Tribute And Mutual Market: The Evolvement Of The Huayi Order In The Ming Dynasty

Since the establishment of the Ming dynasty,it strived to restore the status of "world power" and the dignity of "empero",which had disappeared since the end of the yuan dynasty,and to rebuild the world order centering on the Ming dynasty.At the beginning of Emperor Taizu's reign in the Ming Dynasty,the foreign policy of "Huairou" which combining maritime prohibition and tributary trade was established.The former laid the tone of "peace" in overseas relations between the Ming Dynasty and extraterritorial countries,by virtue instead force,no offender,no attack.The latter took the ban on maritime trade as the background and tribute as the means to bring Southeast Asian countries into the tributary system of Ming Dynasty,which promoted the construction of the order of Huayi in Southeast Asia during the Ming Dynasty.Chengzu not only inherited Taizu's policy,but also adjusted and changed it.On the one hand,he actively sent envoys to Southeast Asian countries and treated tribute missions with courtesy;On the other hand,he adopt the strategy of "deterrence" to suppress the overseas refugees who refuse to return by force and conquest of Annan.By means of concurrent means of grace and force,the order of Huayi has been comprehensively constructed in Southeast Asia,which has both historical and contemporary characteristics.In the early Ming Dynasty,the emperor of successive dynasties issued orders to prohibit the exchange of seas between the people and foreign businessmen.The implementation of Kanhe,establishment and regularization of Bureau for Foreign Shipping,Southeast Asian countries only hold the official "Kanhe" issued by the Ming Dynasty,the tribute trade with the merchants of the Ming Dynasty can only be carried out through the inspection and management of the Bureau for Foreign Shipping,overseas trade in the early Ming Dynasty showed the coexistence of tribute and mutual market.During this period,tributary trade developed can be divided into three stages: gestation period,boom period and micro-decline period.After themid-Ming Dynasty,the Ming Dynasty adjusted its foreign policy,during the period of Zhengde,the profit of Southeast Asian countries decreased through tribute trade.During the Longqing period,the Yuegang area of Zhangzhou was partially lift a ban,breaking the dominant status quo of tribute trade.In the early Ming Dynasty,the situation of "integration of tribute and maritime trade" in overseas trade was gradually replaced by the trend of "separation of tribute and maritime trade",and the tributary relationship between the two sides became dreariness,and the number of tributary countries in Southeast Asia dropped sharply.At the same time,the early Western colonists invaded Southeast Asia,challenging the dominant authority of the Ming Dynasty in Southeast Asia.In particular,the Portuguese occupation of Malacca in 1551 marked a change in the original orderly trade between the Ming Dynasty and Southeast Asia,seriously shaking the stability and balance of the order of the Ming Dynasty established in Southeast Asia.The Ming Dynasty and Southeast Asia had different interpretations of tribute,The Ming Dynasty emphasized the political identity behind "tribute",while Southeast Asian countries paid attention to the economic benefits brought by "tribute".It is precisely this self-perception bias of the two sides and the compromise role of tribute trade that makes the order of Huayi appear illusory and real contradictions.On the one hand,Southeast Asian countries accepted the "confer" of the Ming Dynasty,sent missions to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty,and sought "assistance" from the Ming Dynasty in a special period.It reflects that Southeast Asian countries abide by and recognize this mode of order,which is the "reality" expression of the order of Huayi.On the other hand,some specific measures taken by Southeast Asian countries reflect the "illusory" aspect of the Huayi order to varying degrees,there was a break and disconnection between the imagination and reality of the Ming Dynasty.The order of Huayi built by Ming Dynasty on the basis of economic interests and national strength is a coexistence of reality and illusory.In the early Ming Dynasty,the political,economic and military forces were strong,the tributary countries in Southeast Asia were well treated and rewarded,and the order of Huayi was reality more than illusory.In the late Ming Dynasty,the official rulewas chaotic,the Treasury was empty,the armaments were exhausted,and the national strength was declining.In addition,the attack of the West on the order of Huayi,the order of Huayi more illusory than reality.