Research On Chinese Classical Documents Of Ryukyu And China-Ryukyu Literary Communication

Since Ryukyu kingdom was brought into Chinese conferment and tribute system,it has maintained suzerain-vassal diplomatic relations with China for nearly 500 years.Besides,as a member of the "Cultural Circle of Chinese Characters",Ryukyu has the same long history of Chinese literature as Korea,Vietnam,etc.According to Chinese works in Ryukyu,this paper conducted study and discussion on Chinese literature in Ryukyu and the cultural exchange activities between China and Ryukyu.The generalized Chinese works in Ryukyu include the traditional Chinese documents printed and published in Ryukyu,such as Daxuezhangju,Lunyujizhu,Qianziwen and Liuyuyanyi in block printed edition of Ryukyu.In addition,the Chinese works by Loochooan are also included,such as Qiuyang,Zhongshanshijian,Suowengpianyan and Zhongshanshiwenji.Specifically,this paper mainly studied the latter,especially centered with literary documents,aiming at exploring the development and evolution trajectory of Chinese literature in Ryukyu in the process of China-Ryukyu suzerain-vassal diplomacy.Besides,some other Chinese literatures in Ryukyu,embodied in books by men of Qing Dynasty,are also investigated here to display the panorama of literary communication between China and Ryukyu.The introduction gives hackling and review on the previous studies related with this subject,holding that research on Chinese literature in Ryukyu is relatively marginalized presently both in China and Japan,without enough attention from the academic field.However,Chinese literature in Ryukyu acts as a bridge connecting China-Ryukyu suzerain-vassal diplomacy.It is the important achievement of literary exchange between China and Ryukyu,playing a pivotal role in Ryukyu literature history.Therefore,it is necessary to conduct comprehensive and systematic recognition and hackling on it.In terms of investigation method,the study on China-Ryukyu literature communication applied interdisciplinary research to the maximum instead of taking the conventional literary research as primary method,which was the attempt direction of this paper.Additionally,the vigorous development of foreign studies on Chinese documents affords multifaceted references in theory and method for this paper.Background of China-Ryukyu literature communication is discussed from perspectives of Chinese culture and documents using the research method of culturology and philology in Chapter 1.Chinese culture in Ryukyu mainly includes Confucian culture and religious culture.On the one hand,the Confucian culture was gradually developed in Ming and Qing Dynasty under the circumstance of China-Ryukyu suzerain-vassal diplomacy with thought of Huairouyuanren and Xiangmuhuafeng.Specifically,it grew from the external to the internal,program to life,education to authority,and office to folk,presenting the most powerful momentum and reaching the peak in mid-Qing Dynasty.On the other hand,faith of Tianfei was most remarkable in the religious cultures,which originated from Fujian Province and was commonly worshipped in Ryukyu and Fujian.It reflected the cultural interaction between Ryukyu and Fujian and religious ritual in the process of China-Ryukyu conferment and tribute.Furthermore,as an important part of Chinese culture in Ryukyu,it had witnessed the brilliant history of China-Ryukyu Sea Silk Road for over 500 years.As background,the Confucian cultures in Ryukyu and faith of Tianfei were widely presented in Chinese classical documents in Ryukyu,laying fundamental impact on China-Ryukyu literary exchange.Chinese documents in Ryukyu are the research object of this paper,as well as the major study line and literature basis.Both Chinese and Ryukyu are included in China-Ryukyu literary communication.Some researchers focus on applying Ryukyu-involved Chinese literature to investigate China-Ryukyu literature exchange activities.Nevertheless,Chinese documents by Loochooan are taken as the main basis for this paper,especially the literary counterparts.It aims at systematically hackling and reproducing the creation and history of Chinese literature in Ryukyu while studying China-Ryukyu literary communication,thus highlighting the value and significance of Chinese literature in Ryukyu in the whole Ryukyu literary history.Chapter 2 discusses the creation of Chinese literature by Ryukyu literati in literary perspective and the literary communication between them and Chinese literati.First,taking Zhongshanshiwenji by Ryukyu literati Shunze Cheng as an example,this paper explores Chinese literature creation by Ryukyu royal family and aristocratic stratum with the poem responsory among Ji Wang,Linchang Lin and Ryukyu emperor and courtiers when they enfeoffed Ryukyu during Kangxi years.Second,this paper reveals Ryukyu family literature and the family condition in the perspective of family literary research.36 surnames for Fujian residents were granted to Ryukyu by the lst emperor of Ming Dynasty.Their descendants usually lived in Jiumi Village or were called Tangrong.They worked as officers handling affairs related with China and made Jiumi as the habitation for Chinese in Ryukyu.Scholar-Bureaucrats of Jiumi became the major strength of Chinese literature in Ryukyu for their family learning origin.Especially in mid and late Qing Dynasty,they took the first place in Chinese literary world of Ryukyu,which was hardly approached by literati in other regions of Ryukyu.Therefore,residents of Jiumi formed literary family for their unique family learning background.This chapter analyzes the characteristics and values of Chinese literature creation in Ryukyu with Cai family in Jiumi as an example.The family member Dading Cai was the most prolific Chinese litterateur in Ryukyu in the late 2nd Shang Dynasty.Specifically,he accumulated eight poem collections,which was second to none in Chinese literary history of Ryukyu.His poetry creation not only acts as a typical example for China-Ryukyu literary communication,but also supplies abundant and precious document materials for social life history of late Qing Dynasty.From diplomatic perspective,Chapter 3 discusses China-Ryukyu literary exchange and Chinese literature works in Ryukyu.The official literary communication mainly presented as poetry and fu diplomacy between China and Ryukyu,including 2 opproaches—sending envoys mutually and official students studying abroad.Taking Zhongshanzengsongshiwen by Baoguang Xu as an instance,this chapter recurs to the spectacular events of China-Ryukyu literary exchange with Baoguang Xu's journey to Ryukyu for enfeoffment in 1719 and the corresponding poem responsory.Furthermore,activities are reproduced including Ryukyu official students' communication,peregrinate and literary creation in China according to the related recordings by official instructors of Imperial College in Ryukyu,such as Xiang Pan,Yiyan Sun and Gan Xu.Besides,China-Ryukyu exchange was like a raging fire in folk and the mandarin in Ryukyu was a typical carrier for China-Ryukyu folk cultural communication.As common language learning books,Ryukyu mandarin books,such as Baixing and Guangyingguanhua,were the introductory readings for ordinary Loochooan to study Chinese and Chinese literature.However,Tiaokuanguanhua displayed features different from that of common Ryukyu mandarin for its unique political metaphor.So discussion on it was conducted separately.Besides,the level of poems by Ryukyu monks was generally high,which was a model in Chinese literary history of Ryukyu.The monk literature was remarkable in Chinese literary history of Ryukyu,which could be regarded as a transformation or supplement of the official diplomacy with poetry and fu between China and Ryukyu.Literati's communication,peregrinate and creation within Ryukyu and Fujian are explored from perspective of regional literature in Chapter 4.In total,there were 7 Fujian natives' conferred envoys for Ryukyu during Ming and Qing Dynasty.They promoted China-Ryukyu literary exchange to a certain extent,typified by Linchang Lin,Kun Qi,et al.Additionally,most prefaces and postscripts of Chinese documents in Ryukyu were written by locals of Fujian,which extremely benefited the investigation on Chinese literature in Ryukyu.Since Loochooan had few articles concerning literary criticism,these prefaces and postscripts filled the gaps of Chinese literature criticism history in Ryukyu to a large extent,which deserved special attention.It had been 200 years from Hanchuangjishixu written by Yin Ren in 1681 to Beiyanyoucaoxu by Bingshu Ye in 1883 and in this period literati's communication never stopped between Ryukyu and Fujian.Prefaces and postscripts by Fujian writers completely reconstructed the ethos and visage of Chinese literature creation and the prosperity of China-Ryukyu literary exchange,which is a feat for both past and future.The last chapter summarizes the full paper from perspective of academic history and re-examines and revaluates the significance of Chinese literature in Ryukyu.In view of the marginalization problem of study on Ryukyu and Chinese literature in Ryukyu,this paper holds that it is resulted from a long-term ignorance and obscurity by related research fields in academic circles.Therefore,the author is appealing for strengthening the reconstruction of Chinese literature in Ryukyu from academia field both in China and Japan.One the one hand,measures should be taken to construct the discourse system and academic environment of study on Chinese literature in Ryukyu.On the other hand,emphasis ought to be put on the universalization and promotion of basic literature arrangement,so that Chinese documents and literature in Ryukyu could get wide acceptance and understanding.In the long period of five hundred years of diplomatic relations between China and Ryukyu,literary communication is an indispensable and important component.Especially in Qing Dynasty,the literary communication between China and Ryukyu had gradually become an extraordinary trend with Chinese classical documents in Ryukyu as carrier for approximately two hundred years from Kangxi to Guangxu Empire.It was an extremely speedy process and a miracle compared with Japan,North Korea and other countries with thousands of years of cultural heritage.Chinese classical documents in Ryukyu vividly reproduce the cultural exchange scene in history of China and Ryukyu.Furthermore,Chinese literature in Ryukyu is the common cultural heritage of both Chinese and Ryukyu people.In addition,the way presented in China-Ryukyu literary communication provides some references for the current international situation,which seeks common ground while reserving differences.It has the practical significance and fundamental objective of research on Chinese classical documents abroad.