Formosa Files Season Four Finale: A Short Intro to “Daddy Zheng” 鄭芝龍
Next week we’ll kick off Season Five of Formosa Files! A huge thank you to the Frank C. Chen Foundation for its continued support of the program; without it, this podcast would not exist. In S4 we talked a lot about the 1624-2024 anniversary of the arrival of the Dutch, the new historical novel “A Tale of Three Tribes in Dutch Formosa,” and other Dutch-in-Taiwan-related things, and today we're staying on the topic with a short, informal chat about Koxinga’s father. We’ll cover his incredible story in future episodes, but this is his basic bio, a simple telling of his epic win at the Battle of Liaoluo Bay, and a few hints about his unhappy end.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! And thanks for following us on social media, for the wonderful reviews and emails filled with high praise… all very much appreciated. In Season Five we’re going to turn it up with big names like CKS (maybe Mao as well!), plus historic milestones such as the 2000 Presidential Election (and maybe the 2004 Chen Shui-bian shooting as well!). Catch you next week!
Cover images - right: Portrait of Zheng Zhilong in Taiwan Waiji (臺灣外記) via Wikimedia Commons, and left, a painting depicting a sea battle via Naval Encyclopedia.com.
Below: "Zheng Zhilong threatens a sea monster with his skilled gunnery" in Banmotsu ehon daizen zu (万物絵本大全図) by Katsushika Hokusai, created between the 1820s-1840s. Via Wiki's page on Zheng Zhilong.
Below: Both these images and a lot of info is available from the article "How did the Chinese beat the Dutch?" - Top War.
1. An illustration of a Chinese single-deck combat junk.
2. Depiction of simple Chinese "fire ships."
For a much longer time than most might think, the Dutch were masters of the seas. Learn about the Military history of the Netherlands
Below, via link above: The Dutch East India Company attack three Portuguese galleons in the Bay of Goa.
Next week we’ll kick off Season Five of Formosa Files! A huge thank you to the Frank C. Chen Foundation for its continued support of the program; without it, this podcast would not exist.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!
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