After a quick recap of the Spanish and Dutch influence in Taiwan (as well as taking a broader look to encompass the ongoing Eighty Years War), we look at how changes weakened the Spanish position in Taiwan. The Dutch would take advantage of this to try push the Spanish off Taiwan and claim control over the whole island for themselves. This culminated in the battle for San Salvador, the Spanish fortress in Keelung (Jilung).
I invite you to indulge me by coming on a journey, imagining yourself in the story that I wish to tell; a story about a travelling surfer.
For a long time the beer industry in Taiwan was under the control of a government monopoly. Started in 1919 under the Japanese as Takasago Brewery Co., it remained a government monopoly through the Japanese police state and the KMT police state until the markets opened up in the 1980s. Even today Taiwan Beer (produced by the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation) accounts for the vast majority of beer sales in Taiwan. It’s easy to understand why craft beer is still a relatively new industry here.
To help us understand more we welcome Joe Merrell from Taihu Brewing to share his knowledge of the industry. He shares his general knowledge of Taiwan and of the craft beer industry which he joined in 2016.
Taihu Brewing
on Instagram
on Facebook
Distributing (on Facebook) for updates on new beers
TAIPEI:
Bars
-Landmark (Xinyi) Google Maps link and the Facebook link
-CYS (Daan) Google Maps link and the Facebook link
-Driftwood (Ximen) Google Maps link and the Facebook link
Restaurant
-Gyoza Bar (Daan) Google Maps link and the Facebook link
TAICHUNG (TAIZHONG):
Bar
-CYS Taichung (West District) Google Maps link and the Facebook link
Restaurant
-Med (West District) Google Maps link and the Facebook link
JAPAN
-Taihu Tokyo Google Maps link and the Facebook link
-TCRC bar in Tainan (not Taihu, but mentioned in the episode) Google Maps link
Links to other craft breweries mentioned in the episode:
–The Bruery (California, USA)
–Other Half Brewing (Brooklyn, New York, USA)
–Mountain Culture Beer Co. (NSW, Australia)
–Wildflower Beer (NSW, Australia)
–Range Brewing (Brisbane & Melborne, Australia)
And just for fun, here’s a link to a short YouTube series from Extra History on the history of beer (and coffee).
In this episode we discuss the religion of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan, including their gods and ancestors, the duties of the priestesses and how they deal with illness and death. We also look at their architecture, their various arts and crafts, including pottery and fabric, as well as their styles of tattoos.
For those of you interested in reading McGovern’s work for yourself, here are some links to online versions of it.
One long scrolling page from Project Gutenberg or as a flip book from Archive.org or another flip book by Manybooks.
Prof. C.J.’s Alliance of Throne & Altar
Janet Blair Mongomery McGovern was an anthropologist and explorer who visited Formosa from 1916-1918 during the first phase of the Japanese colonial period. While ostensibly working as an English teacher, she spent her free time travelling the countryside to meet and learn about the indigenous peoples of Formosa. Using the information in her book, which has the same title as this episode, we will learn all we can about the Taiwanese indigenous and compare it to Dutch records from the 17th Century.
Link 1 and Link 2 to newspaper articles on the skull discovered in 2022 believed to have belonged to a pygmy.
Videos about the Jew’s Harp (mouth harp)
French performance
Brazil performance
American performance
Description on how to play the instrument
A short history lesson on the mouth harp
The Dutch suffer frequent attacks by the local indigenous on both the Dutch established village of Sakam, where mainly Dutch and Chinese merchants conduct their trade, and on their allies in Sinkan village. Hans Putmans, like his predecessor Pieter Nuyts, kept asking for Batavia to send military reinforcements. In 1635 they finally consented and Putmans was ready to put the hammer down.
Link to the Taiwan government website for the Siraya people.
Link to the Wikipedia article on the Siraya people.
After destroying Zheng’s fleet and liberally plundering the Chinese coast, Putmans is called to battle by Zheng and his hastily assembled replacement fleet. Can the Chinese turn the tide? What will be the long term consequences of this battle politically and economically?
Edit: I looked up the UK’s refugee plan and the African country was Rwanda.
Rwanda may have a rather poor track record in terms of human rights for anyone reading up on the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. One consequence of that was a vast reduction in the male population of Rwanda, which led to many leadership positions being filled – by necessity – by women. This actually led to some of the most progressive laws towards women and women’s rights than anywhere else in the world. Just food for thought.
Link here.
Hans Putmans (or possibly Putman) was the fourth VOC Governor of Formosa and his first order of business was to fix the mess left at the end of Pieter Nuyts’ governorship. Like Nuyts, Putmans heralded from Middelburg, though he had a more varied career with the VOC, being posted to different trading posts before eventually being appointed to Formosa.
His role as governor began with a promising relationship with Zheng Zhilong, before taking an unexpected and somewhat bloody turn.
Pieter Nuyts (also spelt Nuijts) was the third Dutch Governor of Formosa. He was a father, a businessman, an explorer and a politician. He was also opportunistic, sometimes to his own detriment. This episode looks at his time as governor of Formosa.
In editing I discovered my Dutch pronunciation let me down a few times, especially toward the beginning of the recording. The Dutch pronunciation of Nuyts is ‘notes’, while the English pronunciation is ‘newts’.
Taiwan Through Time 