Rouyuan Station in Fuzhou: A historic witness to China–Ryukyu ties

For more than five centuries, countless envoys, students and merchants from the Ryukyu Kingdom visited China. As the official gateway designated by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) imperial court, Fuzhou in Fujian Province became their first stop – and Rouyuan Station served as their home on Chinese soil.

Built in 1472, its name reflects the imperial ideal of "treating those from afar with grace." After arriving in Fuzhou, Ryukyu envoys would stay there before continuing on to Beijing to pay tribute to the Chinese emperor.

Today, Rouyuan Station stands as a museum, a protected cultural heritage site that preserves the history of relations between China and Ryukyu and centuries of maritime exchange.