The ''Portraits of Periodical Offering'' () were tributary documentative paintings (with illustration on each of the portrait) produced by various

Chinese dynasties Dynasties in Chinese history, or Chinese dynasties, were hereditary monarchical regimes that ruled over China during much of its history. From the legendary inauguration of dynastic rule by Yu the Great circa 2070 BC to the abdication of t ...

and later as well in other East Asian dynasties, such as Japan and Vietnam. These paintings were official historical documents by the imperial courts. The term "" roughly translates to "duty offering pictorial". Throughout Chinese history, tributary states and tribes were required to send ambassadors to the imperial court periodically and pay tribute with valuable gifts (; ''gòngpǐn''). Drawings and paintings with short descriptions were used to record the expression of these ambassadors and to a lesser extent to show the cultural aspects of these ethnic groups. These historical descriptions beside the portrait became the equivalent of documents of diplomatic relations with each country. The drawings were reproduced in

woodblock printing Woodblock printing or block printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout East Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of textile printing, printing on textiles and later paper. Each page o ...

after the 9th century and distributed among the bureaucracy in albums. The ''Portraits of Periodical Offering of Imperial Qing'' by Xie Sui (), completed in 1751, gives verbal descriptions of outlying tribes as far as the island of

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

Portraits of Periodical Offering of Liang (526-539 CE)

The ''Portraits of Periodical Offering of Liang'' () was painted by the future Emperor Yuan of Liang, Xiao Yi (ruled 552-555 CE) of the

Liang dynasty The Liang dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Liang () in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the third of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. It was preceded by the South ...

while he was a Governor of the Province of

Jingzhou Jingzhou () is a prefecture-level city in southern Hubei province, China, located on the banks of the Yangtze River. Its total residential population was 5,231,180 based on the 2020 census, 1,068,291 of whom resided in the built-up (''or metro' ...

as a young man between 526 and 539 CE, a post he held again between 547 and 552 CE, and had the opportunity to meet many foreigners. It is the earliest surviving of these specially significant paintings. They reflect foreign embassies that took place, particularly regarding the three Hephthalite (Hua) ambassadors, in 516–520 CE. The original of the work was lost, but three copies or derived works are known.

Portraits of Periodical Offering of Liang (526-539 CE) (Song dynasty copy of the 11th century CE)

A surviving edition of this work is a copy from the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

in the 11th century, the ''Song copy of the Portraits of Periodical Offering of Liang'' (), and is currently preserved at the

National Museum of China The National Museum of China () flanks the eastern side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. The museum's mission is to educate about the arts and history of China. It is directed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic ...

. The original work consisted of at least twenty five portraits of ambassadors from their various countries. The copy from the Song dynasty has twelve portraits and descriptions of thirteen envoys; the envoy from Dangchang has no portrait. The work included individual descriptions, which follow closely the dynastic chronicle ''

Liangshu The ''Book of Liang'' (''Liáng Shū''), was compiled under Yao Silian and completed in 635. Yao heavily relied on an original manuscript by his father Yao Cha, which has not independently survived, although Yao Cha's comments are quoted in seve ...

'' ( Volume 54). The envoys from right to left were: the

Hephthalites The Hephthalites ( xbc, ηβοδαλο, translit= Ebodalo), sometimes called the White Huns (also known as the White Hunas, in Iranian as the ''Spet Xyon'' and in Sanskrit as the ''Sveta-huna''), were a people who lived in Central Asia during th ...

(),

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

(),

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

(),

Kucha Kucha, or Kuche (also: ''Kuçar'', ''Kuchar''; ug, كۇچار, Кучар; zh, t= 龜茲, p=Qiūcí, zh, t= 庫車, p=Kùchē; sa, कूचीन, translit=Kūcīna), was an ancient Buddhist kingdom located on the branch of the Silk Road ...

(), Japan (),

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

(), Qiang (), Yarkand (), Kabadiyan (), Kumedh (), Balkh (), and finally

Merv Merv ( tk, Merw, ', مرو; fa, مرو, ''Marv''), also known as the Merve Oasis, formerly known as Alexandria ( grc-gre, Ἀλεξάνδρεια), Antiochia in Margiana ( grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐν τῇ Μαργιανῇ) and ...

(). The remaining countries, now lost, are thought to have been: Gaojuli (

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled mos ...

), Yutian ( Hotan in

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

), Xinluo (

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms ...

), Kepantuo ( Tashkurgan in present-day

), Wuxing fan (in Shanxi), Gaochang (

Turpan Turpan (also known as Turfan or Tulufan, , ug, تۇرپان) is a prefecture-level city located in the east of the autonomous region of Xinjiang, China. It has an area of and a population of 632,000 (2015). Geonyms The original name of the cit ...

Tianmen Tianmen () is a sub-prefecture-level city (sometimes considered a county-level city) in central Hubei Province, China. It is on the Jianghan Plain, on the west side of Wuhan (the biggest city of Central China, as well as the capital of Hubei) ...

Man A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...

(somewhere between Henan, Hubei, and Guizhou), Dan 蜑 Barbarians of Jianping (between Hubei and Sichuan), and Man 蠻 Barbarians of Linjiang (East

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

). There may also have been: Zhongtianzhu , Bei tianzhu (

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

), and Shiziguo ( Sri Lanka), for a total of twenty-five countries.

Individual portraits

Some of the main portraits are: File:Hua ambassador to the Southern Liang court 516-520 CE.jpg, Hephthalite ( ''Hua'') ambassador File:Persian ambassador to the Southern Liang court 516-520 CE.jpg,

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

ambassador ( ''Bosi'') File:Baekje ambassador to the Southern Liang court 516-520 CE.jpg,

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

ambassador ( ''Baiji'',

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jum ...

) File:Kucha ambassador to the Southern Liang court 516-520 CE.jpg,

ambassador ( ''Qiuci'') File:Kumedh ambassador to the Southern Liang court 516-520 CE.jpg, Kumedh ambassador ( ''Humidan'') File:Kabadiyan ambassador to the Southern Liang court 516-520 CE.jpg, Kabadiyan ambassador ( ''Kebotan'') File:Langkasuka ambassador to the Southern Liang court 516-520 CE.jpg,

ambassador ( ''Lang-ga-siu'',

Langkasuka Langkasuka was an ancient Hindu-Buddhist kingdom located in the Malay Peninsula. The name is Sanskrit in origin; it is thought to be a combination of ''langkha'' for "resplendent land" -'' sukkha'' for "bliss". The kingdom, along with Old K ...

) to the Southern Liang court 516-520 CE File:Dengzhi ambassador to the Southern Liang court 516-520 CE.jpg, Qiang ambassador ( ''Dengzhi'')

Tang dynasty ''The Gathering of Kings'' (circa 650 CE)

A Tang period painting consists in a version of the Liang portraits of Periodical Offerings, entitled ''The Gathering of Kings'' (, ''Wanghuitu''). It was probably made by Yan Liben (, 601-673 CE). From right to left, the countries are Lu (魯國) which is a reference to the

Eastern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Eastern Wei (), was an imperial dynasty of China that followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei dynasty. One of the Northern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period, the Eastern We ...

, Rouran (),

(),

(), Kumedh (), Baiti (),

(), Central

(), Sri Lanka (), Northern

(), Tashkurgan (), Wuxing City of the

Chouchi Chouchi (), or Qiuchi (), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Yang clan of Di ethnicity in modern-day Gansu Province. Its existence spanned both the Sixteen Kingdoms and Northern and Southern dynasties periods, but it is not listed among ...

(武興國),

(龜茲國), Japan (),

(),

Khotan Hotan (also known as Gosthana, Gaustana, Godana, Godaniya, Khotan, Hetian, Hotien) is a major oasis town in southwestern Xinjiang, an autonomous region in Western China. The city proper of Hotan broke off from the larger Hotan County to become ...

(),

(), Dangchang (),

(), Dengzhi (), Yarkand (), Kabadiyan (), Barbarians of Jianping (), Nudan (). See the complete ''Wanghuitu''.

Individual portraits

Some of the main portraits are: File:于闐國 Yutian Khotan in Wanghuitu circa 650 CE (with portrait).jpg, upMan from

(于闐國 ''Yutian'') visiting the Chinese

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

court, in ''Wanghuitu'' circa 650 CE File:龜茲國 Qiuci Kucha in Wanghuitu 王会图, circa 650 CE (with portrait).jpg, upAmbassador from

(龜茲國 ''Qiuci-guo'') at the Chinese

court. '' Wanghuitu'' (王会图), circa 650 CE File:Korean ambassadors to the Tang court, 7th century CE.jpg, Envoys of the three kingdoms of Korea (

) File:王会图白題國.jpg, upright=0.6, Ambassador from Balkh (白題國 ''Baitiguo'') '' Wanghuitu'' (王会图), circa 650 CE File:Ambassador from 謁盤陀 Qiepantuo Tashkurgan in The Gathering of Kings (王会图) circa 650 CE.jpg, upright=0.6, Ambassador from Tashkurgan (謁盤陀 ''Qiepantuo'') '' Wanghuitu'' (王会图), circa 650 CE File:王会图靺國 (Merv).jpg, Ambassador from

(靺國 ''Moguo'') '' Wanghuitu'' (王会图), circa 650 CE File:王会图 Sri Lanka (獅子國).jpg, Ambassador from Sri Lanka (獅子國 ''Shiziguo''), '' Wanghuitu'' (王会图), circa 650 CE File:Ambassador from Zhong Tianzhu (中天竺 Central India) in The Gathering of Kings (王会图) circa 650 CE.jpg, upAmbassador from Central India (中天竺 ''Zhong Tianzhu'') to the court of the

. 王会图 circa 650 CE

Southern Tang ''Entrance of the Foreign Visitors'' (10th century CE)

Emperor Yuan of Liang, Xiao Yi made another painting entitled "Entrance of the Foreign Visitors" (), now lost. A copy named "Entrance of the Foreign Visitors of Emperor Yuan of Liang" () was made by the painter Gu Deqian () of the

Southern Tang Southern Tang () was a state in Southern China that existed during Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, which proclaimed itself to be the successor of the former Tang dynasty. The capital was located at Nanjing in present-day Jiangsu Province. ...

dynasty (937–976 CE), native of

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its ca ...

. From right to left, the countries are Lu (魯國) which is a reference to the

, Rouran (芮芮國),

Tuyuhun Tuyuhun (; LHC: *''tʰɑʔ-jok-guənʔ''; Wade-Giles: ''T'u-yühun''), also known as Henan () and Azha (; ), was a dynastic kingdom established by the nomadic peoples related to the Xianbei in the Qilian Mountains and upper Yellow River valle ...

(), Central

(),

Western Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Western Wei (), was an imperial dynasty of China that followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei. One of the Northern dynasties during the era of the Northern and Southern dynasties, it ruled the weste ...

() , Champa (), Sri Lanka (), Northern

(), Tashkurgan (), Wuxing City of the

(), Dangchang (),

(), Dengzhi (),

(),

(), Japan (), Yarkand (),

(),

(), Kantoli (),

Funan Funan (; km, ហ៊្វូណន, ; vi, Phù Nam, Chữ Hán: ) was the name given by Chinese cartographers, geographers and writers to an ancient Indianized state—or, rather a loose network of states ''(Mandala)''—located in mainla ...

().

''Portraits of Periodical Offering of Tang'' (Song dynasty copy, 11-13th century)

The ''Portraits of Periodical Offering of Tang'' by painter

Yan Liben Yan may refer to: Chinese states * Yan (state) (11th century – 222 BC), a major state in northern China during the Zhou dynasty * Yan (Han dynasty kingdom), first appearing in 206 BC * Yan (Three Kingdoms kingdom), officially claimed indep ...

, depicting foreign envoys with tribute bearers for the

arriving at

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin S ...

in 631, during the reign of the

Emperor Taizong of Tang Emperor Taizong of Tang (28January 59810July 649), previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder of the dynasty ...

. The painting consists of 27 people from various states. The original work was lost, and the only surviving edition was a Song dynasty copy, which is currently preserved at the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

''Portraits of Periodical Offering'' (Qing dynasty, 18th century)

In the mid-18th century, the painter Xiesui () again painted a ''Portraits of Periodical Offering of the Imperial Qing'' (''Huángqīng Zhígòngtú'' , completed in 1751), showing various foreign people known at that time, with texts in Chinese and Manchu. See the complete Huangqing Zhigongtu. Huang Qing Zhigong Tu - 030 - Barbarian man of France (Falanxi).jpg, French man, 18th century File:Huang Qing Zhigong Tu - 023 - Barbarian man of the province of Helvetia (Heleiweijiya sheng), of the Great Western Ocean (Europe).jpg, Man from

Helvetia Helvetia () is the female national personification of Switzerland, officially ''Confoederatio Helvetica,'' the Swiss Confederation. The allegory is typically pictured in a flowing gown, with a spear and a shield emblazoned with the Swiss fl ...

File:Huang Qing Zhigong Tu - 024 - Barbarian man of Hungary (Wengjialiya) in the Great Western Ocean.jpg, Man from

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

File:Huang Qing Zhigong Tu - 029 - Barbarian man of England (Yingjili).jpg, Man from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

File:安南國夷官.jpg, Vietnamese dignitaries of the late- Lê dynasty (1533–1789) File:暹羅國夷官.jpg , Siamese (Thai) State Official

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"" to the Southern Song dynasty as depicted in the Periodical Offering Painting () by

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, Lan Na,

and

to the Lê dynasty court (Vietnam) in

Thanh Hóa Thanh Hóa () is the capital of Thanh Hóa Province. The city is situated in the east of the province on the Ma River (Sông Mã), about 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of Hanoi and 1560 kilometers (969 miles) north of Ho Chi Minh City. Thanh ...

. (16th-century painting)

References

Notes

External links

Picture of Liang Chih-kung-t'u
(Chinese) {{DEFAULTSORT:Portraits Of Periodical Offering Foreign relations of Imperial China Tributaries of Imperial China Chinese paintings Chinese iconography

Portraits of Periodical Offering of Liang (526-539 CE)

Portraits of Periodical Offering of Liang (526-539 CE) (Song dynasty copy of the 11th century CE)

Individual portraits

Tang dynasty ''The Gathering of Kings'' (circa 650 CE)

Individual portraits

Southern Tang ''Entrance of the Foreign Visitors'' (10th century CE)

''Portraits of Periodical Offering of Tang'' (Song dynasty copy, 11-13th century)

''Portraits of Periodical Offering'' (Qing dynasty, 18th century)

Related works

See also

References

Notes

External links