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Supporters of Zheng Chenggong created an independent state on the island to fight the Manchus. The latter at this time overthrew the Ming dynasty in China and established their own
Qing dynasty. Subsequently, it took the Manchus 22 years to subdue Taiwan to the Qing dynasty emperors in 1683 following an economic blockade and with the help of
the Dutch. The island, in 1683, was included in the Chinese province of Fujian.
The eastern shores of the island remained uninhabited throughout the 18th century. In the 19th century, Amoy traders sowed the entire territory of Taiwan with rice and tea that they mainly exported to Japan.
The 1842 census showed that Taiwan had 2.5 million inhabitants.
May and June of 1874 marked the so-called Taiwan campaign – the Japanese military operation on the island of Taiwan, which was then under the sovereignty of the Qing dynasty. The campaign was a reaction to the killing of Japanese nationals (the Ryukyu State trading junk team) by Taiwanese aborigines. Japanese troops managed to capture the southern part of the island and demanded that the Qing dynasty assume responsibility for the killings.
Great Britain held the role of intermediary, and Japan withdrew its troops in exchange for the payment of reparations by the Chinese.
Shipwrecks were not uncommon off the southern coast of Taiwan and led to the growth of sea robberies, acts of piracy restricted to attacks on ships washed ashore or stopped in calm waters near the coastline.
In Taiwan, which by 1871 was under the sovereignty of the Chinese Qing dynasty, a diplomatic incident took place. Residents of Taiwanese tribes of the Mudan village killed 54 Japanese fishermen from the Miyakojima island of the Ryukyu archipelago.
In Taiwan, which by 1871 was under the sovereignty of the Chinese Qing dynasty, a diplomatic incident took place. Residents of Taiwanese tribes of the Mudan village killed 54 Japanese fishermen from the Miyakojima island of the Ryukyu archipelago.
The fishermen were accidentally washed ashore by a wave to the southeastern coast of Taiwan.
The main instigators of the massacre were natives from the Kuarut and Bo-otang tribes.
The 12 surviving crew members were rescued by the Chinese and taken to Taiwan, from where they were handed over to Fujian officials. Later, by agreement, they were sent home.
Ryukyu Archipelago Governor Oyama Tsunayoshi, deputy head of Kagoshima Province, reported to the Japanese central government, calling for revenge. Prudently perhaps, any decision on the issue was postponed.
In 1873, a second similar incident occurred when Taiwanese natives attacked a Japanese ship from the village of Kashiwa, Okayama Prefecture. The ship was wrecked in Taiwanese waters and four crew members were beaten to death.
This event infuriated the Japanese public, which actively demanded the most decisive measures from the authorities. Foreign Minister Soejima Taeomi, sent to the court of Emperor Qing, received an audience with Emperor Tongzhi and appealed to the Chinese side with a demand to compensate for the losses.
Responding, the Qing Dynasty Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that although Taiwan belongs to China, the Taiwanese aborigines are southern barbarians who do not recognize the Qing emperor's supreme power.
Therefore, the latter is not responsible for their actions.
We should note, that until 1895, that is before the transfer of the island to Japan under the Shimonoseki Treaty, the island was divided into two zones:
– the western plains, where the main population was made up of migrants from mainland China; here also lived the indigenous agricultural population – “plain settlers” (pinbu);
– the eastern mountainous zone, where since the 17th century there were restrictions on Chinese migration (the so-called fenshanming – a decree on the closure of the mountains). There was no Chinese administration there, and the local population (Shenfan or Gaoshan – "highlanders") was ruled by elders.
Meanwhile, in Japan, public discontent was growing fuelled by political crisis, unpopular reforms and the outbreak of the Saga uprising.
Encouraged by the Americans, the Japanese government decided to use the recent incidents as an excuse to relieve social tension within the country and carry out a punitive expedition.
In April 1874, the Imperial Adviser Okumu Shigenobu, was appointed head of the Taiwan appanage office, and Lieutenant General Tsugumichi Saigo was appointed the commander of the troops of this office. In addition to the ground forces, impressive naval forces were also involved, including the armoured corvette Ryujo, built in England not long before these events. But at the last moment, the government halted preparations due to protests from the British and US ambassadors, who said the invasion of Taiwan "would destabilize peace in the Far East."
Despite international pressure, in mid-May 1874, the 3,000-strong contingent of the Imperial Japanese Army under the command of Tsugumichi Saigo unauthorizedly set off to Taiwan. A little later, the Japanese authorities were forced to recognize the legitimacy of the campaign. On 22 May 1874, the Japanese gathered their troops in the Taiwanese port of Sheliao and began punitive action against the Paivan aborigines.
The natives reacted to the Japanese in a quite unfriendly ma
The desire to weaken the enemy with a decisive blow prompted Saigo to direct his power against them, as the most powerful and stubborn of all his opponents. On June 13, the Japanese army, divided into three groups, entered the hostile territory from different directions. The Japanese moved without encountering strong resistance. But their situation was not easy. Natural conditions seriously complicated their path: torrential rain, typical for this time of year, flooding of rivers and their rapid flow, lack of roads and unfamiliar area entailed many hardships and difficulties.
And the health of the members of the expedition was adversely affected by constant dampness, intense heat and exhausting work. Many fell ill with fever.
The highlanders avoided open combat, which was unequal for them, while firing at the Japanese with impunity from behind the inaccessible rocks, and disturbing them with unexpected attacks. The combat losses of the Japanese were rather small – only 12 men. But 561 Japanese soldiers died of malaria. The Qing dynasty demanded the immediate withdrawal of Japanese troops from Taiwan.
Terashima, who succeeded Soejima as foreign minister, fearing diplomatic complications, sent Japanese Ambassador Okubo Toshimichi to Nagasaki to suspend the expedition.
In August 1874, Okubo arrived in China, where he began negotiations with Zongliyamen (Foreign Ministry).
The parties were irreconcilable, and these negotiations came to an impasse. Eventually, a compromise was agreed upon with the mediation of the British ambassador to China, Thomas Wade.