Colonization of Taiwan by the Dutch - Assignment Example

Colonization of Taiwan by the Dutch Name Institutional Affiliation Colonization of Taiwan by the Dutch Question: Why did the Dutch colonize Taiwan? Did they have a significant effect on Taiwan, or were they merely a conduit for the expansion of Chinese influence? Introduction The previous research shows that the Dutch were among the colonizers of Taiwan. After colonization, Taiwan became part of China and the Dutch due to assimilation of cultural practices. The first people to invaded Taiwan were the Chinese, and later, they responded to Dutch colonization Taiwan. The colonization by the Dutch attracted a stream of peasants and entrepreneurs from far regions such as China (Andrade, 2010). Colonization, by this group caused many difficulties, but the term does not describe or mean that there was any cooperation between the Dutch and Chinese but rather an undertaking of the two groups during the period of Dutch rule. According to Huber (2002), when the Dutch settled in Taiwan, the Spanish still occupied the Northern since they landed in the area in 1626. However, after moving in, they did not show any signs of improving the area; therefore, the Dutch moved them out after they invaded Taiwan. Invasion of Taiwan by the Dutch was due to several important reasons, and they had a significant effect on Taiwan. A. Why did the Dutch Colonize Taiwan? Historic research shows that the Dutch expressed interested in Taiwan before planning an attack. Studies show that there were main reasons why the Dutch wanted to colonize Taiwan. The first reason is the Dutch believed that by colonizing the Taiwan, they would have the power to protect the Philippines from its enemies or any other form of danger (Koo, 2015). Secondly, Taiwan was a good based that was connected to China, thus, the Dutch believed that taking over the nation would protect and boost their trade with China. The Dutch also colonized Taiwan in order to prevent/restrict Japanese from entering Taiwan Island since they believed the land was too productive. Another reason why the Dutch colonized Taiwan is because it was a major trading base for most Asian countries, therefore Dutch companies, such as DEIC would fully benefit from the trade. Therefore, from colonizing Taiwan, the Dutch could gain huge profits from the nation because most immigrants living in Fukien offered cheap labor (Andrade, 2007). By early 1650s, most of the Dutch businesses in Taiwan were more economically prosperous and they made huge profits unlike other branches located in Asia and Ceylon. Taiwan accounted for about 26% of the Company profit within and year. Therefore, one of the main reasons why the Dutch were interested in Taiwan was in order to make profits. According to most Dutch colonies, Taiwan was located in a strategic area, and this enabled them to engage in trading with other regions in a more convenient manner. Initially, the Chinese had invaded Taiwan. Therefore, they prevented the Dutch from settling in China, and this motivated them to invade Taiwan since they were interested in trading. This is one of the main reasons why the Dutch colonized Taiwan since they needed a place to settle in in order to participate in trading activities. The subsequent settlement of the Dutch in the island reflected the strategic value of Taiwan. The Dutch planned systematically for the settlement, and one of their first constructions Zeelandia castles, which was a meeting point for soldiers. The main aim of the Dutch was to take part in long-term trade. In order to do this, the Dutch has to have a strong base whereby they would establish themselves. Evidently, the geographically advantageous position at Taiwan, which made is the center of most trading activities in the area, gave the Dutch major advantage in participating in the trade. However, in 1662 Chinese forces, whose aim was to drive them out of Taiwan, a land they had already conquered and taken over, overwhelmed the Dutch. As a result, Dutch rule in Taiwan ended and the Chinese took over the region, following Taiwan’s struggle for freedom and independence. B. Did the Dutch have a significant effect on Taiwan? Trade Additionally, the colonization of Taiwan by the Dutch led to effective advancements in fields such as science and technology. The first practices introduced by the Dutch included well-digging, and the use of oxen and cattle on the Island. In reference to trade, the ultimate goal of these settlers was to acquire the spices grown in regions such as Southeast Asia and transport them to America and Europe. At first, the Dutch purchased gold from the Japanese and sold it in order to acquire cotton (Thompson, 1964). Using this cotton, the settles managed to buy the spices. They later shipped the spices to other regions in order to earn profit; the first Dutch fleet went to China to engage in trading activities. Initially, trading transactions did not take place because of the Sino-Dutch conflict over Penghu. Late the Dutch left Penghu after obtaining settlements in Taiwan by 1624. From this period, Taiwan joined the Dutch trade network in Asia. In addition, the Dutch East India Company exported sugar from Taiwan and both made huge profits from this. The Dutch also imposed 10% customs duty on both he exports and imports from Taiwan. However, from 1625 to 1628, the cessation that occurred due to the trade made Zhend Zhilong to attack both the Chinese and Dutch who were shipping goods across Taiwan Strait. Even with all these controversies in trading activities, researchers do not ignore the fact that the Dutch brought in trading Activities after colonizing Taiwan. As a result, Taiwan flourished in trade and improved its economic status (Shepherd, 1993). After Zheng surrendered to Xiong in 1628, the Dutch resumed with their trading activities. There were three ships sent from Taiwan to Japan, which contained about 436 florins’ worth of cargo. From then one, trade was quite prosperous in Taiwan, and in 1637, fourteen Dutch ships carried 2,460,733 cargoes (Shepherd, 1995). The Dutch then started transporting cargo from regions of China in order to trade with them at Taiwan. In one of the shipments, Dutch ships were used to carry cargo to other regions such as Japan during the monsoon period. From this, it is evident that the Dutch colonization promoted trade in Taiwan. Christianity Additionally, the colonization of Taiwan by the Dutch brought out Christianity in the region. The process of converting indigenous peoples to Christianity ultimately increases their literacy level. The Dutch East India Company sent clergymen whose role was to translate the Bibles written in Dutch language in order to make the message clear to the indigenous languages since they mainly used the Romanized versions. These clergies also built schools and collected taxes. This was a key role that enabled the Dutch to rule Taiwan effectively (Andrade, 2012). The Dutch also tried to understand the culture of indigenous tribes such as the Aboriginal in order to make it easier to control and rule them. Therefore, colonization of the Taiwan people influenced them to adapt to Christianity and abandon the other means of worshiping. Economic Development When the Dutch colonized Taiwan, it had a major impact on the lives of the latter. Therefore, the Dutch had a significant effect on Taiwan, since both the negative and positive effect marked the historical colonization period. The main effect that the Dutch had on people who lived in Taiwan is that they developed the place by building different economic structures that took the nation to another whole level (Heyns, 2005). Initially, Dutch traders control most Asian bases, and they mainly used this region as the control center of trading activities between the Dutch and Japan. The Dutch East India Company was a very influential company in Dutch since it contributed to the formation of Fort Zeelandia, which was a major achievement. In addition, Portuguese sailors witnessed the labeling/naming of one of the ships as Ilha Formosa. There were very people who survived the shipwreck that occurred in Japan, and most of them suffered from malaria and aborigines for about ten years before returning to their original homes in Macau. The Dutch also built a settlement in regions such as Trinidad where they built certain historic structures, for example, Fort San Salvador, which is located on the coast of Taiwan near Keelung. The Dutch owned this region after eliminating other ethnic groups such as the Spanish traders. Some of the other important structures built the Dutch included Tamsui Fort, which they abandoned in the early 1630s. Additionally, in 1633, they formed an administration center in Taiwan from where they would conduct their day-to-day activities, and from this, they created a Dutch colony. The first goal of the Dutch was to punish villages that expressed opposition towards them (Blusse, 2002). They gave their first punishment to towards the people of Baccloan since they portrayed the highest form of resistance. The Dutch also came up with the Mattauw campaign, which was very helpful since it made other villagers submit to the Dutch. Administration in Taiwan According to most researchers, the Dutch administered Taiwan in an effective manner. Most studies claim that the Dutch were among the first settlers who developed the Taiwan Island. At first, the Dutch faced much rebellion from Taiwan residents, but they still participated in several expeditions in order to pacify them. In doing this, the main aim of the Dutch was to establish everlasting peace, which would last until they ended their rue in 1662. In addition, the Aboriginals who lived there were given the freedom to continue with their normal lives, but they had to give their annual tributes to the rulers in a way that followed the feudal system (Blusse, 2002). Moreover, the Dutch also introduced various taxes, for example, export duties, hunting taxes and sales taxes among others, and laid now several roles that help to govern all the aspects of life. The Dutch ensures there was an effective administration in regards to markets organization, alcohol production, and building of houses among others. Taxation Colonization of the Dutch also brought about Taxation in Taiwan. The rent obtained from Taiwan farmers was the main source of income for these rulers. After the Dutch fully controlled Taiwan, they levied a tax, which would come from all the types of import and export duties (Campbell, 1967). The rate of this form of taxation was unknown since the Dutch did not keep any records whatsoever; therefore, the Dutch probably received too much profit from the export received in China and Japan. As a result, the conclicet that exxisted between The Dutch and Chinese led to the fatal incident at Hamada Yahei, which took place in 1628 (Yung-ho, 2002). Poll tax was another form of taxation, and young residents who were not from the Dutch dynasty incurred this. In the beginning, the administration’s rate of the poll tax as a quarter, but this changed when the Dutch increased it to a half. Furthermore, the Dutch also taxed the Taiwan due to hunting practices by imposing taxes for interested in pit-traps. During the hunting season between October 1638 and March 1639, the Dutch earned 1,998.5 reals from hunting taxes (Strydom, 2003). Their licenses for fishing were not included by Dutch. By 1653, the Dutch revenue from Taiwan reached 667,701 guldens 3 stuivers and 12 penning, whereas that from trading activities was 381,930 from trading. It is clear that for Dutch, they mainly made profit by taxing the people of Taiwan. Overall, the Dutch were among the first people to colonize Taiwan Island. Researchers have focused on this historical aspect by highlighting on some of the effects of this colonization. In order to understand the invasion of the Dutch, it is imperative to understand the reason why they colonized Taiwan. According to researchers, Taiwan was strategically located for trading activities. Secondly, the Dutch wanted to ensure that their home Philippines was safe from attacks by enemies. This group was also interested in participating in the trade between them and China; therefore, colonizing Taiwan would greatly help. In addition, colonization of Taiwan by the Dutch influenced the land in reference to economic growth, trading, taxation, administration, and Christianity among others. Their colonization ended when Japanese took over the region after attacking the Dutch. References Andrade, T. (2012). Koxinga's conquest of Taiwan in global history: reflections on the occasion of the 350th anniversary. Late Imperial China 33 (1):122-140 Andrade, T. (Dec 2006). The rise and fall of Dutch Taiwan, 1624-1662: cooperative colonialization and the statist model of European expansion. Journal of World History, pp. 429-450. Andrade, T. (Jun 2007). “Chinese under European rule: the case of Sino-Dutch mediator He Bin.” Late Imperial China 28/1. Andrade, T. (2010). How Taiwan became Chinese: Dutch, Spanish, and Han colonization in the seventeenth century. ACLS Humanities E-Book electronic edition. New York: Columbia University Press. Andrade, T. (2005). Pirates, pelts, and promises: the Sino-Dutch colony of seventeenth-century Taiwan and the aboriginal village of Favorolang. Journal of Asian Studies 64 (2): 295-321 Blusse, L. (2002). Retribution and remorse: the interaction between the administration and the Protestant mission in early colonial Formosa. In: Wills, John E., Jr., ed. Eclipsed entrepots of the Western Pacific: Taiwan and central Vietnam, 1500-1800: 65-94. Blusse, L. (1984). A visit to the past: Soulang, a Formosan village anno 1623. Archipel (Paris) 27:63-80.Campbell, W. 1967. Formosa under the Dutch Taipei: Ch’eng-wen publishing house reprint, UniM Baill Res 951.249 C192 OVERNIGHT LOAN Huber,J.. (2002). Chinese settlers against the Dutch East India Company: the rebellion led by Kuo Huai-i on Taiwan in 1652. In: Wills, John E., Jr., ed. Eclipsed entrepots of the Western Pacific: Taiwan and central Vietnam, 1500-1800: 149-196 Heyns, Pol. (2005). A note on Western impact on Dutch Formosa, 1624-1662” Itinerario 29 (3):93-109 Koo, H. (2015). Weather, harvests, and taxes: a Chinese revolt in colonial Taiwan”. Journal of Interdisciplinary History 46, no.1: 39-59. Yung-ho, T. (2002) Taiwan as an entrepot in East Asia in the seventeenth century. In: Wills, John E., Jr., ed. Eclipsed entrepots of the Western Pacific: Taiwan and central Vietnam, 1500-1800. Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Ashgate, pp. 1-21. Strydom, M. (2003). Pride and prejudice: the role of policy and perception creation in the Chinese revolt of 1652 on Dutch Formosa. Itinerario 27(2): 17-36 Shepherd, R. (1993). Statecraft and political economy on the Taiwan frontier, 1600-1800, Stanford: Stanford University Press, Shepherd, R. (1995). Marriage and mandatory abortion among the 17-th century Siraya. Arlington, VA: American Anthropological Assoc. Thompson, L. (1964). The Earliest Chinese Eyewitness Accounts of the Formosan Aborigines. Monumenta Serica 23 (6):163-204. Read More