Taiwan Through Time

We take a look at the indigenous' religion and their priestesses, their connection to their ancestors and how they deal with illness and death. We also explore the creative side of their society, looking at their architecture, their various crafts and their tattoos.

Using the work of anthropologist Janet Blair Montgomery McGovern, we take a closer look at the indigenous peoples of Taiwan, exploring their culture and society.

After two successive governors regularly requesting additional troops to deal with native hostility, Batavia finally relents and sends Hans Putmans troops.

We look at the confrontation between Zheng Zhilong and Hans Putmans known as the Battle of Liaoluo Bay and its aftermath.

Hans Putmans gets installed as the 4th Governor of Formosa and his primary objective is to fix the mess left by Pieter Nuyts; essentially, re-establish trade with Japan and keeping trying to open up China to trade.

In this episode we take a look at the character of Pieter Nuyts (also spelt Nuijts) and the role he played as Formosa's third governor from 1627 to 1629.

Before continuing Zheng Zhilong's story, we take a moment to look at piracy in the Taiwan Strait and surrounding seas, briefly discuss two unlikely samurai and get an understanding of the Chinese concept of the Mandate of Heaven.

A brief introduction to the background of the man who would inherit Li Dan's pirate empire and his radical departure from operating in the shadows, outside of Dutch notice.

The pirate prince who would unite the pirate bands across Southeast Asia into the first Asian multinational conglomerate.

We discuss the concept of empires and look at some of the actions and inter-actions of the Dutch on Formosa, including the massacre at Lamey Island.

We get some insight into the Europeans at the time and of the impression the Taiwanese indigenous were likely to have had of them. This will then set us up nicely for our next episode, when we look at what the Dutch did on Formosa.

This episode is a brief overview of the changes in trade and religion across southern Asia and Far East Asia, giving a clearer picture on the world that the European explorers in general (and the Dutch in particular) were stepping into.

This episode briefly covers the period of Japanese history from the beginning of the Sengoku Jidai to the mid-17th Century,

A brief look at Japanese history from the late classical period up till the Sengoku Jidai in the mid 15th Century.

With the Portuguese dominating European trade in the East Indies and Far East, the actions of one man will bring about the end of the monoploy.

An overview of the Age of European Exploration in the search for Eastern Spices

Continuing to look at migrations to Taiwan spanning the 1100s to the 1400s and how the rise and fall of the Chinese navy affected the development of the region.

In absence of local written records, we construct a timeline of ancient Taiwan from regional records and archaeological evidence.

Let us look at the current ethnic configuration of the island of Taiwan and touch upon a few theories of their origins.

What is the likelihood of war over Taiwan?

A look at the situation Taiwan is in today and a brief overview on how that situation arose.

An introduction to what this series will cover and a tangent on bias in history.