During the Age of Discovery in the 16th and 17th centuries, Taiwan was not a peripheral island on the edge of East Asia, but an essential trade hub connecting China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. From the international trading base of the Dutch to the maritime hegemony of the Zheng dynasty, Taiwan was once one of the most prosperous commercial centers in East Asian waters.
Prehistoric Era: The Maritime DNA of Austronesian Cultures
Long before the arrival of the Dutch, Taiwan's indigenous peoples demonstrated exceptional maritime capabilities. Archaeological findings show that as early as 3,000 years ago, Taiwan possessed sophisticated networks for trading stone tools and pottery, reaching as far as the Philippines and Vietnam.
The construction techniques of the Yami (Tao) people's outrigger canoes demonstrate a profound indigenous understanding of the ocean. They did not merely build boats; they developed complex systems of maritime knowledge, including patterns of ocean currents, monsoons, and fish migrations. This maritime cultural DNA laid the foundation for Taiwan's later emergence as a trade center.
The Dutch Period: A Golden Age of East Asian Trade
Fort Zeelandia: The Amsterdam of East Asia
In 1624, the Dutch East India Company established Fort Zeelandia in Tainan, transforming Taiwan into the core of the East Asian trade network. The Dutch choice of Taiwan was not accidental, but a carefully calculated decision.
Taiwan's central location between China, Japan, and Southeast Asia provided unparalleled geographical advantages. More importantly, the Ming dynasty's maritime prohibition policies meant Chinese merchants could not trade directly and had to use third-party transit points. Taiwan became the operational center for this massive underground economy.
The Dutch established a sophisticated trading system. They imported silk, porcelain, and tea from China; silver bullion from Japan; and spices and timber from Southeast Asia, subsequently processing, packaging, and transshipping these goods in Taiwan. The warehouses of Fort Zeelandia were filled with precious commodities from across the globe.
The Rise of the Sugar Kingdom
The Dutch did not merely engage in transit trade; they also developed local industries. They discovered that Taiwan's climate was exceptionally suited for sugarcane cultivation and thus vigorously promoted the sugar industry. Under Dutch guidance, Taiwan's sugar refining technology improved rapidly, producing high-quality cane sugar that was highly sought after in the Japanese market.
By the 1650s, Taiwan's annual sugar production reached millions of catties, making it the largest sugar base in East Asia. Every day, ships laden with cane sugar departed from Anping Port, sailing toward Japan and various parts of Southeast Asia. The sugar industry brought not only wealth but also attracted large numbers of Chinese immigrants, forming Taiwan's earliest industrial clusters.
The Ming-Zheng Period: The Zenith of a Maritime Kingdom
Zheng Zhilong: The Founder of a Maritime Commercial Empire
Zheng Chenggong's father, Zheng Zhilong, was a pivotal figure in Taiwan's maritime trade history. Originally a maritime merchant, he was later recruited by the Ming dynasty and went on to control the entire trade network along the southeastern coast of China.
Zheng Zhilong's commercial empire was immense, commanding thousands of ships and tens of thousands of sailors. He established maritime trade rules, issued passes, and collected protection fees. Any merchant vessel wishing to navigate the southeastern coast had to obtain permission from the Zheng group. While this system resembled "pirates collecting protection money," it actually provided an effective maritime order.
Zheng Chenggong: A Maritime Base for Restoring the Ming
In 1661, Zheng Chengggung expelled the Dutch and established the Ming-Zheng regime. For him, Taiwan was not just a base for resisting the Qing and restoring the Ming; it was the economic lifeline required to maintain a massive military force.
The Zheng regime continued the trading traditions of the Dutch period but on a much larger scale. They controlled vast waters stretching from Taiwan, Penghu, and Kinmen to the coast of Fujian, forming a true maritime kingdom. The Zheng fleet did not just engage in trade; they provided services such as convoy protection, transportation, and finance, acting as the hegemon of East Asian waters.
The Kingdom of Dongning: The Venice of Asia
The era of Zheng Jing marked the golden age of Ming-Zheng maritime trade. The Kingdom of Dongning maintained close trade relations with Japan, Southeast Asia, and the nations of the South Seas, reaching even into the Indian Ocean. Tainan became the "Venice of Asia," where merchants from various nations gathered, their languages intermingling to create an unprecedented international scene.
The Zheng regime also issued its own currency and established a complete taxation system. They levied taxes on trade goods and collected port fees from vessels, generating substantial revenue. Records indicate that during the Ming-Zheng period, Taiwan's annual revenue reached millions of taels of silver, representing an economic power that could not be underestimated.
Qing Maritime Prohibitions: The Disruption of Trade Networks
The Impact of the Sea-Migration Policy
After the Qing army captured Taiwan in 1683, strict maritime prohibition policies were implemented. The Qing court viewed Taiwan's maritime trade as "colluding with the enemy" and required stringent control. They dismantled coastal port facilities, restricted ships from going to sea, and strictly prohibited private trade with foreign entities.
This policy was catastrophic for Taiwan. Once-prosperting ports declined rapidly, international merchants departed, and trade networks collapsed. Tainan transformed from an international trade hub into a remote provincial capital, and Anping Port shifted from a bustling center to a desolate fishing village.
The Rise of Smuggling Trade
However, maritime prohibitions could not completely sever Taiwan's maritime trade. Driven by enormous economic interests, smuggling trade actually became more rampant. Numerous small ports appeared along the Taiwanese coast, specializing in illegal trade.
Places such as Lukang, Tamsui, and Keelung (then Ji-long) became vital smuggling routes. Merchants utilized the cover of night and foggy weather to conduct transactions, evading government inspections. Although this underground trade was smaller in scale, it sustained Taiwan's maritime trading tradition.
Opening of Ports: Returning to the International Stage
1860: Forced Openings and New Opportunities
Following the signing of the Treaty of Tianjin in 1860, four ports—Tamsui, Anping, Kaohsiung, and Keelung—were forced to open. Although these openings occurred under foreign pressure, they provided Taiwan with an opportunity to return to the international trade stage.
British merchant John Taylor arrived in Dadaocheng and established a tea export business. He discovered that Taiwan's oolong tea was of exceptional quality and highly suitable for export. Under his promotion, Taiwanese tea quickly entered the international market, becoming a major export commodity.
The Rise of the Camphor Kingdom
In addition to tea, Taiwan's camphor also became a highly sought-after global commodity. Camphor is a vital raw material for manufacturing smokeless gunpowder and motion picture film, leading to massive demand. The camphor trees in Taiwan's mountains were abundant and of high quality, quickly allowing Taiwan to monopolize the world camphor market.
When Liu Ming-chuan served as the Governor of Taiwan, he designated camphor as a state monopoly. The government strictly controlled the camphor trade, reaping significant profits. Camphor revenue became a crucial source of funding for Taiwan's modernization efforts, used to construct railways, build ports, and install telegraph lines.
The Japanese Colonial Period: A Golden Age of Colonial Trade
After Japan took control of Taiwan, it integrated the island into its "Southward Expansion" policy. Taiwan once again became a transit station connecting Japan and Southeast Asia, though this time within the framework of a colonial system.
Under Japanese management, the ports of Keelung and Kaohsiung modernized rapidly, becoming important deep-water ports in East Asia. Driven by Japanese capital, Taiwan's sugar and rice industries grew significantly, with products primarily supplying mainland Japan and the South Seas markets.
While this was colonial trade, it objectively improved Taiwan's port facilities and trading capabilities. This infrastructure laid an important foundation for Taiwan's post-war economic development.
Contemporary Implications for a Maritime Taiwan
Reflecting on the maritime trade history of Taiwan, we see an important fact: Taiwan has never been a closed island, but rather an open maritime nation. Whether as an international trade hub during the Dutch period or a maritime kingdom during the Ming-Zheng period, Taiwan has always demonstrated exceptional maritime capabilities.
Today, Taiwan remains a vital trade hub in the Asia-Pacific region; the ports of Kaohsiung, Taipei, and Keelung carry on centuries of maritime tradition. Our maritime DNA has not disappeared; it merely needs to be reawakened.
Facing the challenges of the 21st century, Taiwan should perhaps rethink its maritime identity. We are not merely an island on the periphery of China, but a bridge connecting both sides of the Pacific. This may be the most important lesson that Taiwan's maritime trade history offers us.
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