Rethinking the ‘Tribute System’: Broadening the Conceptual Horizon of Historical East Asian Politics

A notable feature of the study of historical East Asian politics is its absence of rigorous systemic theories explaining relationships between imperial China and its neighbors and how they worked. In this article, Feng critically evaluates the venerable literature on the 'tribute system' in an attempt to clarify the concepts and broaden the main themes of traditional China's foreign relations and the larger political dynamics between China and its neighbors.