Changes

==History==

==History==

===Medieval to 19th century===

===Medieval to 19th century===

Chinese began settling on Taiwan in the early [[Ming Dynasty]], if not earlier. These small communities consisted chiefly of merchant shippers and the like. In the 16th century, however, Ming policies banning Chinese from trading at Japanese or Southeast Asian ports made most of these previously above-board merchants and traders into illegal smugglers. Taiwan then thus became a haven of smugglers and pirates, along with sites in [[Kyushu]], the [[Philippines]], and elsewhere. These so-called ''[[wako|wakô]]'' ("Japanese brigands") were mostly Chinese, but included Japanese, Koreans, and Southeast Asians as well, and raided ships and ports all along the Chinese and Korean coasts.<ref name=arano>Arano Yasunori, "The Formation of a Japanocentric World Order," ''International Journal of Asian Studies'' 2:2 (2005), 189.</ref>

Chinese may have begun settling on Taiwan in the early [[Ming Dynasty]], if not earlier. These small early communities consisted chiefly of merchant shippers and the like. In the 16th century, Ming policies banning Chinese from trading at Japanese or Southeast Asian ports made most of these previously above-board merchants and traders into illegal smugglers. Taiwan then thus became a haven of smugglers and pirates, along with sites in [[Kyushu]], the [[Philippines]], and elsewhere. These so-called ''[[wako|wakô]]'' ("Japanese brigands") were mostly Chinese, but included Japanese, Koreans, and Southeast Asians as well, and raided ships and ports all along the Chinese and Korean coasts.<ref name=arano>Arano Yasunori, "The Formation of a Japanocentric World Order," ''International Journal of Asian Studies'' 2:2 (2005), 189.</ref>

 

In the beginning years of the [[Edo period]], several ''[[daimyo|daimyô]]'' launched missions to attempt to establish trade relations with the island. These included a mission led by [[Arima Harunobu]] in [[1609]], and one led by the [[Omura clan|Ômura clan]] in [[1616]]. However, all were unsuccessful, in large part because the indigenous peoples had no unified, centralized, or complexly structured government with whom the samurai could negotiate; on some of these missions, the samurai were attacked by the aborigines and suffered casualties.

In the beginning years of the [[Edo period]], several ''[[daimyo|daimyô]]'' launched missions to attempt to establish trade relations with the island. These included a mission led by [[Arima Harunobu]] in [[1609]], and one led by the [[Omura clan|Ômura clan]] in [[1616]]. However, all were unsuccessful, in large part because the indigenous peoples had no unified, centralized, or complexly structured government with whom the samurai could negotiate; on some of these missions, the samurai were attacked by the aborigines and suffered casualties.

The Dutch established themselves on Taiwan beginning in [[1622]], and built the trading post of [[Fort Zeelandia]] in [[1624]] just outside of Anping Harbor ([[Tainan]]). The Dutch then came into conflict with Japanese merchants already established on the island, as the two groups competed for control of the island's ports. In [[1628]], trader [[Hamada Yahyoee]]<!--浜田弥兵衛-->, acting on orders from ''[[Nagasaki bugyo|Nagasaki bugyô]]'' [[Suetsugu Heizo|Suetsugu Heizô]], attacked the Dutch fort and captured the governor, [[Pieter Nuyts]], who had led an unsuccessful mission to Japan the previous year. Nuyts was released soon afterwards, but the Japanese took his son and four others captive, exchanging them later for Nuyts himself, who then remained a hostage in Japan for four years. Events like these produced great difficulties for both the Dutch and Japanese trading communities on Taiwan, but formal relations between the shogunate and VOC were restored in [[1632]]; tensions and conflicts between the Dutch and Japanese on the island dissipated further after the VOC gaining exclusive rights to trade at [[Nagasaki]], and after the Japanese were forbidden to go abroad (or to return to Japan) after [[1635]].<ref name=arano/>

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to explore the island, giving it the name "Beautiful Island"  (''Ilha Formosa''). However, they did not establish a permanent base on the island, satisfied with their base on [[Macao]]. The Dutch established themselves on Taiwan beginning in [[1622]], and built the trading post of [[Fort Zeelandia]] in [[1624]] just outside of Anping Harbor ([[Tainan]]), while the Spanish established themselves around the same time with a short-lived base at [[Keelung]] on the northern end of the island. The Dutch then came into conflict with Japanese merchants already established on the island, as the two groups competed for control of the island's ports. In [[1628]], trader [[Hamada Yahyoee]]<!--浜田弥兵衛-->, acting on orders from ''[[Nagasaki bugyo|Nagasaki bugyô]]'' [[Suetsugu Heizo|Suetsugu Heizô]], attacked the Dutch fort and captured the governor, [[Pieter Nuyts]], who had led an unsuccessful mission to Japan the previous year. Nuyts was released soon afterwards, but the Japanese took his son and four others captive, exchanging them later for Nuyts himself, who then remained a hostage in Japan for four years. Events like these produced great difficulties for both the Dutch and Japanese trading communities on Taiwan, but formal relations between the shogunate and VOC were restored in [[1632]]; tensions and conflicts between the Dutch and Japanese on the island dissipated further after the VOC gaining exclusive rights to trade at [[Nagasaki]], and after the Japanese were forbidden to go abroad (or to return to Japan) after [[1635]].<ref name=arano/>

The Dutch grew powerful on Taiwan, exporting for example as much as 1.85 million ''[[taels]]'' of [[silver]] (527,250 florins) from Japan via Taiwan in [[1639]] alone. One of the fort's chief individual trading partners was the smuggler/pirate/trader [[Zheng Zhilong]], who traded gold, silks, and other goods to the Dutch in exchange for Japanese silver, but also competed against them. Taiwan also became a major source of [[sugar]] in the region at this time.

The Dutch grew powerful on Taiwan, exporting for example as much as 1.85 million ''[[taels]]'' of [[silver]] (527,250 florins) from Japan via Taiwan in [[1639]] alone. By the 1640s, they had pushed both the Spanish and Japanese smugglers & pirates off the island.<ref name=spence53/> One of the fort's chief individual trading partners was the smuggler/pirate/trader [[Zheng Zhilong]], who traded gold, silks, and other goods to the Dutch in exchange for Japanese silver, but also competed against them. Taiwan also became a major source of [[sugar]] in the region at this time. Some number of Chinese settlers gathered around the Spanish and Dutch settlements, but initially most of them returned to the Chinese mainland regularly, spending only part of the year on Taiwan, and thus leaving it to the Dutch to work out their position on the island (especially vis-a-vis the aborigines).<ref name=spence53/>

As the [[Ming Dynasty]] fell in the 1640s, many loyalists fled to the south of China, and to Taiwan; after being driven out of mainland China in [[1646]], they launched numerous raids on the South China coast, and continued to hold out against the Qing until the 1680s. A Qing attempt to blockade Taiwan in [[1656]] failed; the following year, they implemented a policy known as ''[[qianjie]]'', pulling populations away from the south China coast, in order to protect them from raids.

As the [[Ming Dynasty]] fell in the 1640s, many loyalists fled to the south of China, and to Taiwan; after being driven out of mainland China in [[1646]], they launched numerous raids on the South China coast, and continued to hold out against the Qing until the 1680s. A Qing attempt to blockade Taiwan in [[1656]] failed; the following year, they implemented a policy known as ''[[qianjie]]'', pulling populations away from the south China coast, in order to protect them from raids.