Chapter 4 : The Jheng Era

 

Outline

In April, 1661, Jheng Chenggong[1], also known as ¡§Koxinga,¡¨ attacked the Dutch in Taiwan. He forced them out the next year. The Jheng government established a government and schools, bringing to Taiwan the Han system of government and law. The Jheng government also developed the land and continued trade with foreign countries.

 

4-1 Politics, Culture and Education

Jheng Chenggong Expels the Dutch

In 1644, Manchu troops occupied Beijing and founded the Ching dynasty. Some officials of the Ming court fled south and rallied around certain royal princes of the Ming.[2] Jheng Chenggong, the son of pardoned pirate leader Jheng Jhihlong, was one of the Ming loyalists. He rose against the Ching in Kinmen. He also sent his general Shih Lang[3] to recruit troops from the Nan-ao islands, Guangdong Province. Kinmen and Xiamen (Amoy) were his bases of resistance against the Ching. Kinmen served as a training base and a supply depot. When Jheng Chenggong suffered major drawbacks in mainland China, he decided to take over Taiwan, where his father Jheng Jhihlong had once stayed. Both father and son were attracted to Taiwan because the island afforded fertile soil and an important strategic position.

        In late April, 1661, Jheng Chenggong left the forces at Kinmen and Xiamen in the command of his son Jheng Jing, while he led a force of 25,000 to Penghu, and then Taiwan. They made haste and soon began the attack on the Dutch. In February, 1662, the Dutch surrendered, and Jheng Chenggong permitted them to leave with their weapons for self-defense, their personal possessions, and with food and other necessities. Jheng Chenggong now ruled Taiwan. Thus began the first period of Han governance[4] in Taiwanese history.

 

Establishment of the Political System

       After taking Taiwan, Jheng Chenggong established Chengtian Prefecture with the capital at Saccam, present-day Tainan. Chengtian Prefecture comprised two counties: Tiansing in the north and Wannian in the south. Each had its own magistrate. The island of Taiwan was called Dongdu, literally Eastern Capital (of the Ming Court). Fort Zeelandia and the land around it was now called Anping Garrison. Another garrison command was established on Penghu. Han-style government was now in place.

 

Jheng Jing¡¦s Reforms and His Attack on China

        Jheng Chenggong died in June, 1662. His son Jheng Jing succeeded. With adviser Chen Yonghua¡¦s assistance, Jheng Jing reformed the political system. Reforms included: changing Dongdu to Dongning (from ¡§Eastern Capital¡¨ to ¡§Eastern Tranquility,¡¨ meaning they were giving up the status of ¡§Eastern Capital of the Ming¡¨); adding central government officials; upgrading Tiansing and Wannian counties into sub-prefectures administered by appointed subprefects. Jheng Jing also established two garrison commands, one in the south and one in the north, to handle of indigenous affairs.

        In 1673, the Revolt of the Three Feudatories[5] broke out in China. Seizing the opportunity, Jheng Jing commanded his army across the Taiwan Strait to take over part of Fuchien and Guangdong. But he was eventually defeated in 1680 and forced to retreat back to Taiwan. He died and left power to his eldest son, Jheng Keshuang.

 

Culture and Education

        When Jheng Chenggong first came to Taiwan, he was busy waging war against the Dutch. He died soon after his victory and had no time to devote to culture and education.

        Jheng Jing and his adviser Chen Yonghua actively promoted culture and education. They constructed Taiwan¡¦s first Confucian temple, in Tainan. They established an academy in the capital as well as local schools. Students with good grades could get into the academy and get government posts after graduation.

        The Jheng government established a solid base for Han culture in Taiwan. Han intellectuals became active in society. The indigenous cultures, however, suffered major setbacks.

 

4-2  Agriculture and Trade

Background

When Jheng Chenggong first came to Taiwan, the food supply was inadequate. Later, Jheng Jing brought more soldiers and civilians to Taiwan, making the food shortage even more critical. The government initiated a vigorous ¡§land development program¡¨ to increase food production. The program involved sponsoring agricultural settlements to open up uncultivated land. These settlements were mainly in Chengtian Prefecture and Anping Township, but there were also settlements as far north as Danshuei and Keelung and as far south as Hengchun.

 

Settlement Farming

        There were three kinds of agricultural settlement: military, civilian, and state. Military settlement farming was the most important. The government sent troops to settle in different places and bring wasteland under cultivation. They also did military training so they could fight in the event of war. This was a way to solve the food problem without compromising military strength. Some places still bear the names they were given as military settlements, like Zuojhen in Tainan, and Zuoying in Kaohsiung. The characters Jhen and Ying mean ¡§garrison.¡¨

        However, military settlement farming was not enough. The Jheng government had to transport many Han Chinese farmers to work on civilian and state settlement farms. This settlement farming program greatly increased food production. However, settlement farming did not alter everyone¡¦s lives. There were many indigenous tribes that lived free from Jheng rule, retaining their traditional lifestyles.

 

Trade with Mainland China

        After Jheng Chenggong took Taiwan, the Ching government carried on the policy of economic blockade. People living along the coast of mainland China were forced to move inland. Trade legal and illegal between Taiwan and China was nearly stopped.

        By 1666, Jheng Jing¡¦s power in Taiwan was largely consolidated. Jheng Jing took Chen Yonghua¡¦s advice and sent Jiang Sheng to Xiamen, to reopen the smuggling route to China and solve the problem of insufficient resources. Xiamen gradually became the axis of trade between Taiwan and China.

 

Trade with the British

        In addition to reopening trade with China, the Jheng government also actively sought trade with other countries. Among all the European countries, Great Britain was most enthusiastic about trade with Taiwan.[6] The Jheng government signed a trade treaty with the British East India Company. The British were permitted to set up merchant houses in Taiwan, exporting Taiwanese specialty products like cane sugar and deerskin, and importing ammunition, cloth, etc.

 

Trade with Japan and Southeast Asia

        As Japan is close to Taiwan. the Jheng government kept a close trade relationship with Japan. Taiwan mainly exported cane sugar, deerskin, and silk to Japan. The imports from Japan were mainly military goods and metals. Some of this trade was indirect, through China.

        Taiwan also maintained trade relationships with places in Southeast Asia. Business with Luzon, the main island of the Philippines, was the most prosperous.