Introduction
To reproduce a complete and improved copy of the Rekidai Hōan (literally, the Precious Documents of Successive Generations), the new Rekidai Hōan was revised by Ryukyu’s academic and cultural sectors after collecting numerous historical records and literature. Commentaries were also provided in the new Rekidai Hōan. Such a major collation project was made possible because of the historical records kept in the collection of the National Palace Museum (NPM) and The First Historical Archives of China (in Beijing). Professor Mamoru Akamine represented the Okinawa Churashima Foundation as he invited the NPM to sponsor and co-publish the Compilation of Ryukyu’s Historical Data from the Qing Dynasty, an invitation that the NPM subsequently accepted. The NPM plans to spend three years to edit and publish the said publication, which will include Ryukyu-related historical records such as Rescripts Written in the Palace Memorials, Copies of the Grand Council Memorials, and other records in an attempt to showcase NPM’s rich collection of China-Ryukyu-related records from the Qing Dynasty.