Changes

===Independence===

===Independence===

[[File:Bridge of Nations Bell.jpg|right|thumb|320px|A replica of the ''Bankoku shinryô no kane'', or [[Bridge of Nations Bell]], hanging at Shuri castle. The inscription speaks of Ryûkyû as a bridge between all nations]]

[[File:Bridge of Nations Bell.jpg|right|thumb|320px|A replica of the ''Bankoku shinryô no kane'', or [[Bridge of Nations Bell]], hanging at Shuri castle. The inscription speaks of Ryûkyû as a bridge between all nations]]

[[File:Shiseibyo-gate.jpg|right|thumb|320px|The main gate to the [[Shiseibyo|Confucian temple]] in [[Kumemura]]]]

[[File:Shiseibyo-gate.jpg|right|thumb|320px|The main gate to the [[Shiseibyo|Confucian temple]] in [[Kumemura]]]]

Despite its tiny land area, the kingdom came to play a crucial role in regional trade networks as a transshipping point. Much of the tribute goods paid by the kingdom to China came originally from Southeast Asia. Hundreds of Ryukyuan vessels, many of them acquired from the Ming, but operating on behalf of the Ryukyuan royal government, traversed the seas, making port in China, Korea, Japan, and at least eight different ports across Southeast Asia, engaging not only in trade but also in diplomatic exchanges.<ref>Records show a number of instances of Ryûkyû requesting seagoing vessels from Ming and from Siam, explicitly for the purpose of facilitating maritime trade activities. Some scholars have suggested this indicates that Ryukyuan vessels were themselves not capable of traversing such vast distances safely or effectively. Chan, Ying Kit. “A Bridge between Myriad Lands: The Ryukyu Kingdom and Ming China (1372-1526).” MA Thesis, National University of Singapore, 2010, 58n147, 60. http://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/20602.</ref> Goods from Japan consisted primarily of precious metals and objects of fine art; the kingdom acquired primarily medicinal herbs, ceramics, and textiles from Korea and China. These were then exchanged in Southeast Asian ports for a variety of spices, aromatic woods, skins, ivory, and other animal products, and sugar.

Despite its tiny land area, the kingdom came to play a crucial role in regional trade networks as a transshipping point. Much of the tribute goods paid by the kingdom to China came originally from Southeast Asia. Hundreds of Ryukyuan vessels, many of them acquired from the Ming, but operating on behalf of the Ryukyuan royal government, traversed the seas, making port in China, Korea, Japan, and at least eight different ports across Southeast Asia, engaging not only in trade but also in diplomatic exchanges.<ref>Records show a number of instances of Ryûkyû requesting seagoing vessels from Ming and from Siam, explicitly for the purpose of facilitating maritime trade activities. Some scholars have suggested this indicates that Ryukyuan vessels were themselves not capable of traversing such vast distances safely or effectively. Chan, Ying Kit. “A Bridge between Myriad Lands: The Ryukyu Kingdom and Ming China (1372-1526).” MA Thesis, National University of Singapore, 2010, 58n147, 60. http://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/20602.</ref> Goods from Japan consisted primarily of precious metals and objects of fine art; the kingdom acquired primarily medicinal herbs, ceramics, and textiles from Korea and China. These were then exchanged in Southeast Asian ports for a variety of spices, aromatic woods, skins, ivory, and other animal products, and sugar.