Grain Tribute, Chinese Maritime Merchants, and Elite Society in Southeast China during the Yuan Dynasty

Historians have viewed the impact of the Yuan period, “terra incognita” in Chinese history, on southern Chinese society as evolutionary in that it continued social transformations that had been germinated during the Southern Song and handed it over to the Ming. The new institutions introduced by this alien dynasty, however, brought about a significant change in the composition and nature of local elites in southeast China. The Sea Transport Tribute system was one good example. This paper explores how Chinese merchants took advantage of this newly introduced grain tribute system and established themselves as elite members of local society in the Yuan dynasty.