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Strategically located near the mouth of the Tamsui (Danshui) River, the port town of Tamsui has a long, rich history. The Spanish built a fort here in the 1600s, as did the Dutch, and numerous European traders came here in the nineteenth century when it was a treaty port. But perhaps the most surprising foreign presence was the brief and bloody stay of the French military. This was the Battle of Tamsui of October 1884, which was a part of the Sino-French War. John Groot, the author of “Taiwanese Feet: My walk around Taiwan,” takes John Ross on a walking tour of his beloved hometown on the trail of this forgotten historical conflict.
Cover image via Wikimedia Commons: A ship-mounted Hotchkiss cannon. The 1-pounder revolving Hotchkiss cannon had five 37 mm barrels, and was capable of firing 68 rounds per minute with an accuracy range of 2,000 yards. As French sailors struggled to clamber aboard their boats and abort their failed attack on Tamsui, one of the French launches capsized, tipping all its occupants into the sea, as well as a Hotchkiss canon-revolver mounted at its bow. The launch was soon righted but the French had to abandon the Hotchkiss. The gun was later recovered by the Chinese and displayed as a trophy of victory.
Below: Mural at Shalun Light Rail Station, Tamsui (Danshui), showing French troops landing during the Battle of Tamsui, October 1884. Photo by John Ross.
Below: Fort San Domingo, the premises of the British consulate in 1884. Watercolor painting by Djwilms.
The Battle of Tamsui, Danshui, or Hobe (October 2-8, 1884) resulted in a significant French defeat to Qing China. Those interested should read more about the Keelung Campaign and the Sino-French War.
John Groot, pictured below, is a long-time resident of Tamsui and the author of Taiwanese Feet: My walk around Taiwan. Check out his Culture Shack blog: https://thecultureshack.blog/
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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.
