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![S4 - [ENCORE] The Qing Dynasty Doesn't Really Want Taiwan (1683)](https://getpodpage.com/image_transform_gate_v3/6du9lzg5CDvchWY7a4i8Faf5FthSJaB7bc6xgkpaNYI=/?image_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com%2Fredwood-labs%2Fshowpage%2Fuploads%2Fimages%2Fb1144f08-142d-4c63-bb1b-56d82afd9bc5.jpg&w=1200&h=630&fill=blur "S4 - [ENCORE] The Qing Dynasty Doesn't Really Want Taiwan (1683)")
The current Beijing authorities make bombastic claims as silly as “Taiwan has been part of China since the dawn of the universe!!” The reality, however, is quite different.
Some Chinese dynasties may not have even known of Taiwan’s existence, while others definitely knew, and stayed away. Taiwan was an island filled with “savage” native people, and a great place to die from malaria.
After the forces of Koxinga’s grandson, Zheng Keshuang 鄭克塽, were defeated by Admiral Shi Lang 施琅 in 1683, Qing dynasty China didn't jump at the chance to make the island “a part of China.”
In fact, the great emperor Kangxi 康熙帝 initially thought it best to evacuate Chinese back to China, and leave Taiwan alone. Kangxi went as far as comparing Taiwan to a “skin rash,” saying it will require a lot of “scratching” once they got it.
In the end, Shi Lang convinced the Emperor and Taiwan was absorbed into the Qing dynasty. But only parts of Taiwan.
Cover and below: An unknown artist's depiction of the Battle of Penghu 澎湖海戰, fought 10-16 July, 1683. Image via History Maps.
Below: A Wikipedia image shows the administrative units of Taiwan under the early rule of the Qing dynasty (1685).
Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong 鄭成功) refused to bow to the new Qing dynasty and fled to Taiwan with a goal of returning and restoring the Ming dynasty. Koxinga died a year (1662) after landing on Taiwan at the age of 37. Below: The Rebirth of a Painting: Restoring "The Portrait of Koxinga" (exhibit). Taipei: National Palace Museum.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING: Lord of Formosa by Joyce Bergvelt.
Koxinga's son, Zheng Jing 鄭經, took over the "The Kingdom of Dongning," a Ming-style mini state on Taiwan. Zheng Jing died in 1681 at the age of 38. Below: portrait of Zheng Jing via Wiki.
Following Zheng Jing's death, his first son, 19-year-old Zheng Kezang, was killed by his uncle Zheng Cong in what became known as the "Tungning Coup" (東寧之變).
Zheng Jing's second son, Zheng Keshuang 鄭克塽, became the new ruler of Dongning, and even got a traditional Ming emperor name: Yongli (永曆). But his rule lasted just 30 months. After surrendering to the Qing, the final ruler of Dongning was given the title of Duke of Hanjun (漢軍公). He lived out his days in Beijing, dying in 1707, at the age of 37. Below: a portrait of Zheng Jing by an unknown artist, via Wikimedia Commons.
Qing dynasty Admiral Shi Lang 施琅, was ordered to defeat the Zheng regime, which he did in a famous naval battle fought in 1683, the Battle of Penghu. Shi later governed part of Taiwan as a marquis, but did so from Fujian. Below: portrait of Shi Lang via Wiki.
The great emperor Kangxi 康熙帝 initially thought it best to evacuate Chinese back to China, and leave Taiwan alone. Below: A portrait of Kangxi by an anonymous Qing Dynasty Court Painter - Royal Academy of Arts, part of the The Three Emperors, 1662 - 1795.
After 212 years of Qing rule, defeats in war forced the Qing to cede Taiwan to Japan. The Japanese would rule for 50 years (1895-1945)
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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.
