Snuff bottle (鼻煙壺)

Abstract

Vietnamese historical records do not clearly record of the specific gifts conferred by the Qing dynasty during diplomatic missions to China. However, in the Qing Dynasty, the details of the rewards were recorded quite fully, thereby enabling the preservation of some activities that might otherwise appear to have vanished from historical memory. According to Zhang Gefa (Trang Cát Phát), the snuff bottle (tị yên hồ, 鼻煙壺) was a significant tribute item bestowed by the Qing court upon its vassal states. Distinct from ordinary trade goods exchanged by convention, the snuff bottle functioned as a symbolic marker of dunmu (敦睦), denoting amicability and harmonious relations between polities. While such an object may not have been regarded as of great importance within our country, in the realm of diplomatic symbolism it constituted a gesture of considerable significance.