El estudio de las relaciones internacionales en China antigua: el Sistema tributario en la dinastía Ming

Chinese studies, or Asian studies in general, offer appropriate research fields for reformulating certain theories or paradigms. Such is the case of the Theory of the Tributary System, which has explained China’s history of international relations for nearly half a century. Basically, this theory af...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Tzili Apango, Eduardo, Martínez Ruiz, Itzel, Fierro de Jesús, Tonatiuh
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2015
Country:Costa Rica
Institution:Universidad de Costa Rica
Repository:Portal de Revistas UCR
Language:Spanish
OAI Identifier:oai:portal.ucr.ac.cr:article/22366
Online Access:https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/rlm/article/view/22366
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Sistema tributario
relaciones internacionales
fronteras
China
dinastía Ming
Tributary System
international relations
borders
Ming dinasty
Description
Summary:Chinese studies, or Asian studies in general, offer appropriate research fields for reformulating certain theories or paradigms. Such is the case of the Theory of the Tributary System, which has explained China’s history of international relations for nearly half a century. Basically, this theory affirms that relations between China and its neighbors were tributary in character. These Chinese dynasties were the objectives of given tributes and honors, while surrounding nations had to abide to this dynamic. However, recent research shows that these kind of social linkages were not the norm. Our paper focuses in Ming’s dynasty relations with nations in the north and in the south-southeast. We will not attempt to solve historical questions, but to encourage research questions that future schol- ars will solve. Our hypothesis is that tributary relations were only at the government’s level, whilst concerning the societal level another type of dynamics operated. Our research leads us to conclude that during the Ming dynasty, tributary relations had boom and bust, but social relations were maintained although no tributary relations existed at all.