Several assumptions underlay the tribute system, such as that China was the "middle kingdom," the center of the world, infinitely superior to the "barbarian" peoples beyond its borders; that China was self-sufficient, requiring little from the outside world, while barbarians sought access to China's wealth and wisdom; and that the Chinese might provide access to their wealth and wisdom under certain controlled conditions in the hope that it would help to civilize the barbarians.
• The tribute system was a set of practices designed to facilitate this civilizing contact. It required non-Chinese authorities to acknowledge Chinese superiority and their own subordinate place in a Chinese-centered world order. In exchange for expressions of submission, the Chinese emperor would grant foreigners permission to trade in China and provide them with gifts, which were often worth more than the tribute offered by the foreigners.
• The system was an effort to regulate relations with
neighboring states and groups of nomads on the borders of the empire.