"What we know about Taiwan history is mainly the history after the Qing Dynasty. We know little about the history before that [time]. That was a period when the Dutch beat the Spaniards and established their power in Taiwan. It was also a time of sea expeditions and the Protestants took over Taiwan after the Catholics," Tsao said at the press conference.
He said the Dutch built up different relations with the residents of Taiwan. With the Han people who had migrated from China, it was basically an economic partnership and the Chinese were made to pay taxes. "With the Aborigines, however, it was a deeper relationship. The Dutch were teachers, governors and moral instructors to the native villagers," Tsao said. "This was a special relationship between the Dutch and the Aborigines. This made the Aborigines more difficult to tame, even after Koxinga and the other Han rulers who came later to Taiwan," Tsao said.
Tales of Dutch Formosa is a radio drama full of music and sound effects. The album recruits famous Puyuma singer Samingad (紀曉君) to sing songs from Aboriginal ceremonies. The program also recruits 17 musicians who perform the background music.
For more information about purchasing the program, contact Radio Taiwan International. Tel: (02) 2885 6168 # 731 or go to www.cbs.org.tw.
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