Category: Colonialism

Taiwan and the Netherlands: What the East Asian Island Nation Can Learn from its Former Colonizer

Written by Charlie Smith. The King’s Field is a famous Japanese video game series created in the 1990s. But nearly 400 years ago, there was another King’s Field—the entire island nation of Taiwan. For 38 years in the 17th century, Taiwan was a colony of the Dutch Republic under the administration of the Dutch East India Company. And the Dutch king was the largest shareholder. 

“The Han people pioneers cleared the land, but the land they cleared was stolen from them, and they were forced to turn their labors toward tilling the so-called ‘king’s fields’,” wrote historian Su Beng in Taiwan’s 400 Year History. “Moreover, most of what they achieved was given over, in the form of rent or taxes, called ‘king’s field rent contributions,’ for the use and enjoyment of the Dutch.”

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What is the significance of the dialogue with the Dutch community in Vancouver for 2023 TAIWANfest in Canada? 

Written by Charlie Smith. The Dutch Cultural Association of B.C. is trying to tell a more nuanced and complete story of the Netherlands, including the experiences of those who lived under Dutch colonial rule. Moreover, the association’s goal is to provide a richer understanding of how Dutch descendants should act as visitors on the unceded lands of Indigenous nations in Canada’s westernmost province. Oostindie believes that this has set his organization up well for a collaboration with this year’s TAIWANfest in Vancouver and Toronto. Oostinde discusses how Taiwan, the Netherlands and Canada can “have heartfelt discussions that bring these hidden histories forward. And we can learn about what it means for contemporary politics, how we work together, and how we consider democracies.” 

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Indigenous Youth Actions in Taiwan: Connecting Our Voices to the Global Stage 

Written by Sra (Bo-Jun Chen). Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples are becoming increasingly concerned with various global issues that are also highly pertinent to our own situation in Taiwan, such as environmental, human rights, and cultural heritage issues. In recent years, for instance, Indigenous youth in Taiwan have realised the significance of language and identity revitalisation, which may assist us in combating oppression. Moreover, we have found that the insensitivity of our lands and ignorance of our history pose a far greater threat to us than the plundering of our resources and hazards to our lives. Some Indigenous youth are thus committed to overcoming obstacles influenced by colonialism and strive to bring our voices and agendas to the global stage. Through our participation on the international stage, we aspire to be heard and have more conversations about similar difficulties. 

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A Possible Blind Spot on Decolonisation in Taiwan’s Museums

Written by Pin-Hua Chou. When it comes to the Universal Exposition held in Paris in 1931, there are many criticisms of imperialism and colonialism appearing in all kinds of articles, both academic and non-academic. But, interestingly, speaking of the Taiwan exposition in commemoration of the first forty years of colonial rule in 1935, all the information in Mandarin that we can find at first glance seems to have a tendency to praise the Japanese government of the time by describing how valuable and grandiose achievements were made in this specific exposition under the rule of the Japanese empire and to belittle the ROC government at the same time. 

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Japanese Colonial/Occupational Histories in the National Museums: A Comparison Between Taiwan and Singapore

Written by Pin-Yi Li. In the postcolonial Asian context, national museums reflect the countries’ colonial histories and their transformation, offering the country’s incumbent political elites the opportunity to reinvent or adjust the initial museum discourses framed by the colonisers. For example, respectively built by the Japanese and British colonial governments, both the National Taiwan Museum and the National Museum of Singapore are the oldest public museums in each country.

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History was Reconfigured at the Time of Discovery: The Life and Afterlife of Chiang Wei-Shui

Written by Fang-Long Shih. The life and afterlife of Chiang Wei-Shui (蔣渭水 1891–1931) have echoed what the film Rashomon has denoted: “History was not found at the time of its occurrence, but was reconfigured at the time of discovery” (dir. Akira Kurosawa 1950). In 1921, Chiang Wei-Shui founded Taiwan Cultural Association (TCA, 台灣文化協會), the first culture-based organisation in Taiwan’s history. The TCA was established “to promote Taiwan to a position of freedom, equality and civilisation”. The TCA also had a political aim to “adopt a stance of national self-determination, enacting the enlightenment of the Islanders, and seeking legal extension of civil rights”.

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