Relationship Between Tribute Frequency and Distance to the Tang Political Center
Abstract
This paper primarily examines the relationship between the straight-line distance from the political centers of Silk Road tributary states to the Tang capital of Chang'an and the number of tribute missions they sent. Unlike many previous studies that focus on bilateral relations between two states, this study places greater emphasis on the overall exchange dynamics among multiple states along the route and seeks to determine whether straight-line distance exerted any meaningful and general influence. The findings ultimately show that, due to the impact of complex factors such as regional military conflicts, there is no discernible pattern between the number of tribute missions and straight-line distance, and the correlation is not particularly strong.
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