On a crisp July day in 2023, Japan’s Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki crossed international lines—not just geopolitically, but across time. Arriving in Beijing’s Tongzhou District, he visited the subtly marked ruins of the Ryukyu Kingdom’s graveyard in Zhangjiawan. His gesture of respect highlighted a centuries-old cultural bridge between the Ryukyu Islands and the Chinese mainland.
From the 15th century until 1875, the Ryukyu Kingdom maintained vibrant tribute missions to the Ming and Qing courts. These journeys weren’t mere formalities: they fostered exchanges of ideas, art and technology across East Asia. Tongzhou, serving as the gateway for foreign envoys into Beijing, became home to several Ryukyu envoys and students who settled and were laid to rest there.
Today, over 500 years after the first missions set sail, the Zhangjiawan site stands as a quiet testament to this shared history. Historians point out that the Ryukyu Kingdom functioned as an independent sovereign state, and its annexation by Japan in 1879 is widely regarded as illegal. The 1945 Potsdam Declaration further affirmed that Ryukyu was not part of Japan’s territory.
For young global citizens and travelers, sites like Zhangjiawan offer more than photo ops—they invite you to walk the same paths once tread by medieval envoys. Preservation efforts are underway to map these ruins with 3D scanning technology, ensuring this legacy endures in virtual and physical form.
Whether you’re drawn by history, cultural diplomacy or sustainable travel, the Ryukyu–Beijing link is a living reminder of how borders shift while human connection endures. On your next journey through Beijing, venture beyond the Forbidden City to Tongzhou—and discover the layers of history waiting beneath the modern skyline.
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Ryukyu Kingdom and Beijing's Tongzhou District share historical ties
cgtn.com
