The Ryukyus was lost from the Qing government in 1879, so why does it still hold Qing enthronement ceremonies?

The Ryukyu Islands, located in the eastern part of China's East China Sea, were historically part of China's sphere of influence for a long time and were one of China's vassal states. At the end of the 19th century, the Ryukyus began to be invaded by invaders. After the Meiji Restoration, Japan grew strong and annexed the Ryukyus in 1879. In the same year, Japan established an administrative district centered on the Ryukyu Islands and named it Okinawa Prefecture. The Qing government at that time was in the midst of internal and external troubles and had no time to take care of the Ryukyus, nor did it have the means to reclaim it from the Japanese. Thus, the Ryukyus was lost to China.

The Ryukyus has been a Japanese territory for more than 100 years, yet in Okinawa Prefecture, a special ceremony is held every year. Those who attend the ceremony wear deep boots and long coats, and they carry a sedan chair through the streets of Okinawa. In the sedan chair sits an old man wearing a red tasseled imperial crown, green imperial beads around his neck, and an embroidered python robe. The costumes worn by these people were very much like those of the Qing Dynasty, especially the old man. Why is there a classical ceremony of the Qing Dynasty in Japan?

It was said at the beginning that the Ryukyus was one of China's vassal states in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and according to the regulations, the status of the king of the Ryukyu Kingdom, as with the vassal kings of China's feudal period, the change of throne needs to be approved by the Chinese emperor, or directly appointed by the emperor. China is the sovereign state of the Kingdom of the Ryukyus, and it has to pay tribute to China every year. As for the ceremony held in Okinawa Prefecture, it originated from a change of kingship within the Ryukyus.

The book "History of the Qing Dynasty" recorded that the sons of Ryukyu's King Shanmu had all left the world early, and his grandson, Shanwin, wanted to succeed the throne. So he sent a messenger to China to have an audience with Emperor Jiaqing, explaining the situation in the country and requesting his permission to ascend the throne. Upon learning of this news, Jiaqing immediately summoned his ministers to discuss a solution. Later, at the suggestion of Ji Xiaolan, the Jiaqing Emperor in 1800 sent Cultivator Zhao Wenkai, editor Li Dingyuan as the first and second envoys, on behalf of their own to the Ryukyu Kingdom, the new king of the Ryukyus, Shang Wen was enthroned, but also gave him "the sea surface of the clan of respect" of the imperial plaque. The Ryukyus have preserved the ceremony to this day.

After the Japanese occupation of the Ryukyus, in order to completely take possession of the place, they implemented a policy of slavery to the local residents, not allowing them to use their own language, and they had to speak Japanese and use Japanese characters. From social customs to eating habits, Ryukyuans had to follow the Japanese way. The King of the Ryukyus led his people to resist Japanese colonial rule and slavery education, but ended in failure and was exiled to Tokyo. The Ryukyu king had asked the Qing government for help, but the Qing government was so self-involved that it could only watch the territory being taken away by Japan.

Now, the Ryukyus is under Japan's jurisdiction, but the United States still has administrative authority over parts of it, and most of the U.S. military bases in Japan are in the Ryukyus. It is almost impossible for China to get back jurisdiction over the Ryukyus.