Chih-kung-t'u (職貢圖) were official historical documents used in many Chinese dynasties. It roughly translated to duty offering pictorial. Throughout Chinese history, tribes conquered by Chinese were required to send embassadors to China periodically and bring valuable gifts (kung-pin) to the ruler of China.
Drawings and paintings with detailed descriptions were used to record the look of these embassadors to show the cultural aspects of these ethnic groups. These historical documents became good records of diplomatic relations in each dynasty.
The subject of this article is of special significance because the ruler of Liang (南朝 梁元帝 蕭繹) was a painter and this particular document was royal work.
The original was lost. The surviving document in museum is a copy made in Sung dynasty.
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