Beyond the Tributary Route:The Evolution and Characteristics of'Ru-dong Official Business'of the Vietnamese Nguyen Regime
The term of'Ru-dong Official Business'refers to the practice of the Nguyen regime in Vietnam,sending its officials and ships to China by sea in order to perform various official duties.As this business has always remained outside the traditional tributary route between China and Vietnam,it became a unique interaction form and historical reality,which was different from the'Ru-qing'tributary form,in the Nguyen regime's relations with China.Since the inception of the'Ru-dong Official Business',it has undergone three main stages of evolution.The first was the Petitioning Era(1687-1802).This phase was characterised by the Nguyen regime's focus on obtaining recognition and an official seal from the Qing Dynasty,which marked the origin and initial development of'Ru-dong Official Business'.The second was the Trade Era(1809-1851).During this period,the Nguyen regime concentrated on utilising the'Ru-dong Official Business'to promote the official trade,representing the peak and prosperity of this practice.The third was the Preservation Era(1863-1883).In this stage,the Nguyen regime used the'Ru-dong Official Business'to address national survival and preservation issues,marking the transition towards modernity and the declining stage.Overall,the'Ru-dong Official Business'not only was a transcendence and supplement to the Sino-Vietnamese tributary relationship,but also served as a crucial medium and tool for the Nguyen regime to expand and deepen foreign interactions.Especially after 1863,it increasingly became a channel through traveling to China which the Nguyen regime sought to understand and learn about the West and explore solutions for the national survival.Those activities planted the initial seeds for Vietnam to break free from the colonial rule and find its own path to modernisation.
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