Abstract: In response to the adverse views of the Tribute System that some scholars have advanced，this essay examines the original purpose of the Tribute System at the time when the Qing Dynasty was building political relationships with foreign countries. The Qing Dynasty instituted the Tribute System with the obvious intention of seeking her own security and stability in border areas. Compared with the Ming Dynasty，the Qing Dynasty abandoned the political ideal of playing the role of“emperor of the whole world”overseas，as conceived by Ming Taizu (Zhu Yuanzhang) and Ming Chengzu (Zhu Di). Instead，the Qing Dynasty concentrated much more on its own stability and security in border areas when dealing with foreign affairs. The Tribute System of the Qing Dynasty emphasized the frontier defense system. Reflecting their political interests，the Qing rulers preferred institutional arrangements for tributary affairs，the Ministry of Rites and The Court of Colonial Affairs ( Lifan yuan)，took charge of neighboring countries’tributary affairs. To a certain extent，these arrangements were relevant to different national characteristics，and this reflected the relevance and flexibility of the Qing Dynasty in dealing with foreign affairs.