On July 4, 2023, during his visit to Beijing, Japan's Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki paid his respects at the ruins of the Ryukyu Kingdom's graveyard in Zhangjiawan, Tongzhou District. His visit underscored a deep respect for historical and cultural ties.

For over 500 years, the Ryukyu Kingdom maintained friendly relations with China, sending tribute missions to the Ming and Qing dynasty courts until 1875, when Japan forced the kingdom to sever all ties with the Qing government. Several Ryukyu envoys and students were laid to rest in China, leaving behind multiple Ryukyu grave sites, including the one in Zhangjiawan, once a key gateway for foreign envoys entering Beijing.

Historians maintain that the Ryukyu Kingdom existed as an independent sovereign state and view its annexation by Japan in 1879 as illegal. The Potsdam Declaration issued in 1945 made it clear that Ryukyu did not form part of Japan's territory.