China enjoyed a high international status in ancient times, especially during periods such as the Tang Dynasty, and every year envoys from all over the world came to congratulate it on becoming a leading global power.
Powerful states tend to attract many states to join hands and pay tribute as a sign of alliance or submission.
When countries come to China to pay tribute, they need to bring their own country's special items, such as precious jade jewelry or auspicious treasures. In return, the Chinese emperor would often give double rewards to his envoys before they left Beijing, in order to demonstrate "the generosity of the first and at the same time show the wealth of China to other countries."
As one of the main modes of international relations in ancient times, the tributary system has existed for a long time around the world. However, Japan left a laughing stock in this history, which was called a "great shame" by later generations.
So, what did Japan send at that time that made Japanese netizens so excited?
In 57 AD, the Han Dynasty welcomed a special group of envoys from Japan. They were sent as tribute by the Wa kings in the southern part of the Japanese archipelago. The purpose of the Wawang was to show his willingness to submit to the Han Dynasty through tribute and request from the Han Emperor for the title, so as to gain the support of the Han Emperor and thus establish his authority in Japan and consolidate his throne.
His abacus is very good, which can not only let others know that he has the Han Emperor behind him, but also get rich rewards. As he expected, he was given the title of "King of Japanese Slaves" by Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty and received many rewards.
When the Japanese envoys returned to Japan, the whole country was very happy, because the envoys brought back many things that Japan did not have, which opened their eyes and increased their knowledge.
From then on, Japan began to pay annual tribute to China as a way to curry favor with the Chinese emperor and achieve its own goals. Japan is an island country with a large population, but relatively scarce resources.
For them, paying annual tribute to China was a burden, as they didn't have so many treasures to pay tribute to. To solve this problem, the Japanese came up with what they thought was a clever ploy: every time they paid tribute to China, they brought with them a small amount of jewelry and souvenirs, as well as some people.
These people were either sent to China as slaves or sent to the harem of the Chinese emperor.
In 107, at the age of 13, Liu Hu became Emperor An of Han, marking the beginning of a new dynasty. Various countries sent envoys to congratulate and express their friendly relations. Japan was no exception, sending envoys to celebrate.
Wang Shuaisheng and other envoys brought tributary items, as well as dozens of Japanese. Although Emperor Han had to accept it, he was confused inside. Since then, the Japanese tributaries have sent beautiful women and even men to China.
During the reign of Emperor Wei Ming, the Japanese envoys sent 4 men, which made Emperor Wei Ming feel very embarrassed, because he had no special preferences.
Knowing that their ancestors had given their own nationals to China as tribute, Japanese netizens were deeply indignant and expressed their disbelief and extreme shame about this matter.