respect.The Han court finally establishes the unique tributary system by painstakingly operating and going on expeditions.Until the WangMang usurps the throne and changes the rules of Han Dynasty.Hence the tributary system is disintegrated in the end.The evolution track of the Western Han Empire's tributary system is the reflection that the Han court's power from prosperity to weakness.When the Han court is prosperous, it uses the Confucianism ideology as the theoretical basis' s thought of "the emperor's world is without frontier"to establish and expand the tributary system.When the Han court is weak, it uses the thought of "the defense between Yi and Xia"as the excuse to implement the JiMi strategy.The Han court take a series of measures to establish,expand and maintain the operation of the tributary system.In terms of political institution,the Han court adopts the tributary-investiture system and proton policy to keep the tributary system.In terms of military system, the Han court completes the horse policy, construct the beacon tower and barbicans to provide the military safeguard and carry out the strategy of controlling foreigners by foreigners to prevent their alliance against the Han court.In terms of economy, The Han court develops the economy to supply the financial support and develops the trade to stimulate the dependencies and foreign countries which are willing to attend for the tributary system.The tributary system's scale gradually and initially forms under the establishment by the Han court.In terms of the ancient China,the Han court just attempts to establish the tributary system and all the institutions are not perfect as it's in the forming period.The Eastern Han Dynasty and Wei,Jin, the Southern and Northern states,Sui-Tang as well as Ming-Qing are all affected by the Western Han Empire's tributary system,they supplement and complete the system.At the time of Qin-Han,Wei-Jin as well as the Southern and Northern states, the tributary system places emphasis on the politics,economy since the the Confucianism culture is not spread widely.At time of Sui-Tang period,the grand unification epoch comes again, the Confucianism culture affects the countries around deeply.Those countries admire the civilization and political institutions of China, the economy turns out to be secondary.