中山伝信録 二

Xu Baoguang, originally from Suzhou City in Changzhou Prefecture, South China, visited the Ryukyu kingdom in the year 1719 on an investiture mission for the enthronement of King Shō Kei. This record is a report on this mission, which contains the detailed information on Ryukyu tributary affairs. It records those Chinese envoys' experience of Ryukyuan customs, language, geography, history etc, as well as the way in which the enthronement ceremony were carried out, in the style of the kaozheng study with a variety of illustrations. Edo period scholars had often relied upon this book as a resource for information regarding Ryukyu. It was also translated in part by a French missionary Antoine Gaubil and was introduced into Europe. The second volume consists of several chapters; one of which describes the sappo, or investiture, ceremony, and another describes the welcoming banquets for the Chinese envoys held by the Ryukyu side. The translation of the entire text of the book is available in the first of volume of Naha shishi (The History of Naha City).