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Tang Vassal Tributary System

Type Object Region East Asia Time 701–800

The Tang vassal tributary system was an East Asian international order built on investiture, tribute, and reciprocal gifts, reaching its height in th…

Timeline

  1. 701–741Chang'an · Chang'anDuring Emperor Xuanzong's Kaiyuan era the state was powerful; the Court of State Ceremonial managed the reception and investiture of tribute from the various peoples, with neighboring states regularly sending envoys and tribute trade and cultural exchange proceeding frequently within an institutionalized framework.
  2. 701–779Chang'an · Chang'anJapan entered the court in the name of envoys to Tang, offering tribute and receiving investiture and reciprocal gifts, while also importing codes, Buddhism, and the arts; it was one of the most influential exchange channels of the tributary system in the East Asian seas.
  3. 742–755Chang'an · Chang'anDuring the Tianbao era, tribute missions reached their peak; envoys from Silla, Bohai, the Abbasid Caliphate, and Lâm Ấp gathered in Chang'an, and the scale of tribute and reciprocal gifts was grand, reflecting the Tang Empire's suzerain status in East Asia.
  4. 755–800East Asia · East AsiaAfter the An Lushan Rebellion the Tang's strength was damaged and regional warlordism intensified; some tribute missions decreased or changed routes, but Bohai, Silla, and Japan maintained tribute relations with Tang, and the system moved from its height into a period of adjustment.

Sources