Xie Bizhen
- Chinese: 謝 必振 (Xiè Bìzhèn)
Xiè Bìzhèn was a Qing Dynasty official who traveled to the Ryûkyû Kingdom on a number of occasions in the 1640s-1660s, initially seeking to convince the kingdom to submit to Qing authority, and to swear off loyalty to the fallen Ming Dynasty.
Xie's initial journeys to Ryûkyû took place beginning in 1649. Another of his trips took place in 1651. On each of these journeys, he traveled alongside Ryukyuan tribute missions to China, serving as escort and interpreter, and not traveling to Ryûkyû separately; he also accompanied Ryukyuan missions within China on a number of occasions. Each time Xie presented requests (or demands) that Ryûkyû swear loyalty to the Qing, the Ryukyuan court delayed.
Some of these missions to Ryûkyû never managed to make it to Ryûkyû at all, as the East China Sea crossing was made difficult by Ming loyalists under Zheng Chenggong or his father Zheng Zhilong. One such mission was planned for 1654, and was led by Zhang Xueli and Wang Gai, who were accompanied by Xie, along with Ma Zongyi and Cai Zuolong. However, the group only made it as far as Fuzhou before deciding not to risk the crossing.
Once Ryûkyû finally declared its submission to Qing authority, Xie accompanied Zhang Xueli and Wang Gai on the 1663 investiture mission which formally marked the re-establishment of tributary/investiture relations between China and Ryûkyû.
References
- Angela Schottenhammer, "The East Asian maritime world, 1400-1800: Its fabrics of power and dynamics of exchanges - China and her neighbors." in Schottenhammer (ed.) The East Asian maritime world, 1400-1800: Its fabrics of power and dynamics of exchanges. Harrassowitz Verlag, 2007. pp45ff.
- Angela Schottenhammer, “Empire and Periphery? The Qing Empire’s Relations with Japan and the Ryūkyūs (1644–c. 1800), a Comparison.” The Medieval History Journal 16, no. 1 (April 1, 2013): 139-196.
