An exhibition of art and archival documents exploring the Netherlands’ 38-year colonization of Taiwan from 1624 to 1662 is being held at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
The exhibition, which opened on Oct. 16, is curated in partnership with the Taiwan Culture Center in Paris to mark 400 years since the first Dutch settlers arrived in Taiwan.
“Once upon a time… the Netherlands and Taiwan” is to run until April 6 next year and features 16 pieces related to the Dutch East India Co’s colonial rule on Taiwan.
Photo: CNA
The Dutch government of the Netherlands its history as a colonizer nation to reflect and learn, said Wang Ching-ling (王靜靈), the Rijksmuseum’s Taiwanese curator of Chinese art.
“Taking a look 400 years later, both Taiwan and the Netherlands have been actively involved in transitional justice,” he said.
“The design behind the special exhibition was to look at colonial history through a different angle, hoping that viewers may think about transitional justice and receive new inspirations,” he added.
Wang said that what he found most interesting in the showcase is a painting by 19th-century Dutch historian Johan Huizinga of Ming Dynasty general Cheng Cheng-kung (鄭成功, also known as Koxinga).
In Taiwan, Cheng is generally depicted as a majestic character because he defeated the Dutch, but Dutch renditions of Cheng, such as Huizinga’s painting, project a more negative image, featuring a man with long and sharp fingers, and a sly expression, Wang said.
“From the perspective of the museum ... history is not one-sided. It should have varying angles and views for us to observe and inspect,” he added.
Liu Kung-han (劉公漢), acting head of the Taipei Representative Office in the Netherlands, said that most Dutch are unaware of Taiwan’s 400-year connection with the Netherlands.
“Through this exhibition, more people in the Netherlands, especially young people, would know that Taiwan and the Netherlands have interacted [and] engaged with each other as early as the 17th century,” he said.
The exhibition “could open them to the historical connections of the two nations and their deep relations,” he added.
Many events are being held this year in Taiwan and the Netherlands to commemorate the two nations’ four-century-old connection, he said.
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