30-Second Overview
Chu Yi-kuei was the leader of the first large-scale civil uprising during Taiwan's period of Qing rule. Invoking the title of "descendant of the Ming royal house" and a legend surrounding his ability to command ducks, he seized the prefectural capital within just over ten days and proclaimed himself king. Although his regime lasted only two months, it fundamentally altered the Qing court's defensive and ethnic governance strategies for Taiwan.
Chu Yi-kuei (1690–1722) was a native of Zhangzhou, Fujian, who crossed to Taiwan during the Kangxi reign and settled in Neipu (then called Lohan Gate) in present-day Kaohsiung. He raised ducks there for a living. Legend held that he could command his flock to march in military formation, earning him the honorific "Duck King" (鴨母王). In 1721 (the 60th year of the Kangxi reign), Taiwan Prefect Wang Zhen's heavy-handed extortion — official oppression so severe that the people were driven to revolt — prompted Chu Yi-kuei and Du Junying and others to launch an uprising. Because Chu shared the surname Zhu with the Ming imperial house, the rebel forces raised the banner of "Restoration of the Great Ming" and rapidly drew tens of thousands to their cause.
The Fall of the Prefectural Capital and the Short-Lived Regime
The rebel forces swept forward with remarkable speed, capturing the prefectural capital of Taiwan (present-day Tainan) in only 13 days. Chu Yi-kuei was then elevated to the title "King of Restoration" (中興王) and established the reign title "Yonghe." He appointed officials, established a governmental structure, and required his followers to cut off their Manchu-style queues and restore Ming-dynasty dress. However, internal divisions based on provincial origin emerged within the rebel army. Chu Yi-kuei (from Zhangzhou) and Du Junying (from Chaozhou) fell into an internal conflict that sapped the army's fighting strength.
The End of the Legend
The Qing court responded in alarm, dispatching Lan Tingzhen, the General of Nan'ao, and Shi Shipiao, the Commander of Naval Forces, to cross the Taiwan Strait and suppress the uprising. Under overwhelming Qing firepower and ethnic-divide tactics, the rebel army retreated steadily. Chu Yi-kuei was ultimately captured at Gou-wei Village (present-day Taibao, Chiayi) and escorted to Beijing, where he was executed by slow slicing (凌遲). He was 32 years old.
A Turning Point in Governance Policy
The Chu Yi-kuei Incident represented the gravest governance crisis that the Qing dynasty had faced since acquiring Taiwan. Before this event, the Qing had maintained a policy of "not building walled cities" in Taiwan, fearing that fortifications captured by rebels would be difficult to retake. Following the incident, supervising censors of Taiwan recommended constructing a wooden palisade around the prefectural capital — an initiative that became the starting point for Taiwan's urban defensive infrastructure.
The Politics of Ethnicity in the Uprising
The incident also marked a deepening of the complexity of ethnic relations in Taiwan. Although the uprising initially featured cooperation between Hokkien-speaking (Min) and Cantonese-speaking (Yue) settlers, the subsequent internal conflict triggered severe inter-ethnic violence. The Qing court drew lessons from this, recognizing the utility of "using Taiwan to govern Taiwan." It began leveraging the strength of Yue-native (Hakka) populations to check Min-native (Zhangzhou and Quanzhou) resistance — a strategy that planted the seeds for the prolonged inter-ethnic armed conflicts (分類械鬥) that would characterize later Qing-period Taiwan.
Contemporary Significance and Cultural Memory
In Taiwan's folk religion, Chu Yi-kuei has not been forgotten despite his defeat. The Neipu area still circulates many legends about him, and there are even temples that enshrine him as a deity. He is regarded as a symbol of resistance to oppression and the pursuit of self-determination. His image as the "Duck King" appears frequently in contemporary drama and literary works.
References
- Wikipedia: Chu Yi-kuei
- National Museum of Taiwan History: Ten Collection Objects to Understand the Duck King Who Attracted East Asian Attention
- StoryStudio: Provincial sentiment is not a modern Taiwanese invention — it began with the Chu Yi-kuei Incident 300 years ago
- Taiwan Overseas Network: The 1721 Taiwan National Hero Chu Yi-kuei's Great Revolution