Research on the Eunuchs Paid Tribute by East Asian Countries from the 14th to the 16th Century
by Qi Chang
About This Novel
In the pre-modern East Asian world, "China", "Zhonghua" or "Huaxia" were more of a label for civilization, and they were quite homogeneous with neighboring Korea and Vietnam, which shared the Confucian value system of ancient China. They either call themselves Little China, or claim to be "Little China", which is true for the saying that "all the rituals, music, cultural relics, people's customs and practices are all imitated by the imperial dynasty." The eunuch system also imitated China, and eunuchs were often used as tribute. Especially during the Ming and Qing dynasties when the tributary system was the most typical, Annan and Korea, which bordered China, paid the most tribute, becoming the largest source of foreign eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty. This group of outsiders who were closest to the Ming emperor were often sent back to their place of origin as envoys, becoming the most active group on the regional stage in pre-modern East Asia. They even affected the internal affairs and diplomacy of the central dynasty and surrounding vassal states, and can provide a new entry point for interpreting regional relations in East Asia.
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