The excellent historical novel by Chen Yao-Cheng (陳耀昌) is a gripping tale of Taiwan in the 17th century, called Formosa at the time, told from the perspective of characters representing the three major ethnic groups (the “tribes” mentioned in the title): the indigenous community, the Dutch and the Chinese.
Another element that makes this book stand out is the female perspective, as two of the main protagonists are Maria, the daughter of the Dutch missionary Hambroeck, and Uma, an Aboriginal woman with a strong character. The main Chinese character is Chen Ze, a man in charge of a merchant ship traveling all over Asia. They are all projected into the intense socio-political maelstrom of 17th century East Asia, with the fall of the Ming Dynasty and the impending war between the Dutch and the Ming loyalists under general Cheng Cheng-kung (鄭成功, also known as Koxinga) on Taiwan.
However, this is a book about life in Formosa and how people from different ethnicities try to deal with their identity and shifting loyalties in the lively international environment of southern Taiwan in the 17th century.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Although a fictional account, A Tale of Three Tribes in Dutch Formosa has made a successful effort to place personal stories into an historical context. The original historical sources were mainly Dutch in origin and strongly focused on trade.
The later Chinese sources were focused on their own exploits and Taiwan after the Chinese invasion by Koxinga in 1661. The stories of the indigenous population and their many communities have little or no role to play in the majority of the historical sources.
Chen, a medical doctor, has made great efforts in studying early Taiwanese history from the earliest sources. His wide knowledge is reflected in the book with an in-depth historical background. The many people and place names might be a little difficult to grasp in the beginning for the uninitiated reader.
However the plot is clear and the reader easily enters into the flow of the story and the lives of the main characters (the excellent translation was made by Ho Wen-ching and edited by Ian Maxwell).
ARTISTIC TREATMENT
Recent publications on 17th century Taiwanese history by different authors, like Lord of Formosa by Dutch author Joyce Bergvelt, as well as the soon to be released movie Taiwan Triology by director Wei Te-sheng (魏德聖), all provide a multi-layered view of Taiwanese history in the 17th century, away from the traditional interpretation of history.
In all these new works the authors and film makers try to capture the individual stories of men, women and children as pawns in the chess game of history, without judging them. This is a pleasant change from earlier nationalistic accounts of history. A Tale of Three Tribes in Dutch Formosa is a welcome addition to this view of history. It is refreshing to see both Aborigines and women in general given their much needed voice in history. This is an ideal book for anyone interested in the vibrant 17th century Taiwanese society and how people with different backgrounds had to live together on this small island and individual stories full of intrigue, romance and armed confrontation.
Robin Ruizendaal is Sinologist and researcher living in Taipei who was a recipient of the 2024 Taipei Culture Award.
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