Thu, Feb 06, 2003 page3

• Exhibit looks at 37 years of Dutch rule

  REVISITING THE PAST The Dutch brought Christianity to Taiwan and contributed in terms of education and health, but their time here was not without conflict

  • By Melody Chen / STAFF REPORTER
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  While memories of Japan's 50-year occupation are still vivid in the minds of many of the nation's elderly, an exhibition in Taipei brings the 37 years of Dutch rule of Taiwan back to life.

  The National Palace Museum's exhibition "Formosa: Taiwan, Holland and East Asia in the 17th Century," which opened on Jan. 24, displays some 300 artifacts related the period of Dutch rule.

  The theme of the exhibition is the emergence of Taiwan on the world scene, which is closely related to the Dutch occupation of the island from 1624 to 1661.

  Adoration and hatred are the reactions of most Taiwanese to Japanese rule from 1885 to 1945, but reaction to the Dutch occupation usually fails to arouse strong feelings.

  Explaining why the two countries' colonization triggers such a different response, Menno Goed-hart, representative of the Netherlands Trade and Investment Office in Taipei, said the reason is that Japan's colonization was more recent.

  "People's parents may tell them stories taking place during the Japanese colonization. But the Dutch occupation occurred too long ago," Goedhart said.

  Goedhart, who toured Taiwan in late December, said most people's feelings toward the Netherlands are genial.

  Trade

  The Dutch occupied Taiwan mainly for trade purposes, according to Goedhart.

  During the Dutch colonial era, about 200,000 sika deer were exported annually. The spotted skins of the indigenous deer were immensely popular in Japan, where the skins were used in the manufacturing of quivers.

  Apart from trade considerations, the Dutch occupied Taiwan because of its strategic importance, said Tsao Yung-ho (曹永和), a research fellow specializing in Taiwanese history at Academia Sinica.

  The Dutch made the first proper map of Taiwan, said Robin Ruizendaal, director of the exhibition.

  "The Portuguese made maps of Taiwan before the Dutch. However, the Portuguese maps were wrong because Taiwan appeared as three islands," Ruizendaal said.

  Surveys

  From 1636 to 1645, the Dutch launched 11 demographic surveys of the island.

  "The Dutch did the surveys in order to collect taxes," said Ruizendaal, adding that they hired Chinese settlers to collect taxes from the Aborigines.

  One of the most important contributions of the Dutch is education, Ruizendaal said.

  "The Dutch built primary schools for the indigenous people. Most of the indigenous people were the Aborigines because, at that time, Chinese settlers were still few," Ruizendaal said.

  For the first time in their history, Aborigines learned to write in their languages. The Dutch taught the Aborigines to write using Roman characters, Ruizendaal said.

  The Dutch also introduced Christianity. The exhibition displays an original letter written by Dutch preachers to the Protestant authorities in Amsterdam.

  A copy of the Gospel of Saint Matthew in the Sinkan dialect, an Aborigine language, is also exhibited.

  In the 17th century, many dissidents sought refuge in the Netherlands because they found religious liberty in the country, whereas other European countries sought to oppress them, Goedhart said.

  Aborigines were able to keep their faith even after the Dutch were expelled by Koxinga (鄭成功) in 1661, because the Dutch had trained some Aborigines to be preachers, Ruizendaal said.

  In addition, the Dutch established hospitals. However, the practice of Western medicine came to a halt after the Dutch left, Ruizendaal said.

  "The Dutch also set up three courts: a Dutch court, a Japanese court and a Chinese court in Tainan," Ruizendaal said.

  The Japanese and Chinese courts dealt with minor offences, whereas the Dutch court handled big cases such as conflicts between ethnic groups, Ruizendaal added.

  Commenting on the conflicts between the Dutch and Aborigines, Ruizendaal said clashes of interests exist everywhere.

  "The Aborigines had conflicts with the Chinese settlers. They had conflicts within themselves. Conflicts may simply happen between anyone," Ruizendaal said.

  Mixed legacy

  The positive and negative sides of the Dutch colonization remain rich issues for further exploration, said Ang Kaim (翁佳音), a researcher at Academia Sinica's Institute of Taiwan History Preparatory Office.

  "The government's accounts of the Dutch colonial period tend to focus on the negative," Ang said.

  "However, to my great surprise, in Aborigines' legends about the Dutch, positive portrayals of the foreigners outnumber the negative ones," Ang said.

  Owing to their history with the Dutch, some Aboriginal tribes still view Europeans as the soul protectors of their ancestors or their remote relatives, Ang said.

  The exhibition offers people not only a chance to look at the Dutch colonization but also an opportunity to rethink the role the Aborigines play in Taiwanese history.
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