History of Taiwan | ||||||||||||||||
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This is a list of the highest-ranked rulers based on the island of Taiwan.
The Dutch Empire, during the period of the Dutch United Provinces and under the auspices of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), attempted to conquer Macau in 1622. Later they colonized the Pescadores Islands, where they built a fort in Makung. In 1624, the Chinese attacked, and the Dutch were driven to Taiwan (then called Formosa, meaning "beautiful island"). That year they established Fort Zeelandia on Taiwan's southwest coast. In 1637, the Dutch conquered Favorolang (also Favorlang; present day Huwei, Yunlin). The names listed here are the Dutch governors: [1]
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No. | Portrait | Name | From | Until |
1 | ![]() | Martinus Sonck | 1624 | 1625 [2] |
2 | ![]() | Gerard Frederikszoon de With | 1625 | 1627 |
3 | ![]() | Pieter Nuyts | 1627 | 1629 |
4 | ![]() | Hans Putmans | 1629 | 1636 |
5 | ![]() | Johan van der Burg | 1636 | 1640 [2] |
6 | ![]() | Paulus Traudenius | 1640 | 1643 |
7 | ![]() | Maximilian le Maire | 1643 | 1644 |
8 | ![]() | François Caron | 1644 | 1646 |
9 | ![]() | Pieter Anthoniszoon Overtwater | 1646 | 1649 |
10 | ![]() | Nicolas Verburg | 1649 | 1653 |
11 | ![]() | Cornelis Caesar | 1653 | 1656 |
12 | ![]() | Frederick Coyett | 1656 | 1662 |
In response to the Dutch settlements, the Spanish settled at Keelung on the northeast coast of the island in 1626 and built Fort San Salvador. Later they built another outpost, Fort Santo Domingo, at Tamsui in the northwest. In 1629 these forts had a combined total of about 200 Spaniards and 400 Filipinos. By 1635, the Tamsui settlement was abandoned; however, the Keelung settlement remained in Spanish hands until 1642, when a Dutch force of 11 ships and 1,000 men attacked the fort of 446 people. The Spanish surrendered.
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No. | Portrait | Name | From | Until | Governor-General of the Spanish East Indies (Term of office) | Monarch (Reign) |
1 | ![]() | Antonio Carreño de Valdes 伐爾得斯 | 16 May 1626 | 1629 | Fernándo de Silva Ad Interim (July 1624 – 29 June 1626) | ![]() Philip IV |
Juan Niño de Tabora (29 June 1626 – 22 July 1632) | ||||||
2 | ![]() | Juan de Alcarazo 阿爾卡拉索 | 1629 | 1634 | ||
Lorenzo de Olaza y Lecubarri Real Audiencia (22 July 1632 – 1633) | ||||||
Juan Cerezo de Salamanca Ad Interim (29 August 1633 – 25 June 1635) | ||||||
3 | ![]() | Alonso García Romero 羅美洛 | 1634 | 1639 | ||
![]() Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera (25 June 1635 – 11 August 1644) | ||||||
4 | ![]() | Pedro Palomino 帕囉米諾 | 1639 | 1640 | ||
5 | ![]() | Gonzalo Portillo 波爾的里奧 | 1640 | 1642 |
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No. | Portrait | Name | From | Until | Governor-General of the Spanish East Indies (Term of office) | Monarch (Reign) |
1 | ![]() | Antonio Carreño de Valdes 伐爾得斯 | 1627 | 1629 | Juan Niño de Tabora (29 June 1626 – 22 July 1632) | ![]() Philip IV |
2 | ![]() | Luis de Guzmán 格司曼 | 1629 | 1634 | ||
Lorenzo de Olaza y Lecubarri Real Audiencia (22 July 1632 – 1633) | ||||||
Juan Cerezo de Salamanca Ad Interim (29 August 1633 – 25 June 1635) | ||||||
3 | ![]() | Bartolomé Díaz Barrera 奧就 | 1634 | 1637 | ||
![]() Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera (25 June 1635 – 11 August 1644) | ||||||
4 | ![]() | Francisco Hernández 赫爾南勒茲 | 1637 | 1642 |
The Southern Ming (Ming dynasty loyalists) came to Taiwan under Koxinga, expelling the Dutch and capturing Fort Zeelandia. They established the Kingdom of Tungning.
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No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Title(s) | Reign (Lunar calendar) | |
1 | ![]() | Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) 鄭成功 Zhèng Chénggōng (Mandarin) Tēⁿ Sêng-kong (Taiwanese) Chhang Sṳ̀n-kûng (Hakka) (1624–1662) | Prince of Yanping (延平王) Prince Wu of Chao (潮武王) | 14 June 1661 Yongli 15-5-18 | 23 June 1662 Yongli 16-5-8 |
2 | ![]() | Zheng Xi 鄭襲 Zhèng Xí (Mandarin) Tēⁿ Si̍p (Taiwanese) Chhang Si̍p (Hakka) (1625–?) | Protector (護理) | 23 June 1662 Yongli 16-5-8 | November 1662 Yongli 17 |
3 | ![]() | Zheng Jing 鄭經 Zhèng Jīng (Mandarin) Tēⁿ Keng (Taiwanese) Chhang Kîn (Hakka) (1642–1681) | Prince of Yanping (延平王) Prince Wen of Chao (潮文王) | November 1662 Yongli 17 | 17 March 1681 Yongli 35-1-28 |
4 | ![]() | Zheng Kezang 鄭克臧 Zhèng Kèzāng (Mandarin) Tēⁿ Khek-chong (Taiwanese) Chhang Khiet-chong (Hakka) (1662–1681) | Prince Regent (監國) | 17 March 1681 Yongli 35-1-28 | 19 March 1681 Yongli 35-1-30 |
5 | ![]() | Zheng Keshuang * 鄭克塽 Zhèng Kèshuǎng (Mandarin) Tēⁿ Khek-sóng (Taiwanese) Chhang Khiet-sóng (Hakka) (1670–1707) | Prince of Yanping (延平王) Duke Haicheng (海澄公) | 19 March 1681 Yongli 35-1-30 | 5 September 1683 Yongli 37-8-13 |
* Regency of Feng Xifan from 1682 to 1683.
The Qing dynasty invaded Taiwan; the Ming rulers surrendered and were expelled.
No. | Commissioner | Start of office |
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Qing rule was reestablished after a month-long revolt. The Taiwan Circuit was established in 1727 with its seat in Taiwan-fu, unlike its predecessor, the Taiwan-Amoy Circuit, which was based in Xiamen. The Taiwan Circuit Commissioner had its powers checked by the Taiwan Circuit Investigating censors.
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No. | Commissioner | Start of office |
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No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Ancestry | Original Post | Term of Office (Lunar calendar) | Monarch (Reign) | |
1 | ![]() | Liu Mingchuan 劉銘傳 Liú Míngchuán (Mandarin) Lâu Bêng-thoân (Taiwanese) Liù Mèn-chhòn (Hakka) (1836–1896) | Hefei, Anhui | Governor of Fukien | 12 October 1885 Guangxu 11-9-5 | 4 June 1891 Guangxu 17-4-28 | ![]() Guangxu Emperor |
— | ![]() | Shen Yingkui [3] 沈應奎 Shěn Yìngkuí (Mandarin) Tîm Èng-khe (Taiwanese) Chhṳ̀m En-khùi (Hakka) | Pinghu, Zhejiang | Civil Affairs Minister, Fukien Province | 4 June 1891 Guangxu 17-4-28 | 25 November 1891 Guangxu 17-10-24 | |
2 | ![]() | Shao Youlian 邵友濂 Shào Yǒulián (Mandarin) Siō Iú-liâm (Taiwanese) Seu Yû-liàm (Hakka) (1840–1901) | Yuyao, Zhejiang | Governor of Hunan | 9 May 1891 Guangxu 17-4-2 | 13 October 1894 Guangxu 20-9-15 | |
3 | ![]() | Tang Jingsong 唐景崧 Táng Jǐngsōng (Mandarin) Tn̂g Kéng-siông (Taiwanese) Thòng Kín-chhiùng (Hakka) (1841–1903) | Guanyang, Guangxi | Civil Affairs Minister, Fukien-Taiwan Province | 13 October 1894 Guangxu 20-9-15 | 20 May 1895 Guangxu 21-4-26 |
The Republic of Formosa was a short-lived republic that existed on the island of Taiwan in 1895 between the formal cession of Taiwan by the Qing dynasty of China to the Empire of Japan by the Treaty of Shimonoseki and its being taken over by Japanese troops. The Republic was proclaimed on 23 May 1895 and extinguished on 21 October, when the Republican capital Tainan was taken over by the Japanese.
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No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Place of Birth | Term of Office | Days | |
1 | ![]() | Tang Ching-sung 唐景崧 Táng Jǐngsōng (Mandarin) | Guilin, Guangxi, ![]() | 25 May 1895 | 5 June 1895 Yongqing 1-6-5 | 13 |
2 | ![]() | Liu Yung-fu 劉永福 Liú Yǒngfú (Mandarin) | Qinzhou, Guangxi, ![]() | 5 June 1895 Yongqing 1-6-5 | 21 October 1895 Yongqing 1-10-21 | 138 |
After the First Sino-Japanese War and establishing control over the island through the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the Japanese Empire used the French Empire model of an occupying force and were instrumental in the industrialization of the island; they built railroads, a sanitation system and a public school educational system, among other things. Around 1935, the Japanese began an island-wide assimilation project to bind the island more firmly to the empire.
In 1941, the Pacific War broke out when the Japanese Empire attacked the U.S. naval port of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. By 1945, desperate plans were in place to incorporate popular representation of Taiwan into the Imperial Diet to end colonial rule of the island and transfer occupying troops to the front lines to fight the Allies. The names listed here are the Japanese governor-generals:
Military Rikken Seiyūkai Kenseikai Rikken Minseitō
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No. | Portrait | Name | Origin | Occupation | Affiliation | Term of Office | Monarch (Reign) | |
1 | ![]() | Kabayama Sukenori 樺山資紀 | Kagoshima | Admiral (Imperial Japanese Navy) (Viscount) | Military | 10 May 1895 | 2 June 1896 | ![]() Emperor Meiji |
2 | ![]() | Katsura Tarō 桂太郎 | Yamaguchi | Lieutenant General (Imperial Japanese Army) (Viscount) | Military | 2 June 1896 | 14 October 1896 | |
3 | ![]() | Nogi Maresuke 乃木希典 | Yamaguchi | Lieutenant General (Imperial Japanese Army) (Baron) | Military | 14 October 1896 | 26 February 1898 | |
4 | ![]() | Kodama Gentarō 兒玉源太郎 | Yamaguchi | Lieutenant General (Imperial Japanese Army) (Baron) | Military | 26 February 1898 | 11 April 1906 | |
5 | ![]() | Sakuma Samata 佐久間左馬太 | Yamaguchi | General (Imperial Japanese Army) (Viscount) | Military | 11 April 1906 | 1 May 1915 | |
![]() Emperor Taishō | ||||||||
6 | ![]() | Andō Teibi 安東貞美 | Nagano | General (Imperial Japanese Army) (Baron) | Military | 1 May 1915 | 6 June 1918 | |
7 | ![]() | Akashi Motojiro 明石元二郎 | Fukuoka | Lieutenant General (Imperial Japanese Army) | Military | 6 June 1918 | 24 October 1919 | |
8 | ![]() | Den Kenjirō 田健治郎 | Hyōgo | Member of Terauchi Cabinet (Baron) | Seiyūkai | 29 October 1919 | 6 September 1923 | |
9 | ![]() | Uchida Kakichi 內田嘉吉 | Tokyo | Member of House of Peers | Seiyūkai | 6 September 1923 | 1 September 1924 | |
10 | ![]() | Izawa Takio 伊澤多喜男 | Nagano | Member of House of Peers | Kenseikai | 1 September 1924 | 16 July 1926 | |
11 | ![]() | Kamiyama Mitsunoshin 上山滿之進 | Yamaguchi | literary figure | Kenseikai | 16 July 1926 | 16 June 1928 | |
![]() Emperor Shōwa | ||||||||
12 | ![]() | Kawamura Takeji 川村竹治 | Akita | Member of House of Peers | Seiyūkai | 16 June 1928 | 30 July 1929 | |
13 | ![]() | Ishizuka Eizō 石塚英藏 | Fukushima | Member of House of Peers | Minseitō | 30 July 1929 | 16 January 1931 | |
14 | ![]() | Ōta Masahiro 太田政弘 | Yamagata | Director of Kwantung Leased Territory | Minseitō | 16 January 1931 | 2 March 1932 | |
15 | ![]() | Minami Hiroshi 南弘 | Toyama | Member of House of Peers | Seiyūkai | 2 March 1932 | 26 May 1932 | |
16 | ![]() | Nakagawa Kenzō 中川健蔵 | Niigata | Undersecretary of Education | Minseitō | 26 May 1932 | 2 September 1936 | |
17 | ![]() | Kobayashi Seizō 小林躋造 | Hiroshima | Admiral (Imperial Japanese Navy) | Military | 2 September 1936 | 27 November 1940 | |
18 | ![]() | Hasegawa Kiyoshi 長谷川清 | Fukui | Admiral (Imperial Japanese Navy) | Military | 27 November 1940 | 30 December 1944 | |
19 | ![]() | Andō Rikichi 安藤利吉 | Miyagi | General (Imperial Japanese Army) | Military | 30 December 1944 | 25 October 1945 |
Following the end of World War II in 1945, under the terms of the Instrument of Surrender of Japan, the control of Taiwan was to be transferred to the Republic of China (ROC). ROC troops were authorized to come to Taiwan to accept the surrender of Japanese military forces and occupy Taiwan [4] on behalf of the Allied Powers in General Order No. 1, issued by Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, on 2 September 1945. ROC troops were later transported to Keelung by the U.S. Navy, and Japanese handed the control of Taiwan to the ROC on 25 October 1945, which began a period of military occupation.
Following its defeat in the Chinese Civil War in 1949, Premier Yan Xishan proclaimed the ROC Government's relocation to Taiwan (where it exists until today), thus replacing the Provincial Chairperson as the highest-ranked executive official on Taiwan. This lasted until March 1950, when Chiang Kai-shek resumed his duties as President in Taipei. However, Japan relinquished sovereignty of Taiwan and Penghu in the Treaty of San Francisco on 28 April 1952, without specifying whom the sovereignty was ceded to. Because the ROC only held Taiwan, Penghu and other nearby islands, the regime remained the internationally recognized government of China with sovereignty throughout mainland China, Tibet Area, Sinkiang and Outer Mongolia until recognition shifted to the People's Republic of China by the United Nations in 1971 and the United States in 1979. After the constitutional amendments in 1991, the president is elected by popular vote among citizens of the Republic of China in the "Free Area of the Republic of China" (area under de facto Republic of China administration), instead of by the National Assembly.
Kuomintang Democratic Progressive Party
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No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of Office | Political Party | |
Chief Executive of Taiwan Province | |||||
1 | ![]() | Chen Yi 陳儀 (1883-1950) | 29 August 1945 | 22 April 1947 | Kuomintang |
Chairperson of the Taiwan Provincial Government | |||||
1 | ![]() | Wei Tao-ming 魏道明 (1899-1978) | 16 May 1947 | 5 January 1949 | Kuomintang |
2 | ![]() | Chen Cheng 陳誠 (1897–1965) | 5 January 1949 | 8 December 1949 | Kuomintang |
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No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Political party | ||||
30 | ![]() | Yan Xishan 閻錫山 (1883–1960) | 8 December 1949 | 1 March 1950 | Kuomintang | |||
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No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term | Elections (votes / percentages) | Political party | Vice President | |
Presidents elected by the National Assembly | ||||||||
1 | ![]() | Chiang Kai-shek 蔣中正 (1887–1975) | 1 March 1950 | 20 May 1954 | 1 | — | Kuomintang | Li Zongren (1950–1954) [5] Vacant(1954) |
20 May 1954 | 20 May 1960 | 2 | 1954 (1,507 / 96.91%) | Chen Cheng | ||||
20 May 1960 | 20 May 1966 | 3 | 1960 (1,481 / 93.97%) | Chen Cheng (1960–1965) [6] Vacant(1965-1966) | ||||
20 May 1966 | 20 May 1972 | 4 | 1966 (1,405 / 98.60%) | Yen Chia-kan | ||||
20 May 1972 | 5 April 1975 | 5 | 1972 (1,308 / 99.39%) | |||||
2 | ![]() | Yen Chia-kan 嚴家淦 (1905–1993) | 6 April 1975 | 20 May 1978 | — | Kuomintang | Vacant | |
3 | ![]() | Chiang Ching-kuo 蔣經國 (1910–1988) | 20 May 1978 | 20 May 1984 | 6 | 1978 (1,184 / 98.34%) | Kuomintang | Hsieh Tung-min |
20 May 1984 | 13 January 1988 | 7 | 1984 (1,012 / 95.11%) | Lee Teng-hui | ||||
4 | ![]() | Lee Teng-hui 李登輝 (1923–2020) | 13 January 1988 | 20 May 1990 | — | Kuomintang | Vacant | |
20 May 1990 | 20 May 1996 | 8 | 1990 (641 / 85.24%) | Lee Yuan-tsu | ||||
Presidents elected by popular vote | ||||||||
4 | ![]() | Lee Teng-hui 李登輝 (1923–2020) | 20 May 1996 | 20 May 2000 | 9 | 1996 (5,813,699 / 54.0%) | Kuomintang | Lien Chan |
5 | ![]() | Chen Shui-bian 陳水扁 (born 1950) | 20 May 2000 | 20 May 2004 | 10 | 2000 (4,977,737 / 39.3%) | Democratic Progressive | Annette Lu |
20 May 2004 | 20 May 2008 | 11 | 2004 (6,446,900 / 50.11%) | |||||
6 | ![]() | Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九 (born 1950) | 20 May 2008 | 20 May 2012 | 12 | 2008 (7,658,724 / 58.45%) | Kuomintang | Vincent Siew |
20 May 2012 | 20 May 2016 | 13 | 2012 (6,891,139 / 51.60%) | Wu Den-yih | ||||
7 | ![]() | Tsai Ing-wen 蔡英文 (born 1956) | 20 May 2016 | 20 May 2020 | 14 | 2016 (6,894,744 / 56.1%) | Democratic Progressive | Chen Chien-jen |
20 May 2020 | 20 May 2024 | 15 | 2020 (8,170,231 / 57.13%) | Lai Ching-te | ||||
8 | ![]() | Lai Ching-te 賴清德 (born 1959) | 20 May 2024 | Incumbent | 16 | 2024 (5,586,019 / 40.05%) | Democratic Progressive | Hsiao Bi-khim |
The history of the island of Taiwan dates back tens of thousands of years to the earliest known evidence of human habitation. The sudden appearance of a culture based on agriculture around 3000 BC is believed to reflect the arrival of the ancestors of today's Taiwanese indigenous peoples. People from China gradually came into contact with Taiwan by the time of the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) and Han Chinese people started settling there by the early 17th century. Named Formosa by Portuguese explorers, the south of the island was colonized by the Dutch in the 17th century whilst the Spanish built a settlement in the north which lasted until 1642. The Dutch colonial administration encouraged an influx of Hoklo and Hakka immigrants from Fujian and Guangdong.
Taiwan Province is a de jure administrative division of the Republic of China (ROC). Provinces remain a titular division as a part of the Constitution of the Republic of China, but are no longer considered to have any administrative function practically.
The Penghu or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, located approximately 50 km (31 mi) west of the main island of Taiwan across the Penghu Channel, covering an area of 141 square kilometers (54 sq mi). The archipelago collectively forms Penghu County of Taiwan and is the smallest county of Taiwan. The largest city is Magong, located on the largest island, which is also named Magong.
The Republic of Formosa was a short-lived republic that existed on the island of Taiwan in 1895 between the formal cession of Taiwan by the Qing dynasty of China to the Empire of Japan in the Treaty of Shimonoseki and its being taken over by Japanese troops. The Republic lasted 151 days; it was proclaimed on 23 May 1895 and extinguished on 21 October, when the Republican capital Tainan was taken over by the Japanese. Though sometimes claimed as the first East Asian republic to have been proclaimed, it was predated by the Lanfang Republic in Borneo, established in 1777, as well as by the Republic of Ezo in Japan, established in 1869.
Keelung, Chilung or Jilong, officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. The city is part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area with neighboring New Taipei City and Taipei. Nicknamed the Rainy Port for its frequent rain and maritime role, the city is Taiwan's second largest seaport, and was the world's 7th largest port in 1984.
Fort Santo Domingo is a historical fortress in Tamsui District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. It was originally a wooden fort built in 1628 by the Spanish Empire, who named it in Spanish: el Fuerte de Santo Domingo, lit. 'the Fort of Saint Dominic'. However, the fort was then destroyed by the Spanish themselves for economic downsizing and withdrawal, which their rival Dutch Empire soon found out and later invaded and won by the Second Battle of San Salvador in 1642. After the battle, in 1644, the Dutch rebuilt a fort in the original site and renamed it in Dutch: Fort Antonio. Since the Dutch were called in Taiwanese Hokkien Chinese: 紅毛; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Âng-mn̂g; lit. 'Red-haired (people)') by the Han Chinese immigrants during the time, the fort was then nicknamed in Taiwanese Hokkien Chinese: 紅毛城; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Âng-mn̂g-siâⁿ; lit. 'Red-hair fort'.
Anping District is a district of Tainan, Taiwan. In March 2012, it was named one of the Top 10 Small Tourist Towns by the Tourism Bureau of Taiwan. It is home to 64,408 people according to the 2020 census.
The island of Taiwan, also commonly known as Formosa, was partly under colonial rule by the Dutch Republic from 1624 to 1662 and from 1664 to 1668. In the context of the Age of Discovery, the Dutch East India Company established its presence on Formosa to trade with the Ming Empire in neighbouring China and Tokugawa shogunate in Japan, and also to interdict Portuguese and Spanish trade and colonial activities in East Asia.
The Kingdom of Tungning, also known as Tywan by the English at the time, was a dynastic maritime state that ruled part of southwestern Taiwan and the Penghu islands between 1661 and 1683. It is the first predominantly ethnic Han state in Taiwanese history. At its zenith, the kingdom's maritime power dominated varying extents of coastal regions of southeastern China and controlled the major sea lanes across both China Seas, and its vast trade network stretched from Japan to Southeast Asia.
Retrocession Day is the annual observance and former public holiday in Taiwan commemorating the end of Japanese rule of Taiwan and Penghu and the claimed retrocession ("return") of Taiwan to the Republic of China on 25 October 1945. However, the idea of "Taiwan retrocession" remains in dispute.
Liu Mingchuan (1836–1896), courtesy name Xingsan, was a Chinese military general and politician during the late Qing dynasty. He was born in Hefei, Anhui. Liu became involved in the suppression of the Taiping Rebellion at an early age, and worked closely with Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang as he emerged as an important Huai Army officer. In the aftermath of the Sino-French War, succeeding Ding Richang he was appointed the first governor of the newly established Taiwan Province. Today he is remembered for his efforts in modernizing Taiwan during his tenure as governor, and several institutions have been given his name, including Ming Chuan University in Taipei.
The Japanese invasion of Taiwan, also known as Yiwei War in Chinese, was a conflict between the Empire of Japan and the armed forces of the short-lived Republic of Formosa following the Qing dynasty's cession of Taiwan to Japan in April 1895 at the end of the First Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese sought to take control of their new possession, while the Republican forces fought to resist Japanese occupation. The Japanese landed near Keelung on the northern coast of Taiwan on 29 May 1895, and in a five-month campaign swept southwards to Tainan. Although their advance was slowed by guerrilla activity, the Japanese defeated the Formosan forces whenever they attempted to make a stand. The Japanese victory at Baguashan on 27 August, the largest battle ever fought on Taiwanese soil, doomed the Formosan resistance to an early defeat. The fall of Tainan on 21 October ended organised resistance to Japanese occupation, and inaugurated five decades of Japanese rule in Taiwan.
Hobe Fort or Huwei Fort is a historical fort located near Fort Santo Domingo, in Tamsui District, New Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
The cultural history of Taiwan can be traced back to prehistoric Stone Age. Later the development of written languages made it easier to maintain traditions of the Taiwanese culture.
Spanish Formosa was a small colony of the Spanish Empire established in the northern tip of the island now known as Taiwan, then known to Europeans at the time as Formosa or to Spaniards as "Isla Hermosa" from 1626 to 1642. It was ceded to the Dutch Republic during the Eighty Years' War.
Tamsui District is a seaside district in New Taipei City, Taiwan adjacent to the Tamsui River and overlooking the Taiwan Strait. The name of the district means "fresh water" in Chinese. Although modest in size, Tamsui plays a significant role in Taiwanese history and culture.
The Spanish expedition to Formosa was a campaign mounted by the Spanish based in Manila, Philippines in 1626. It was the Spanish response to Dutch settlements being built in Formosa, now known as Taiwan. In cooperation with the Portuguese, this venture was made to attract Chinese traders and curtail the expansion of Dutch power in Asia.
The history of Hsinchu extends over more than 400 years, making it one of the oldest cities in northern Taiwan.
The architecture of Taiwan can be traced back to stilt housing of the aborigines in prehistoric times; to the building of fortresses and churches in the north and south used to colonize and convert the inhabitants during the Dutch and Spanish period; the Tungning period when Taiwan was a base of anti-Qing sentiment and Minnan-style architecture was introduced; in Qing dynasty period, a mix of Chinese and Western architecture appeared and artillery battery flourished during Qing's Self-Strengthening Movement; During the Japanese rule of Taiwan, the Minnan, Japanese and Western culture were main influencers in architectural designs and saw the introduction and use of reinforced concrete. Due to excessive Westernization as a colony, after the retrocession of Taiwan to the Republic of China in 1945 from Japan at the end of World War II, Chinese classical style became popular and entered into international mainstream as a postmodern design style. Today, Taiwanese architecture has undergone much diversification, every style of architecture can be seen.
The military history of Taiwan spans at least 400 years and is the history of battles and armed actions that took place in Taiwan and its surrounding islands. The island was the base of Chinese pirates who came into conflict with the Ming dynasty during the 16th century. From 1624 to 1662, Taiwan was the base of Dutch and Spanish colonies. The era of European colonization ended when a Ming general named Koxinga retreated to Taiwan as a result of the Ming-Qing War and ousted the Dutch in 1661. The Dutch held out in northern Taiwan until 1668 when they left due to indigenous resistance. Koxinga's dynasty ruled southwestern Taiwan as the Kingdom of Tungning and attacked the Qing dynasty during the Revolt of the Three Feudatories (1673–1681).