Ancient House in Fuzhou: Ryukyu Hotel

Rouyuan Post and the landscape along Minjiang River by a Ryukyu painter in Qing Dynasty

The contact between China and Ryukyu began in 1372, the fifth year of Hongwu Period in Ming Dynasty. At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Yang Zai to go to Ryukyu. Chadu, king of Ryukyu Zhongshan, sent his younger brother Taiqi to China to pay tribute. In the 25th year of Hongwu (1392), Zhu Yuanzhang gave “36 surnames of Fujian people” to the Ryukyu states and ordered them to pay tribute. Most of people of these “36 surnames” were from the river mouth, so Fuzhou had a very close relationship with Ryukyu. In the Qing Dynasty, most of the envoys to Ryukyu were from Fuzhou, such as Qi Kun, who was appointed as the envoy to Ryukyu in 1808, was a native of Qi’an village in Cangshan District of Fuzhou; in 1838, Lin Hongnian, the scholar envoy to Ryukyu, was from Gulou District of Fuzhou. They still have precious inscriptions on the cliff in Ryukyu, such as “land of liveliness” and “long-lasting friendship”. In addition, “Cai Hongheng” of Ryukyu state passed on his art in Changle, known as “Madame Cai”; And Zhou Zihe, a boxer in the Nanyu Town, Minhou County, also became the ancestor of “Uechi Ryu Karate” in Okinawa, Japan. All these are symbols of friendship between the people of China and Ryukyu.

The structure of Ryukyu Guildhall is composed of a three-space hall with six-space bedrooms on both sides, a five-space rear hall with 27-space bedrooms on both sides and a three-space door with six-space bedrooms on both sides. In addition, there are 10 rooms on both sides for guarding officers and six military rooms. Tianfei palace is set up inside for people sailing on the sea to pray for a safe journey and served as the facilities of Mazu belief. After arriving at the end of the estuary, the tribute goods carried by the Ryukyu ship were checked and moved to the storehouse of the tribute factory. After completing the handover procedures, Cloth and Judge Departments of Fujian sent officials to unpack the goods, and then repack, seal them one by one, and send personnel to escort the tribute envoy northward to the capital city through Nanping. The rest of the goods will be traded at the estuary, which was flourishing for a time.

Rouyuan Post was restored in 1992. Today, it is regarded as the Museum of Fuzhou’s history of friendly relations with foreign countries. The museum displays cultural relics and other exhibits of diplomatic, cultural and trade exchanges between Fuzhou and overseas countries. Its contents are not only the exchanges between Fuzhou and Ryukyu, but also the history of Fuzhou’s foreign exchange before the Ming Dynasty and the modern exchanges between Fuzhou and Japan. Marco Polo, Japan Monk Konghai, Zheng He, Zen master Fuqing Yinyuan and other figures and deeds related to Fuzhou’s foreign exchange are all on the exhibition. There are also steles on the site of the Museum reading “China-Japan friendship lasts forever”.

(word source: Fuzhou Place Names, picture source: internet)