Ep. 313 | The History of Taiwan (Part 4)

The history of Taiwan continues during the difficult decades of the Qing Dynasty. With Shi Lang's defeat of the Dongning Kingdom in 1683, Taiwan finally became part of China. But times were anything but peaceful on the island. The outcome of the Opium Wars had opened up treaty ports on Taiwan. Foreign trade ramped up quickly bringing with it all the positive and negative influences it had on the host country. The Manchu Qing authorities tried like crazy to establish control over the island.

But with the indigenous people and the inaccessible mountainous parts of the island, they were never able to assert their authority beyond the west coast cities. A number of bloody incidents go down when foreign ships find themselves shipwrecked off the Taiwan coast. Finally, a hero arises who is able to begin to institute reforms. Liu Mingchuan first fought the French in the Sino-French War and then became the first governor of Taiwan...but not for long. We'll close with the Treaty of Shimonoseki which leads to a sharp turn of events on the Ilha Formosa.

Listen On Your Favorite Podcast Player

---

Terms in Episode

Pinyin/Term	Chinese	English/Meaning
Kāngxī	康熙帝	The third Qing Emperor. He reigned 1661-1722
Yōngzhèng	雍正帝	Son of Kangxi, he reigned from 1722-1735
Qiánlóng	乾隆帝	Qing Emperor who reigned 1735-1796
Qīng	清朝	Last imperial dynasty of China 1644-1912
Zhèng Chénggōng	郑成功	Born Tagawa Fukumatsu and Zhang Sen, Also known as Koxinga 国姓爷 Lord of the Royal Surname. He known in popular Chinese history as Zheng Chenggong (actual name was Zhu Chenggong (the royal Ming Zhu 朱. He lived 1624-1662, and is remembered as a Ming loyalist general who founded the Dongning Kingdom that lasted 1661-1683
Jiāqìng Emperor	嘉庆帝	Qing emperor who reigned 1796-1820
Dōngníng Kingdom	东宁王国	The Dongning Kingdom 1661-1683, led by the Zheng Family (first Zheng Chenggong, then Zheng Jing)
Ānpíng	安平	Former name of Táinán 台南, located on the southwest coast of Taiwan, this is where the earliest recorded history began with the arrival of the Dutch in 1624. Tainan was where the Dutch built Fort Provintia and Fort Zeelandia
Gāoxióng	高雄	The city of Kaohsiung on the southwest coast of Taiwan
Jīlóng	基隆	Officially known as Keelung City. It's a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. The city is a part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with its neighbors, New Taipei City and Taipei.
Dànshuǐ	淡水	A seaside district in New Taipei, named after the Tamsui River; the name means "fresh water"
Fújiànese	福建人	Someone from Fujian Province, also known as Hokkien or Hoklo
Zhāngzhōu	漳州	City on the southern coast of Fujian
Xiàmén	厦门	City in southern Fujian, also known as Amoy
Quánzhōu	泉州	City in southern Fujian adjacent to Xiamen
Hakka	客家	A Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhejiang, Hainan, Guizhou in China, as well as in parts of Taiwan. Unlike other Han Chinese subgroups, the Hakkas are not named after a geographical region in China. The word Hakka or "guest families" is Cantonese in origin and originally refers to the Northern Chinese refugees fleeing social unrest, upheaval and invasions in northern parts of China who migrated to the south.
Méixiàn	梅县	Méi County in Eastern Guangdong. The center of Hakka Culture in China
Guǎngdōng	广东	Province in southern China
Cháozhōu	潮州	City in Southeast Guangdong. Also the name for a region consisting of the cities of Chaozhou, Shantou and Jieyang. The people are known as Teochews
Pénghú	澎湖	Also popularly known as the Pescadores Islands. This is an archipeligo of 90 islands in the Taiwan Strait covering an area of 141 square km. The largest city is Magong
Sòng	宋朝	The Song Dynasty, founded by Zhao Kuangyin, that lasted 960-1279
Míng	明朝	The Ming Dynasty, founded by Zhu Yuanzhang. It lasted 1368-1644
Běnshěngrén	本省人	In Taiwan these are the people born and raised in Taiwan and who lived there prior to the Chinese Civil War
Wàishěngrén	外省人	A name ascribed to the Chinese who migrated to Taiwan as a result of the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War in 1949
Lín Shuǎngwén Rebellion	林爽文事件	1786-1788, major anti-Qing rebellion caused by persecution of the secret Tiandihui (heaven & Earth) Society. It spiraled out of control and resulted in much bloodshed and destruction
Zhōushān	舟山	A group of islands off the coast of Ningbo, Zhejuiang Province
Dà’ān District	大安区	A coastal suburban district in Taichung. It lies between the Dajia river and the Da-an river
Táizhōng	台中	City on the west coast of Taiwan that also served as the provincial capital
Battle of Níngbō		March 10, 1842, a battle that saw the Qing Navy go down in defeat after trying to seize back Ningbo from the British
Dàoguāng Emperor	道光帝	Qing Emperor who had the misfortune to reign between 1820-1850
Shàntóu	汕头	A port city just south of Chaozhou (see above)
Yíngkǒu	營口	a port on the Liáodōng Bay halfway between Dàlián 大连 and Shěnyáng 沈阳
Kěndīng National Park	垦丁国家公园	Kenting National Park is a national park located on the Hengchun Peninsula of Pingtung County, Taiwan, covering Hengchun, Checheng, and Manzhou Townships. Established on 1 January 1984, it is Taiwan's oldest and the southernmost national park on the main island, covering the southernmost area of the Taiwan island along Bashi Channel.
Páiwān	排湾族	An indigenous people and language. In 2014, the Paiwan numbered 96,334. This was approximately 17.8% of Taiwan's total indigenous population, making them the second-largest indigenous group. They fought many skirmishes against foreigners in the 18th and 19th century
Mǔdān Shè Shìjiàn	牡丹社事件	Mǔdān Incident of December 1871 that saw the massacre of 54 Ryukyuan sailors in Qing-era Taiwan who wandered into the central part of Taiwan after their ship shipwrecked off of Taiwan's southeastern coast
Viceroy of Liǎngjiāng	两江总督	The Viceroy of Liangjiang or Viceroy of the Two Jiangs (also: the Governor-General of the Two Yangtze Provinces and Surrounding Areas Overseeing Military Affairs, Provisions and Funds, Manager of Waterways, Director of Civil Affairs, was one of eight regional Viceroys in China proper during the Qing dynasty. Liǎngjiāng was comprised of the territories of Jiāngsū, Ānhuī and Jiāngxī.
Shěn Bǎozhēn	沈葆桢	Viceroy of Liangjiang from 1875-1879. He began some reforms on Taiwan
Gāoshān	高山	Literally means tall mountains. So the Gaoshan people were those aboriginals who resided in the mountainous two thirds of the island
Bātōngguān Trail	八通关古道	Two trails crossing the Central Mountain Range from Zhushan, Nantou to Yuli, Hualien in Taiwan. The first iteration of the trail was built in the Qing Dynasty and was abandoned; a second was built in the Japanese era. Both were built for the government to control the indigenous population living in the mountains. Though the two trails rarely overlap, they are often referred to by the same name.
Diàoyú	钓鱼岛	Known as the Senkaku Islands, they are administered by Japan and the subject of territorial disputes between Japan, China ansd Taiwan
Liú Míngchuán	刘铭传	Taiwan's first governor during the Qing. He served from 1884-1891. Besides his past military service, Liu is remembered for his efforts in modernizing Taiwan during his tenure as governor, and several institutions have been given his name, including Ming Chuan University in Taipei.
Tàipíng Rebellion	太平天国	December 1850 to August 1864, a terrible civil war and rebellion in China that pitted the Taiping rebels and their leader, Hong Xiuquan, against the Qing Dynasty
Ānhuī	安徽	Province in China adjacent to Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Henan and Hubei, pretty central to almost everything that happened in China history
Héféi	合肥	Capital of Anhui
Zēng Guófān	曾国藩	1811-1872, statesman and military general of the late Qing dynasty. He is best known for raising and organizing the Xiang Army to aid the Qing military in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion and restoring the stability of the Qing Empire.
Lǐ Hóngzhāng	李鸿章	1823-1901, Chinese politician, general and diplomat of the late Qing dynasty. With his Huai Army, he quelled several major rebellions and served in important positions in the Qing imperial court, including the Viceroy of Zhili, Huguang and Liangguang. He was best known in the West for his generally pro-modern stance and as the Qing Dynasty's chief negotiator with foreign powers
Huái Army	淮军	Army created in October 1861 by Li Hongzhang, also called the Anhui Army
Shī Láng	施琅	Although he was best known in the West for his generally pro-modern stance and importance as a negotiator,
Yuè Fēi	岳飞	1103-1142, Southern Song military general and a national hero of China, known for leading forces against the Jurchen-ruled Jin dynasty in northern China. Because of his warlike-stance, he was put to death by the Southern Song government in 1142 under a concocted charge, after a negotiated peace was achieved with the Jurchens. The Yue Fei Temple is in Hangzhou. A great place to visit next time you're there
Huán Wǒ Hé Shān	还我河山	Return my rivers and mountains, meaning that part of north China occupied by the Jurchen Jin
Cāngtiān a, huán wǒde Táiwān	苍天啊，还我的台湾！	Oh Heaven, Give me back my Taiwan
Wǔyí Mountains	武夷山	Mountain chain in northern Fujian, famous for its scenic beauty and for the tea gardens growing on the cliffs and in the mountains
Lùgú Township	鹿谷乡	A rural township located in the southwest of Nantou County, Taiwan
Nántóu County	南投县	The second largest county of Taiwan, located in the central part of the island. Nantou is also the only non-coastal county in Taiwan. Its name derives from the Hoanya Taiwanese aboriginal word Ramtau
Dòngdǐng Tea	冻顶茶	The first famous tea of Taiwan, grown in Lugu Township
Lǐ Chūnshēng	李春生	1838-1924, One of the "Fathers" of Taiwan's tea industry, along with John Dodd. He had a massive impact on the scaling up of Taiwan's tea industry and turning tea into Taiwan's biggest and renowned export

---

Enjoy the show and want to support the CHP?

Join the Teacup Patreon

Make a Direct Donation

Buy Laszlo a Cup of Coffee

---