Selected Portraits of Tributary Missions

Selected Qing Tribute Illustrations is an illustrated work featuring a selection from the Qing dynasty’s official illustrated classic, Illustrated Tributary Peoples of the Qing Empire. From the perspective of the Qing Empire, it depicts the clothing and appearance of many peoples and countries at home and abroad, as well as their relationships with the central dynasty. The original work, Illustrated Tributary Peoples of the Qing Empire, was begun in 1751, the sixteenth year of the Qianlong reign. Emperor Qianlong ordered governors-general, provincial governors, and other officials to commission meticulous portraits of representative figures from frontier ethnic groups and countries that maintained relations with China, accompanied by explanations in Manchu and Chinese. The aim was to showcase the Qing dynasty’s vast territory, diverse cultures, and tributary diplomatic system. It stands as a major work of Qing official ethnography and diplomatic illustration. Its nine volumes contain images of tributary states, ethnic minorities, and overseas trading nations, making it an indispensable primary source for the study of Qing diplomacy, ethnic relations, and cultural exchange.

This book, Selected Qing Tribute Illustrations, draws important material from that vast encyclopedic work, focusing on the Dutch, who ruled Taiwan for decades, and their servants known as “Black Ghosts,” as well as the clothing and appearance of Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples. Each image is accompanied by a detailed explanation. Faithful to the spirit of the original, the selection uses portraits, details of clothing, and concise text to show how the Qing Empire observed and understood foreign peoples, while also reflecting the diplomatic ideal of “all nations coming to pay tribute.”

This selection is not only a valuable historical document, offering vivid material for understanding the Qing dynasty’s eighteenth-century worldview, ethnic policies, and ritual diplomacy, but also, for readers today, a historical illustrated volume that combines visual appeal with knowledge, like a cultural window onto the world of the Qing dynasty.