Dutch graffiti in Taiwan

The Dutch East India Company had a trading post in southern Taiwan near modern-day Tainan from 1624 to 1662. They were eventually forced to leave the island after a siege by the Chinese warlord-cum-merchant Zheng Chenggong (國姓爺) (Koxinga) (1624-1662). However, a couple of years later, in 1664, they returned to the island, this time to Quelang (now Keelung City), in the north of Taiwan, where first the Spanish and then the Dutch had previously built fortifications. The Dutch had hoped to build a ‘New Taiwan Factory’ to resume their former trade. However, this proved difficult and so in 1668 the Dutch decided to abandon Taiwan for good. Nevertheless, they left their mark on the island in several ways. As I mentioned in a previous blog, one of these ways was in Taiwanese placenames. Another way was in Dutch graffiti. Some of the Dutch fortifications at Quelang were on the island now known as Heping Island (和平島 Hépíng Dǎo). Nineteenth-century visitors to Heping, such as the French-American diplomat Charles le Gendre, recorded the names of Dutchmen, possibly soldiers, that had been carved into the walls of a cave there. Two such names were Marcus Eeckman and Jacob Bosch. Were they bored soldiers using the cave as a place of resort? Currently, we do not know, but the possibility is there. The cave still exists, known locally as the ‘Dutch cave’. Sadly, the waves of the Pacific Ocean have now washed the names away. But for over two hundred years these graffiti were silent reminders of the Dutch presence on this beautiful tropical island.

The Dutch cave on Heping Island

Toponyms in Taiwan

In the early seventeenth century the Dutch East India Company was keen to establish a trading post in China. Together with the English it attempted to eject the Portuguese from Macau, but was defeated and withdrew to the Penghu islands near Taiwan. The Ming authorities did not allow the Dutch to remain there, but it was agreed that they could establish a base on Taiwan, which lay outside Ming jurisdiction. In 1624, the Dutch set up a trading post, initially called Fort Oranje, but later Fort Zeelandia in Southern Taiwan, close to modern-day Tainan. The Dutch presence in Taiwan caused another European power, the Spanish, some concerns. They had been established in the nearby Philippines since the previous century, and were concerned the Dutch might try to gain a foothold there. As a pre-emptive measure, the Spanish sent a fleet to northern Taiwan, where they established a colony in 1626. Both the Spanish and the Dutch combined trade with trying to convert local people to Christianity, Catholic in the case of the Spanish, Calvinist in that of the Dutch. Both European powers also took to naming local places in the European manner. The Spanish called one of the settlements in their territory Santiago - i.e. St. James. The Dutch ejected the Spanish from Taiwan in 1642. However, they kept the names of some of the Spanish settlements. Santiago, which is on the north-east coast of Taiwan, became simply St. Jago. The Dutch in turn were ejected by the Ming loyalist Zheng Chenggong or Koxinga in 1662. However, some of the European names survived, albeit in an altered form. Santiago or St. Jago is now Sāndiāojiǎo (三貂角). There is a lighthouse on a cliff at Sāndiāojiǎo, which was built by another colonial power in Taiwan, the Japanese. However, despite these various colonial powers occupying Taiwan, the name of St. James lives on there, in small part thanks to the Dutch.