China’s Conquest of Taiwan in the Seventeenth Century : Victory at Full Moon

Annotation This is the first book to comprehensively cover the historical process leading to Taiwan's integration with Mainland China in the seventeenth century. As such, it addresses the Taiwan question in the seventeenth century, presenting for the first time the process leading to the island's integration with the mainland through the story of the Zheng family and Admiral Shi Lang. The author has confirmed Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga)'s Ming loyalism and his politicization of the conflicts on the China coast. Thus, the author concludes that Zheng was a "revolutionary traditionalist" who transformed sheer violence into a political movement in an unprecedented way. He politicized the entire region and paved the way for the inevitable conflict with Mainland China. After repeated political talks had failed, the rising Qing China decided to take Taiwan by force. Though seaborne warfare was a formidable task at the time, the man who overcame these difficulties and completed the seemingly impossible mission was none other than Admiral Shi Lang. The book provides a new and more justifiable assessment of the Admiral's contribution to the conquest of Taiwan and pacification of coastal unrest. The book will be of interest to general readers as well as specialists researching security and warfare on the China coast Contents 5 1 Introduction 7 2 Unrest on the China Coast 11 2.1 Background to Maritime Activities 11 2.2 Trade and Security 14 2.3 The Great Pirate War and Aftermath 16 2.4 Here Came the Red-Haired Dutch 31 3 The Rise of Zheng Zhilong 40 3.1 Zheng’s Early Life 40 3.2 From Pirate to Warlord 46 4 Zheng Chenggong’s Politicization of the China Coast 62 5 From Dutch Taiwan to Zheng Taiwan 86 6 The Antagonism Across the Taiwan Strait 114 7 The Politics of Peace Talks 132 7.1 The Ideological Obstacle to Peace 133 7.2 Holding Peace in Play 135 7.3 The Breakdown of Peace Talk and Its Resumption 141 7.4 No Light at the End of the Peace Tunnel 146 8 Shi Lang the Admiral 148 8.1 A Rising Star from the Ranks 149 8.2 Escape from Zheng’s Wrath and Defection to the Qing 151 8.3 The Road to Become the Naval Chief 157 9 The Crucial Naval Battle Near Penghu 164 9.1 Controversy Over Strategy 165 9.2 The Naval Battles off the Penghu Islands 169 9.3 Shi’s Policy of Rehabilitation 178 9.4 The Beginning of the End 179 10 Taiwan’s Integration with China 181 10.1 The Decision to Surrender 182 10.2 Repay Injury with Kindness 184 10.3 Celebration of Victory with Jubilation 187 10.4 The Decision of Annexation 191 10.5 The Emperor and the Admiral 194 10.6 The Legacies of the Taiwan Conquest 196 11 Conclusion 202 Maps 205 References 213 Index 236 Front Matter ....Pages i-vi Introduction (Young-tsu Wong)....Pages 1-4 Unrest on the China Coast (Young-tsu Wong)....Pages 5-33 The Rise of Zheng Zhilong (Young-tsu Wong)....Pages 35-56 Zheng Chenggong’s Politicization of the China Coast (Young-tsu Wong)....Pages 57-80 From Dutch Taiwan to Zheng Taiwan (Young-tsu Wong)....Pages 81-108 The Antagonism Across the Taiwan Strait (Young-tsu Wong)....Pages 109-126 The Politics of Peace Talks (Young-tsu Wong)....Pages 127-142 Shi Lang the Admiral (Young-tsu Wong)....Pages 143-158 The Crucial Naval Battle Near Penghu (Young-tsu Wong)....Pages 159-175 Taiwan’s Integration with China (Young-tsu Wong)....Pages 177-197 Conclusion (Young-tsu Wong)....Pages 199-201 Back Matter ....Pages 203-242