A Window into Six Centuries of World History : Liang Chih-Kung-T’u(“梁職貢圖”)

Liang Chih-kung-t’u(“梁職貢圖”) is a scroll painting depicting a portrait of a foreign envoy who visited Liang, China, and records the geography and customs of the country. The original has disappeared, and there are currently four types of copies made between Tang and Song. The North Song copy(北宋模本) was discovered in 1960. There is a map of the envoys of the 12 countries and a title of the 13 countries. There are East Asian countries such as Baekje, but most of them are western countries on the Silk Road. It is regarded as a valuable source of research on Western history. Only the envoy's map remains in “Gudeokgyeom copy(顧德謙模本)” and “Yeripbon copy(閻立本模本)” which were rediscovered in 1987. The black-and-white and colored Shishin-t’u(使 臣圖) are regarded as valuable materials for the study of the history of painting and the history of clothing. The book “Jang Gong copy(張庚模本)” which was discovered in 2011, has a title on the country of envoys from 18 countries. More than half of them, nine countries' ritual vessels play a major role in revitalizing the study of the “Liang Chih-kung-t’u” In particular, the “Liang Chih-kung-t’u” is considered a research topic that matches China's global strategy of “Belt and Road(一帶一路)” which began in earnest in 2013. This is the reason why research on “Liang Chih-kung-t’u” is active in China these days.