Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 03-20-04 21:05
The province of Taiwan (07)
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天黑黑, 要落雨,----Tian hei hei yao luo yu,
阿公舉鋤要掘芋,---A gong ju chu yao jue yu,
掘阿掘掘阿公掘,---Jue a jue jue a gong jue,
掘ぴ一尾旋留鼓.---Jue zhao yi wei xuan liu gu.
阿公要煮鹹,---A gong yao zhu xian,
阿媽要煮淡,---A ma yao zhu dan,
二個相打弄破鍋.---Er ge xiang da nong po guo.
The sky was getting dark and it was going to rain,
Grandfather carried a hoe and went out to dig yam,
Grandfather dug, dug and dug,
He dug out an eel.
Grandfather wanted to cook the eel savoury,
Grandmother wanted to cook it sweet
They ended up fighting and broke the cooking pot.
A Taiwan folk song
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In 1681AD the Three Feudatories (三藩) of Wu Sangui, Shang Kexi and Geng Zhongming were crushed by the Qing army. Zheng Keshuang, the 12 years old ruler was isolated in Taiwan. Peace had returned to Qing Empire and the Qing armed forces were ready to liberate Taiwan by force. The Qing forces were building up in Penghu Liedao. Shi Lang (施瑯), the commander of the Qing forces in Penghu Liedao was formerly a subordinate to Zheng Zhilong, the father of Zheng Chenggong. When Zheng Zhilong surrendered to the Manzhous Shi Lang followed and surrendered too. Now he was the commander-in-chief of the Qing army responsible to liberate Taiwan which was ruled by the great-grandson of his former boss.
Finally, the time had arrived to liberate Taiwan. In 7th Month of 1683AD the Qing Government dispatched an expeditionary force of 300 warships and 20,000 troops, under the command of Shi Lang, to invade Taiwan. Shi Lang met no resistance when they landed at the Gate of the Deer Ears, the same place where Zheng Cheng Gong landed and defeated the Dutch in 1661AD. Zheng Keshuang, the young boy, surrendered without a fight. The date was 8th day of the 10th Month of the 22nd year reign of Emperor Kang Xi (康熙皇帝), the Year of Gui Hai (癸亥年) or the Year of the Pig.
Li Guangdi (李光地), the Prime Minister of the Qing Government, advised Emperor Kang Xi to give Taiwan back to the Red Heads (the Dutch) because the rebellion of the Zheng family had been crushed. Li Guangdi also told Emperor Kang Xi that Taiwan was a swampy land full of miasmal jungles. The island was unsuitable for inhabitantion.
However, Shi Lang (施瑯), the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force disagreed and he wrote to Emperor Kang Xi saying that:
"台灣關乎四省要害﹐不加強管理﹐不僅不利于統一安定﹐而且還可能導致外國
侵略者乘隙復踞. There are four major harms in Taiwan to the four coastal provinces. If we do not govern it properly and make it safe, foreign invaders might take the opportunity to invade the island and stay there. " Emperor Kang Xi agree.
The following year, in 1684AD (320 years ago), Taiwan was made a Prefecture (郡) of Fujian province. Taiwan officially became a part of the Qing Dynasty. Taiwan would have become a part of Indonesia if Emperor Kang Xi had listened to Li Guangdi, the Prime Minister
....to..be..continued............................
CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
All rights reserved 21032004
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