“The Tribute of Yu” Is one volume in a series of five texts that are important in the history of Ancient China. In this particular text, the author explains the “layout” of China and why each area is important. It is described as a series of concentric circles, with each circle either producing a particular resource or being the home of a specific class of people. This text is so important because China is such a large country and this was a way for everyone to understand where everything was.
“The Tribute of Yu” also began the unification of China. When this text was written, China was in a period of warring states. “The Tribute of Yu” points out that China is a large country and each state has its own valuable resources. This text is the beginning of China’s idea of empire. Not long after this, China’s states are united under the Qing Dynasty. “The Tribute of Yu” is extremely important because not only is it a layout of China itself, but it is the start of an empire that has become extremely powerful.
