The Gift of Rewards: The Emperors' Presents in Qing Dynasty Documents

In the history of imperial China, a reward given by an emperor was often regarded as one of the most highly valued gifts that a subject could receive. However, there are also many complex sociological and historical factors behind the giving of such gifts, and they remain a mystery that people often want to know more about.
The meaning of the giving of a gift is more complicated than just the gift itself, for the story behind it may be even more interesting. The reciprocity of favors has long been a concept common to many societies. The notion of “li,” which translates as “ritual” or “ceremony,” also forms part of the Chinese word for gift (or “liwu”) that can be interpreted as including amiability and politeness, concepts that could be expressed via the giving of objects as gifts. The concept of “li” sometimes was a means to an end of establishing relations not only between individual people but also countries as well.