五服制与先秦朝贡制度的起源

朝贡制度是古代中外交往的主要模式,其源头可溯至先秦时代。夏、商两朝与被征服部落之间已有朝贡关系存在,及西周初年实行五服制,正式将朝贡制度用于处理民族关系和对外关系。从《周礼》的记载来看,周朝设有各种机构,分掌朝贡事务。先秦朝贡制度具有原始性、非对等性、礼仪性和典范性等主要特征。

Wufu System and the Origin of Tributary System in the Pre- Ch'in Period

The tributary system was the main pattern of Sino-foreign relations in ancient China, and it originated from the Pre-Ch'in Period. The tributary relations had been set up between Xia, Shang Dynasty and the tribes conquered by them. In the early years of XiZhou Dynasty, with Wufu System being put into practice, the tributary system was used to conduct national relations and Sino-foreign relations. According to the records in the book of Zhou Rites, there were some organs to manage the tributary affairs in Zhou Dynasty. The main features of the tributary system in the Pre-Ch'in Period were primitiveness, unequal, ritual and model.