Changes

For a time, King Shô Ken maintained the kingdom's allegiance to, and relations with, the Ming, in part because of pragmatic economic concerns, namely Ming willingness to resume the raw silk trade. Chinese envoy & interpreter [[Xie Bizhen]]<!--謝必振--> traveled alongside Ryukyuan representatives within China, and to & from Ryûkyû, numerous times, attempting to convince the kingdom to sever its ties with the Ming loyalists, and enter into relations with the Qing Dynasty.

For a time, King Shô Ken maintained the kingdom's allegiance to, and relations with, the Ming, in part because of pragmatic economic concerns, namely Ming willingness to resume the raw silk trade. Chinese envoy & interpreter [[Xie Bizhen]]<!--謝必振--> traveled alongside Ryukyuan representatives within China, and to & from Ryûkyû, numerous times, attempting to convince the kingdom to sever its ties with the Ming loyalists, and enter into relations with the Qing Dynasty.

Shô Ken was succeeded by his younger brother, [[Sho Shitsu|Shô Shitsu]] following the former's death in [[1647]], and King Shô Shitsu was eventually convinced to send a delegation to Beijing. In [[1651]]/9, The Ryukyuan envoys, [[Ma Zongyi]]<!--馬宗毅--> and [[Cai Zuolong]]<!--蔡祚隆-->, were sent to congratulate the Shunzhi Emperor on his recent enthronement, to hand over the king's Ming stamp and Imperial Rescript, and to request a new stamp and rescript from the Qing. It is said, however, that Shô Shitsu did not request investiture from the Qing, nor desire that a Qing embassy should come to Ryûkyû.

Shô Ken was succeeded by his younger brother, [[Sho Shitsu|Shô Shitsu]] following the former's death in [[1647]], and King Shô Shitsu was eventually convinced to send a delegation to Beijing. In [[1651]]/9, The Ryukyuan envoys, [[Ma Zongyi]]<!--馬宗毅--> and [[Cai Zuolong]]<!--蔡祚隆-->, were sent to congratulate the Shunzhi Emperor on his recent enthronement, to hand over the king's Ming stamp and Imperial Rescript, and to request a new stamp and rescript from the Qing. The new seal and rescript were finally granted to Ryûkyû on [[1654]]/6/15, with the first formal tribute mission from Ryûkyû to Qing taking place the previous year.<ref name=schott179>Schottenhammer, "Empire and Periphery?", 179.</ref>

A Qing embassy was commissioned in to journey to Ryûkyû anyway, in [[1654]], in order to clarify Ryûkyû's position under Qing authority. The embassy, led by [[Zhang Xueli]]<!--張学礼--> and [[Wang Gai]]<!--王垓-->, traveled to Fuzhou along with Xie Bizhen, Ma Zongyi, and Cai Zuolong, but was unable to proceed to Ryûkyû, blocked by the naval forces of Zheng Chenggong ([[Coxinga]]), leader of the Ming loyalists on Taiwan.

It is said, however, that Shô Shitsu did not at that time request investiture from the Qing, nor desire that a Qing embassy should come to Ryûkyû. A Qing embassy was commissioned in to journey to Ryûkyû anyway, in [[1654]], in order to clarify Ryûkyû's position under Qing authority. The embassy, led by [[Zhang Xueli]]<!--張学礼--> and [[Wang Gai]]<!--王垓-->, traveled to Fuzhou along with Xie Bizhen, Ma Zongyi, and Cai Zuolong, but was unable to proceed to Ryûkyû, blocked by the naval forces of Zheng Chenggong ([[Coxinga]]), leader of the Ming loyalists on Taiwan.

The Shunzhi Emperor died in [[1661]] and was succeeded by the [[Kangxi Emperor]], who ordered Zhang and Wang to journey to Ryûkyû to perform the official investiture rituals, and to present Shô Shitsu with a new Qing Imperial rescript. The two arrived in [[Naha]] in [[1663]] along with Cai Zuolong and Xie Bizhen (Ma Zongyi had died in 1659), surprising Ryukyuan officials, who had not requested investiture, and who had not been informed to expect the Chinese envoys' arrival. Furthermore, [[Shuri castle]] had been destroyed by a fire in [[1660]], and so Ryûkyû was especially unprepared to formally receive these Chinese envoys. Nevertheless, the investiture went forward, and the system or tradition of Chinese investiture envoys being sent to Ryûkyû was re-established.<ref>Nishizato Kikô. "The Problem of Royal Investiture during the Ming-Qing Transition Period." [http://venus.unive.it/okinawa/en/sunti/nishizato.html Abstract]. Paper presented at 5th International Conference on Okinawan Studies, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, September 2006.</ref>

The Shunzhi Emperor died in [[1661]] and was succeeded by the [[Kangxi Emperor]], who ordered Zhang and Wang to journey to Ryûkyû to perform the official investiture rituals, and to present Shô Shitsu with a new Qing Imperial rescript. The two arrived in [[Naha]] in [[1663]] along with Cai Zuolong and Xie Bizhen (Ma Zongyi had died in 1659), surprising Ryukyuan officials, who had not requested investiture, and who had not been informed to expect the Chinese envoys' arrival. Furthermore, [[Shuri castle]] had been destroyed by a fire in [[1660]], and so Ryûkyû was especially unprepared to formally receive these Chinese envoys. Nevertheless, the investiture went forward, and the system or tradition of Chinese investiture envoys being sent to Ryûkyû was re-established.<ref>Nishizato Kikô. "The Problem of Royal Investiture during the Ming-Qing Transition Period." [http://venus.unive.it/okinawa/en/sunti/nishizato.html Abstract]. Paper presented at 5th International Conference on Okinawan Studies, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, September 2006.</ref>

During both the [[1719]] and [[1756]] missions, embarrassing and damaging disputes broke out between Ryukyuan officials and members of the Chinese missions (mainly Fuzhou sailors and merchants who had come along in order to trade), concerning the amount of goods members of the mission had brought to Ryûkyû, the prices Ryûkyû was willing or able to spend to purchase those goods, and similar or related matters. (See below for some further details on these incidents.) A number of steps were then taken in the early 19th century in an effort to ensure that similar incidents would not occur again; these included increased efforts to examine the character of the servants, sailors, and merchants who were to serve as members of the missions, and enhanced regulations or enforcement of the amount of personal goods each member of the mission could bring with them to trade.<ref name=chen/>

During both the [[1719]] and [[1756]] missions, embarrassing and damaging disputes broke out between Ryukyuan officials and members of the Chinese missions (mainly Fuzhou sailors and merchants who had come along in order to trade), concerning the amount of goods members of the mission had brought to Ryûkyû, the prices Ryûkyû was willing or able to spend to purchase those goods, and similar or related matters. (See below for some further details on these incidents.) A number of steps were then taken in the early 19th century in an effort to ensure that similar incidents would not occur again; these included increased efforts to examine the character of the servants, sailors, and merchants who were to serve as members of the missions, and enhanced regulations or enforcement of the amount of personal goods each member of the mission could bring with them to trade.<ref name=chen/>