Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East (Vol. I: Champa; Vol. II: Suvarnadvipa) v2.c13.s1.73

v2.c13.s1.73

Now, according to the Chinese authority, king Devavarman sent his ambassador to the Chinese court for offering tributes. The envoy was apparently well received by the emperor, for he sent, as presents to the Javanese king, a golden seal and a violet ribbon. The Chinese historians always represent their sovereign as the suzerain of the world, and any friendly offering, or exchange of produce for commercial purposes, is regarded as tribute¹. In the present instance, also, the word tribute need not be taken in any other sense, and it would be a mistake to infer from this passage that the Chinese emperor exercised any sort of sovereignty over the distant island of Java.