Abstract:
There are plentiful researches about tribute both in China and overseas, but specific case
study on tribute is few. Pine nuts had been one of the most important tributes from Tang to Qing Dynasty
in China. The reasons that pine nuts became tribute were as: firstly, people were influenced by
aboriginal Taoism of pursuing young and living forever; secondly, it was the need of maintaining the
stable political relationship between dependencies and suzerain. The feature of pine nuts as tribute in
each historic stage was different. During Tang and Ming Dynasty, the pine nuts to Central Plains
Dynasties by ancient Korea, Mohe and Jurchen were the imperial tribute. During Qing Dynasty, the pine
nuts contributed by Dasheng Wula were the native tribute. Pine nuts as tribute had experienced the
change from the imperial to the native one. Pine nuts served as tribute implied the significances: first,
pine nuts as tribute played a key role in maintaining the stable political relationship between the
dependencies and suzerain; second, pine nuts as imperial tribute promoted the development of the local
trade of pine nuts; third, the Bohai Tribute Road played a similar role as the Silk Road did; fourth, the
history of pine nuts as tribute reflected the history of natives collecting habits in the Changbai Mountain
area; fifth, the development history of the pine nuts as imperial tribute reflected the history of native
tribute system in ancient Korea; sixth, the pine nuts as tribute enriched people爷s daily life.