Tribute, Hostages, and Marriage Alliances: A Close Reading of Diplomatic Strategies in the Northern Wei Period

IF 0.3 4区 社会学 0 ASIAN STUDIES Early Medieval China Pub Date : 2019-01-01 DOI:10.1080/15299104.2019.1660088
Armin Selbitschka
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引用次数: 2

Abstract

Early imperial and early medieval Chinese foreign relations have been mainly viewed through the prism of the so-called tributary system. Consequently, tribute relations with the Northern Wei court are either reduced to business ventures undertaken by foreign polities, or empty ideological exercises by the Tuoba emperors, who were only interested in having their worldview confirmed. Such views disregard the actual political and diplomatic value of tribute offerings to the Northern Wei. This article will provide a corrective through a close reading of diplomatic interactions recorded largely in the Wei shu that involved tribute offerings. Since these interactions sometimes also involved diplomatic hostages and marriage alliances, they will be briefly analyzed as well. I will show that tribute, in fact, was a political tool that was successfully utilized to meet various ends by both parties involved in bilateral exchanges. In the true sense of diplomatic interaction, tribute relations were highly effective means to negotiate peace.
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进贡、人质与联姻:北魏时期外交策略细读
帝国早期和中世纪早期中国的对外关系主要是通过所谓的朝贡制度的棱镜来看待的。因此,与北魏朝廷的朝贡关系要么沦为对外政策的商业冒险,要么沦为拓跋皇帝空洞的意识形态练习,他们只对自己的世界观得到证实感兴趣。这种观点忽视了向北魏进贡的实际政治和外交价值。本文将通过仔细阅读《魏书》中主要记录的涉及贡品的外交互动来提供纠正。由于这些互动有时也涉及外交人质和婚姻联盟,因此也将对其进行简要分析。我将说明,事实上,贡品是一种政治工具,被参与双边交往的双方成功地用于实现各种目的。在真正意义上的外交互动中,朝贡关系是谈判和平的非常有效的手段。
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来源期刊
Early Medieval China
Early Medieval China ASIAN STUDIES-
CiteScore
0.30
自引率
0.00%
发文量
8
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