An Ancient Station: The Ryukyu House of 500 Years
Rouyuan Station, commonly known as the “Ryukyu House,” is an ancient station located at No. 21 Guanhou Street in Fuzhou’s Taijiang District. With its white walls, black-tiled roof, and surrounding greenery, it quietly tells the story of centuries past.
Ryukyu, now known as Okinawa in Japan, was once an independent kingdom for several centuries. In the early Ming Dynasty, after the Chinese court established a tributary relationship with the Ryukyu Kingdom, Fuzhou was designated as the port for trade between China and Ryukyu.
“During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Ryukyu Kingdom was a vassal state of China. Each new Ryukyu king was formally invested by the Chinese imperial court,” said Xie Bizhen, Director of the Fujian Normal University China Ryukyu Research Institute, in an interview conducted by China News Service. Successive Ryukyu kings established close diplomatic and trade ties with China through the tributary and investiture systems.
In 1474, the Ming dynasty government moved the Fujian Maritime Trade Commission to Fuzhou and established Rouyuan Station on today’s Guanhou Street in Taijiang District. The complex included a tribute warehouse, a courier station, and the Tianfei Temple—together serving as the ancient “Grand Hotel Fuzhou.” This marked the beginning of a close relationship between Fuzhou and the Ryukyu Kingdom that lasted for over five centuries.
According to A Brief Archaeological Study of Fuzhou by Lin Feng of the Qing dynasty, the name “Rouyuan Station” is derived from the phrase “Rou yuan neng er” in the Shangshu Shundian (a Chinese history book), meaning “to treat those from afar with kindness and bring them close.” It reflects the imperial court’s intent to extend generosity and goodwill to distant guests and embodies the principles underlying ancient Chinese diplomacy. Today, ten Ryukyuan tombstones preserved at Rouyuan Station quietly bear witness to the centuries-long history of friendly exchanges between China and the Ryukyu Kingdom.
“These tombstones mark the graves of Ryukyu residents who died in Fuzhou during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Among them were tribute envoys, overseas students, merchants, and others,” said Lin Xiaopei, a guide speaking to a reporter with China News Service. Just behind Baiquan Temple, near the back entrance of Fujian Normal University’s Cangshan campus, lies a Ryukyu cemetery—one of the best-preserved of its kind in China today.
Beside the Ryukyu tombstones is a facsimile of Record of the Imperial Envoy’s Visit to Ryukyu by Chen Kan. The original Ming-dynasty blue-lined manuscript is preserved at the China National Archives of Publications and Culture’s Beijing headquarters. According to guide Lin Xiaopei, imperial title-conferring envoys to Ryukyu would document their observations and experiences upon returning to China, compiling them into reports for submission to the emperor. Record of the Imperial Envoy’s Visit to Ryukyu is the earliest known surviving example of such “mission records.”
“Diaoyu Islet, Huangmao Islet, Chi Islet, so many islands unfold before my eyes. Then Kume Mountain comes into sight; that is where the land of Ryukyu begins. The Ryukyuans on my ship are happy and excited, because they know they have finally returned to their homes,” Chen Kan, an imperial title-conferring envoy dispatched by the Ming court to Ryukyu during the Jiajing reign, wrote in his Record of the Imperial Envoy’s Visit to Ryukyu. Lin Xiaopei pointed out that this passage indicates the envoy did not enter Ryukyu territory until reaching Kume Mountain, known today as Kumejima Island. The Record of the Imperial Envoy’s Visit to Ryukyu offers a detailed account of the diplomatic journey and stands as one of the earliest historical records affirming that the Diaoyu Islands were part of China, not Ryukyu.
Historical records from the Ming dynasty indicate that in 1392, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang dispatched a group of skilled mariners from Fujian—referred to as the “thirty-six families of Fujian”—to the Ryukyu Kingdom to assist with tributary missions to China. According to Xie Bizhen, most of these mariners likely hailed from the Hekou area (near today’s Xiaowanshou Bridge in Fuzhou). He noted that the “thirty-six families” was a rough estimate rather than an exact count and that the actual number of Fujian families who settled in Ryukyu was far greater. “The settlement of these Fujian families played a key role in the prosperity and development of Ryukyuan society.”
The second exhibition hall at Rouyuan Station highlights stories of the descendants of the “thirty-six families of Fujian” who came to Fuzhou to study, do business, and pursue various paths. Among them is Cheng Shun, who arrived in Fuzhou in 1683 as a dedicated student eager to immerse himself in Chinese culture. In 1708, he compiled and published A General Guide (Zhi Nan Guang Yi) at Rouyuan Station—a guidebook that became an indispensable navigation manual for Ryukyuan voyages to China.
Lin Xiaopei said, “The Fujianese who settled in Ryukyu and their descendants brought traditional Chinese skills and advanced culture to Ryukyu, promoting their development and serving as a bridge for friendly exchanges between China and Ryukyu.”
According to historical records, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, besides the imperial title-conferring envoys sent to Ryukyu, the kingdom also dispatched tribute missions to China primarily for trade—totaling as many as 884 visits. Upon arriving in Fuzhou via the tribute route, Ryukyuan envoys would land at the Taijiang River estuary, lodge at the courier station, and then proceed north to the imperial capital. At that time, Fuzhou port was officially designated by the imperial court as the sole gateway for exchanges with Ryukyu, making it the Ming dynasty’s hub for foreign trade.
Over the years, Fuzhou has committed itself to preserving and restoring Rouyuan Station, officially recognizing it as a protected cultural heritage site at both the city and provincial levels. Through exhibitions of historical photos and artifacts, along with enhanced multimedia installations and video presentations, the station brings to life the enduring friendship between Fuzhou and Ryukyu.
Rouyuan Station has become a popular spot in Fuzhou for sightseeing, historical research, and study tours. In August 2023, the “China Root-seeking” Summer Camp, organized by the Ryukyu Fuzhou Association, was held in Fuzhou. During the camp, a group of Japanese youth of Chinese descent, along with descendants of the “thirty-six families from Fujian,” visited Rouyuan Station to explore and deepen their understanding of the longstanding cultural and historical ties between Ryukyu and Fujian.
In 1981, Fuzhou and Naha, Japan, forged a sister-city friendship that opened the door to wide-ranging exchanges and cooperation. A stone tablet engraved with the words “China-Japan Friendship Everlasting” stands proudly at the entrance of Rouyuan Station, symbolizing the lasting bond between the two cities. (Ye Qiuyun)