Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
growing was added. With increased migration to the centre and north of the island, as
well as the development of irrigation systems, almost all the arable land became utilised
over time.
Immigration from China also increased but the imbalance of men to women led to in-
creasing social problems, including the formation of secret societies. Grievances often
led to violence and the Fujian Imperial Inspector Bian Baodi once noted famously that
Taiwan had 'a revolt every three years and a rebellion every five years'.
During this period almost all immigrants came from the same three areas in China:
Zhangzhou and Quanzhou in Fujian, and various locations in Guangdong province. The
first two regions are the source of almost all ethnic Taiwanese (Hoklo); the latter the
Hakka.
Though Taiwan was becoming Chinese during this era, it was also evolving unique as-
sociations and traditions to deal with the unusual immigrant circumstance. For example,
lacking family ties, immigrants created social structures based on shared names, village
origins and worship of similar folk gods. Even small differences could be a source of
conflict: the Zhangzhou-Quanzhou distinction, for example, would be the cause of many
small but deadly battles in Taiwan's history.
The latter half of the 19th century was a period of great turmoil for the Qing. Among
other crises, they had to contend with the Taiping Rebellion, and forced trade with
Western powers. Much of this directly and indirectly influenced Taiwan in profound
ways.
THE RAW & THE COOKED
Controlling a large frontier such as Taiwan was no easy task. As with most colonial
governments throughout history, both the Dutch and later Qing administrations
had to find a way to maintain law and order without draining the coffers. Both also
had to contend with aboriginal inhabitants who wouldn't conveniently accept their
dominion.
When the Dutch arrived in southern Taiwan in 1622 they found it relatively easy
to purchase land for their forts, and also form alliances with the neighbouring
tribes. Military force was used when necessary, but Christian missions were vital
for keeping the peace once areas had been pacified (by 1643 over 5000 aborigin-
als had been baptised). Elsewhere, the Dutch employed a divide and conquer
strategy which resulted in an unstable political landscape of constantly shifting alli-
ances.
Under the Qinglifan(aboriginal management policy) aboriginals were classified
as raw (shengfan) or cooked (shufan). The cooked were those already pacified by
