Portraits of Periodical Offering

The Portraits of Periodical Offering (simplified Chinese: 职贡图; traditional Chinese: 職貢圖; pinyin: Zhígòngtú) was a series of official historical paintings (with illustration on each of the portrait) used in the Chinese dynasties. These paintings were official historical documents. The phrase roughly translated to "duty offering pictorial". Throughout Chinese history, kingdoms and tribes conquered by Chinese forces were required to send ambassadors to the imperial court of China periodically and pay tribute with valuable gifts (贡品 gongbin).

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

The Portraits of Periodical Offering of Liang by the Emperor Yuan of Southern Liang, Xiao Yi, dated to the Northern and Southern Dynasties in the 6th century, is the earliest surviving of these specially significant paintings. The original of the work was lost, and the only surviving edition of this work was a copy from the Song dynasty in the 11th century, and is currently preserved at the National Museum of China. The original work consisted of at least twenty five portraits of ambassadors from their respectively country. The copy from the Song Dynasty has twelve portraits and descriptions of thirteen envoys, with the envoy from Dangchang missing a portrait.[1]

The envoys from right to left: Uar (Hephthalites); Persia; Baekje; Qiuci; Wo (Japan); Langkasuka; Dengzhi (邓至) (Qiang) ethnic from Ngawa; Zhouguke / Karghalik (Yarkand) (周古柯);[1] Hebatan / Kabadiyan (呵跋檀);[1] Humidan / Kumedhan / Dharmasthiti (胡蜜丹), Bactrian-speaking state in present-day northern Afghanistan;[1] Baiti (白題, of similar Hephthalite stocks), who dwelled close to Hephthalite; Mo (Qiemo).

The Portraits of Periodical Offering of Liang with descriptions on the back of each ambassador, 6th-century painting in the National Museum of China.

Another notable painting of the series is the Portraits of Periodical Offering of Tang by painter Yan Liben, depicting foreign envoys with tribute bearers for the Tang Dynasty arriving at Chang'an in 631, during the reign of the Emperor Taizong of Tang. 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.[2]

The Portraits of Periodical Offering of Tang, depicting foreign envoys with tribute bearers. Song Dynasty copy in the National Palace Museum in Taipei.