History of Taiwan: Chinese Immigration
Immigration? I thought Taiwan is China? Or part of China? Or wait… what is it?
It’s way too simple to put the relationship we have with our good old neighbor in a short sentence. Our deep connection with China has to start with the early immigrants, not the government. In fact, for a long time, the court of various monarchies in China couldn’t care less about Taiwan. Does a small island matter when you have a huge country to run?
The first wave of Chinese immigration occurred in the 17th to the 19th century. The majority of the population came from Zhangzhou (漳州) and Quanzhou (泉州), the two counties on the southeast coast of China.
If they wanted to start a new life in Taiwan, they first had to go across the Taiwan Strait (台灣海峽). Despite the fact that the strait is only 180 km wide, it’s more dangerous than we imagined. An old saying goes like this: “Ten people tried to go to Taiwan, six of them died on the way, one of them was so scared that he gave up, only three of them made it there.”
For those who arrived safe and sound, they gave credit to the blessing from above. Mazu (媽祖), also known as the Goddess of the Sea, hence become the most popular god/goddess throughout the island. Mazu temples are everywhere, even inside a modern city like Taipei. You can find one of them right next to Raohe Night Market (饒河夜市). It looks more beautiful at night with lights and candles.
@How do I get there?
Take MRT Green Line to SongShan Station (松山) and take Exit 5. CiYou Temple (慈祐宮) and the entrance of Raohe Night Market are next to each other.
Taiwan used to be part of China from 1684 to 1895 under the ruling of Qing dynasty. However, with the central government so far away, Taiwan was more like a no man’s land. Without an active government, pirates, smugglers, and businessmen all tried to set up a place for themselves on the island. As for the immigrants who made their way against the odds, they were pretty much on their own as well.
Chinese immigrants formed gangs according to their cities of origin. They fought with rival gangs to take control of spots with better conditions. The conflict between the two harbors, Manga (艋舺) and DaDaoCheng (大稻埕), reflected the history of endless street fights.
Manga, the Longshan Temple (龍山寺) neighborhood, used to be the biggest harbor northern Taiwan in the early 17th century. The winner of the street fight took over Manga. The loser, on the other hand, was kicked out. They had no choice but to move to DaDaoCheng, the harbor which later beat Manga and turned into the international trade center in the mid 19th century.
@How do I get there?
Manga: Take MRT Blue Line to Longshan Temple Station (龍山寺) and take Exit 1. Go across the park and the gate is right in front of you.
DaDaoCheng: Take MRT Green Line to Beimen Station (北門). Take Exit 3 and walk along Tacheng Street (塔城街).
Both Manga and DaDaoCheng are located on the west side, where the Old Taipei City used to be. In the late 19th century, due to a series of war, the Qing dynasty finally decided to pay more attention to the island by making Taiwan an independent administrative region from Fujian (福建) province.
Liu MingChuan (劉銘傳), the first governor of Taiwan, built the Old Taipei City. It was surprisingly small, only 1.4 square kilometers in terms of area. He took inspiration from a traditional Chinese city with gates in four directions and walls in between.
The walls were torn down during the Japanese colonial period. Some of the gates were renovated by the ROC government. Beimen (北門), the North Gate, is the only one that remains as it was a hundred and thirty years ago.
@How do I get there?
Take MRT Green Line to Beimen Station (北門) and take Exit 2. The Railway Office and the Central Post Office in the Japanese colonial period is also in the neighborhood.
For those who can read Mandarin, feel free to visit my Mandarin Blog: Donna Wang, 多拿王拿很多
For those who want to explore Taipei, sign up for the walking tours provided by TourMeAway. We are the coolest people in the city.
