Latest / The Rise of Colonialism: How Europe Divided the World — Fexingo History / The Dutch in Formosa: How Taiwan Became a Colony
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about the Dutch in the Indian Ocean — their spice monopoly, their conquests in Ceylon and Malacca. But there's another Dutch colony that's often overlooked, and it played a huge role in their Asian trade network: Taiwan. Luna: Taiwan? I thought that was mostly a Chinese island. Lucas: It is today, but in the early 1600s it was largely outside Chinese control. The Ming dynasty had banned maritime trade and was collapsing from within. So when the Dutch East India Company — the VOC — got kicked out of the Pescadores by the Chinese in 1624, they moved to a place the Portuguese had already named Formosa — meaning 'beautiful' — and set up shop at Tayouan, which is modern-day Tainan. Luna: Right, the Portuguese had sailed past it earlier, but they didn't settle. Lucas: Exactly. The Dutch built Fort Zeelandia on a sandbar off the coast, and that became their headquarters. From there, they could trade with China across the strait and with Japan up north. But Formosa wasn't empty — there were indigenous tribes, mostly Austronesian peoples like the Siraya, and also Chinese settlers who had been farming there for generations. Lucas: The first few years were rocky. The VOC's first governor, Pieter Nuyts, was a terrible diplomat. In 1628, he arrested some Japanese traders, which led to a Japanese retaliation — they took him hostage and forced him to sign a humiliating treaty. The VOC recalled him, but his incompetence set a bad precedent. Luna: So the Japanese were powerful enough to challenge the Dutch even then? Lucas: Absolutely. Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate was a major player in East Asian trade. The Dutch were actually the only Europeans allowed in Japan after the Sakoku edicts, but that was decades later. In the 1620s, they still had to tread carefully. After the Nuyts incident, the VOC switched tactics and started cooperating with the Chinese pirate-merchant Zheng Zhilong. Luna: Zheng Zhilong — that's Koxinga's father, right? Lucas: Yes, exactly. Zheng Zhilong was a former pirate who had become a powerful maritime lord. He controlled a huge fleet and had ties with both the Ming government and the Dutch. The VOC made a deal with him: he would help them suppress other pirates and encourage Chinese settlers to come to Formosa, and in return they'd give him a share of the profits. For a while, it worked. Lucas: But the Dutch also wanted direct control over the native population. They forced villages to pay taxes in deer skins and rice, and they demanded labor. In 1636, when the village of Mattau resisted, the Dutch sent a punitive expedition. They burned the village and executed nearly all the men — about 60 people — and sold the women and children into slavery. Luna: That's appalling. And it's a side of the VOC we've seen before — the violence in the Banda Islands was even worse. Lucas: Right, the VOC was a corporation with an army and a license to wage war. They didn't hesitate to use force. But Formosa also saw more peaceful interactions. The Dutch sent missionaries — mostly Dominicans from the Dutch Reformed Church — to convert the Siraya. One missionary, Daniel Gravius, translated the Gospel of Matthew into the Siraya language, which is one of the first written records of an indigenous Taiwanese language. Luna: So they were trying to Christianise the population alongside exploiting them. Lucas: Exactly. The missionaries established schools and taught reading and writing. Some Siraya people even became catechists. But the conversion was often superficial, and many rituals mixed Christian and indigenous elements. The Dutch also introduced Roman-Dutch law, which had a lasting impact on Taiwan's legal system. Lucas: Economically, Formosa was a goldmine. The VOC exported deer skins to Japan, sugar to Persia, and sulfur to China. They also acted as middlemen in the silk trade between China and Japan. At its peak, the colony generated huge profits for the company. Luna: So what went wrong? Why didn't the Dutch stay? Lucas: The short answer is: Koxinga. Zheng Zhilong's son, Zheng Chenggong, known in the West as Koxinga, had grown up partly in Japan and was loyal to the Ming dynasty. After the Manchu conquest of China in 1644, he led a resistance from the coast. By the 1660s, he needed a secure base, and Formosa was tempting. He had a fleet of hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of soldiers. Lucas: In 1661, Koxinga's fleet appeared off Fort Zeelandia. The Dutch were outnumbered — they had about 2,000 men. The siege lasted nine months. Koxinga's forces blockaded the fort and cut off supplies. The Dutch governor, Frederick Coyett, sent desperate pleas for reinforcements, but the VOC was stretched thin and could only send a small relief force that was easily defeated. Luna: Did the natives help the Dutch? Lucas: Actually, many indigenous groups saw an opportunity to throw off Dutch rule and sided with Koxinga. Some even guided his troops through the marshes. In February 1662, Coyett surrendered. The Dutch were allowed to leave with their personal belongings, but the colony was lost. Koxinga made Taiwan his base, hoping to restore the Ming dynasty, though he died just a few months later. Luna: And the VOC never got it back? Lucas: They tried. In 1663, the Dutch allied with the Manchus against Koxinga's son, but the campaign failed. By then, the VOC's attention was elsewhere — they were focusing on Java and Ceylon. Formosa remained under Chinese control, first by Koxinga's family, then by the Manchu Qing dynasty in 1683. Lucas: Episode 117, and we're talking about a place that's often a footnote in colonial history. But for a few decades, Taiwan was a vital node in the global trade network — a meeting point of Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, and indigenous cultures, for better and worse. Luna: I love how these episodes keep connecting the dots. It's like a puzzle where each piece makes the picture clearer. Lucas: If today was actually useful to you, the way these stay ad-free is listener support — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, it's a small way to keep these deep dives coming, and we really appreciate it. Lucas: So, back to the story: after the Dutch left, the island became a base for the Ming loyalists, but that's a whole other episode. For now, I think the key takeaway is how quickly colonial fortunes could change. The Dutch built a profitable colony in just a few decades, and lost it in nine months. Luna: It makes you wonder what might have happened if they'd held on — would Taiwan be part of the Dutch East Indies today? Lucas: That's one of those great counterfactuals. But the real legacy is more subtle. The Dutch introduced Roman-Dutch law, which influenced later legal codes in Taiwan. They also left place names like 'Tainan' — though that's actually Chinese — and some Dutch loanwords in local languages. And of course, the Siraya Bible is a priceless artifact. Luna: I had no idea Taiwan had such a layered history. Lucas: It's a reminder that every piece of land has stories that get erased or forgotten. The Dutch period is just one chapter, but it shaped the island's trajectory. And it's a perfect example of how colonialism worked: a corporation, backed by military force, extracting resources, converting souls, and then collapsing when a more powerful local force pushed back. Luna: Well, I'm glad we covered it. Next time, maybe we'll look at the Portuguese in Macau — that's another tiny enclave that lasted much longer. Lucas: That's a great idea. Macau is fascinating — a Portuguese trading post that survived until 1999. But that's for another day. For now, thanks for joining us on this journey through the Dutch in Formosa.