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The Dutch were expelled from southwestern Taiwan by a pirate warlord and Ming loyalist Koxinga in 1662. Their relatively brief stay of 38 years was marked by impressive achievements and lasting impacts. But why they were there in the first place? What did they want? Who did they trade with? How did they get along with the locals? Enjoy a mini "deep dive" in this bonus episode exploring Dutch Formosa.
Illustration of Formosan natives from Olfert Dapper (1670): Gedenkwaerdig bedryf der Nederlandsche Oost-Indische Maetschappye (Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain)
Below: A Formosan Sika Deer. One of the biggest revenue sources for the Dutch came from Sika deer skins. The tough deer skins were highly prized by the Japanese, who used them to make samurai armor!
(Via vegafish/Wikimedai Commons)
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Check our very first episode, the story of a very white man who showed up in London in 1703... and claimed to be from Formosa. Or try a foodie episode from Season 3. Or, for those who want some harder-core history, hear the tale of the Lockheed U-2 pilot Wang Hsi-chueh 王錫爵, who became famous for defecting to the PRC by hijacking China Airlines Flight 334 on May 3, 1986.
