Tamsui Peace Park (TPP)

Announcement

The 和平公園Peace Park in Danshui is now open to the public:


Please come and visit.

This Peace Park will commemorate the war dead, friend and foe alike, from Danshui's past.

Tsunami津波 hit northeast Japan

News reports on March 22 show that the 1000-year old 長命穴Longevity Cave - one pass adds three years to your life - has collapsed.

[One of the 260 islets in Matsushima before the tsunami; now most islets and pine trees have been decimated]

On March 11, at 2:47PM local time, Japan is struck by the largest recorded earthquake in its history off the coast of the northeastern city of Sendai [9.0 on the Richter scale]. It surpasses the previously largest 宝永地震 in 1707 [Magnitude 8.6]. Minutes later, the coastal areas were devastated by a huge tsunami津波.

The same epicenter has acted up before, in 869AD [貞観11年] [see the red rectangle in the diagram above]. The tsunami had also left markings in the inland areas.

Matsushima松島, near 仙台市Sendai City, in Miyagi-ken, is one of the three major sights in Japan. Legend has it that the well-traveled poet Matsuo Basho [松尾芭蕉, 1644 – November 28, 1694] was at loss for words, totally captured by its beauty when he first visited it. He left behind an unfinished haiku: Matsushima ya aaa Matsushima ya Matsushima ya松島や ああ松島や 松島や.

News reports now indicate that the Matsushima Bay was somewhat spared; although East Matsushima appeared to have been hit hard by the tsunami (see photo below taken at 8:58AM on March 12 by a reporter):

Unfortunately, the short Togetsu Bridge渡月橋 linking Oshima雄島 has now vanished; the 252-m red bridge to 福浦島Fukuura Island - the Fukuura Bridge福浦橋 above - is most likely also damaged.

And 瑞巌寺Zui-gan-ji, a national treasure built in 1604-9 by Lord Date Masamune伊達政宗, has been turned into a temporary shelter for some 300 stranded tourists who were later evacuated to Sendai. The temple itself sustained some minor damages. The entry way to the temple is covered by mud, however.

The counterpart of the tastiest oyster that has long disappeared from Danshui can still be found in Matsushima; although after the tsunami, the fate of the famed 松島牡蠣Matsushima kaki, cultivated in the bay remains unclear; the exports seem to have stopped for now.

[Above: the oyster beds and below: THE oyster]

This natural disaster has wreaked havoc in the northeast Japan where entire villages and towns were claimed by the sea. The Fukushima power plant nuclear reactors are still out of control. With 50 heroic workers on the job, that too will end soon, one way or the other. The journey of recovery will be a long and hard one; yet fully recover it certainly will.

Good luck and Godspeed.

Dutch presence in Danshui

[Santo Domingo, 1170 – August 6, 1221]

Visitors to the Ft San Domingo紅毛城 in Danshui will know that it was initially built by the Spaniards in 1628. The name was in honor of Saint Dominic, founder of the Friars Preachers [the Order of Preachers (OP)], commonly known as the Dominicans. It was later re-built by the Dutch (finishing in 1646) and re-named Ft Anthonio. The fortress was subsequently repaired and occasionally maintained throughout the Ming-Cheng dynasty and the Qing era. The Brits then leased it from the Qing in perpetuity in 1867/8 and the original name in Spanish was officially retained. To the locals, however, the fortress is always the 紅毛城 [literally City of the Red-haired].

On Aug 21, 1642, the Dutch, after an unsuccessful try one year earlier, attacked the Spanish stronghold Ft San Salvador [located on Palm Island or 社寮島, now 和平島] in Keelung again with 690 soldiers on board of 5 galleons and 2 junks. The Spaniards capitulated after 5 days of intense fighting. Keelung was then ruled by Colonial Governor Hendric Harconse and its garrison commanded by Lt Kriec Kenheecq. The Dutch fortified Ft San Salvador and christened it Ft Noort Hollant [North Holland]. Soon after, 50 soldiers were left to guard the fortress with another 80 dispatched to occupy Danshui. In Feb, 1644, in an attempt to conquer the Senar Tribe in Danshui [in the area now 中興里 and 鄧公里] and other Aboriginal tribes in the region, Lt Kenheecq staged a show of force that, however, had backfired resulting in the loss of 21 Dutch soldiers and 49 Han and Aboriginal mercenaries. Kenheecq was replaced by Captain Pieter Boon who arrived from Tayouan [Tainan] with construction materials and laborers to reinforce Ft Anthonio. This was quickly aided by the arrival of 7 war ships with 300 Dutch soldiers and 10 Han mercenaries on board. And after two months of battles, except the Senar tribe, most other tribes in Danshui, Keelung and Ilan submitted to the Dutch rule and were forced to pay enormous annual tributes.

In 1661, Koxinga succeeded in driving out the Dutch from Taiwan; the latter, however, had never accepted the defeat. In 1664, they actually returned to the undefended Keelung to re-build the fortress, arm it with 24 guns, and guard it with 240 men.

In 1665, Cheng Jing鄭經 (1642-81), Koxinga's son and heir, sent a naval force from Tainan to take Keelung. The Dutch responded by increasing the defense stationed in Ft North Holland (to 387 men by 1667). However, with the trade with Foochow cut off by the Qing, the hostility of the locals owing to years of ruthless Dutch rule, and the difficulties in re-supplying from Batavia, the Dutch finally gave up and retreated to their home base in Indonesia in Oct, 1668. Min-Cheng General Huang-An黃安 led a joint navy-army force to Danshui and took over Ft Anthonio. The presence of the Dutch in Danshui/Taiwan finally came to an end. By 1669, the whole northern Taiwan came under the control of the Tung-Ning Kingdom.

In 1681, Ming-Cheng General He-You何祐, based on 紅毛城, was charged with the defense of Keelung and Danshui who, in the end, yielded the command to the Qing in 1683.

Danshui then became increasingly dominated by Han immigrants arriving mostly from Hokkien.

The Cheng Family Temple

The 延平郡王祠 Koxinga Shrine in Tainan is very well-known. Little realized is that nearby, there is the 鄭氏家廟Cheng Family temple which is located on Chung-yi Road Sec 2 No 36. The stone marker below is, however, a modern addition:

The original name of this temple is 鄭成功祖廟Koxinga's Ancestral Shrine (see the plaque under the eaves in the structure below). It was built by Koxinga's son 鄭經Cheng Jing in 1663. In other words, it only accommodates the Koxinga branch of the Cheng Family. There are no other temples honoring Koxinga's brothers.

At the altar, a wooden statue of Koxinga can be seen:
In the front garden area, a statue of Koxinga and his mother Lady Weng was recently erected. It is a copy of the original located in Koxinga's birthplace in Hirado, Nagasaki. In the inner courtyard, a bamboo tree planted by Koxinga's principal wife Lady Tung has survived to this day:

This temple is now extended to include all Cheng's regardless of their ancestral link - whether it was with Koxinga or his father Cheng Zhi-lung or even no links at all, hence the 鄭氏家廟 designation. A world congress will be held on Nov 6, 2011. All Cheng's are welcome!

[Re-posted from http://chenghistory.blogspot.com]

Tansui Jinja淡水神社

The long lost history of the Japanese shrines in Danshui is finally restored, thanks to the efforts of Mr N Hirokawa (the photos below are downloaded from his blog site here) and many others.

We now know the very first Shindo shrine in Danshui was the 淡水稲荷社 [Tansui I-nali sha]. 稲荷 [literally rice and lotus] of course refers to agriculture and the shrine seems to trace its origin back to the ancient Qin immigrants to Japan. In any case, the one in Danshui was established on Nov 15, 1906. It can be seen on a small elevation behind the 公會堂 (Ko-kai-do, built by ChoSan's father in 1928) in this photo:

[In the picture are the Harada and the Yamamoto families, the latter then visiting from Japan. And to the left and right are Mr Hirokawa's mother, then a teenager, and grandmother, the manager of 公會堂 from 1930-41.]

The address of the Inali Jinja was 臺北州淡水郡淡水街淡水字砲臺埔二八番地ノ一. On the same plot of land [see sketch below; source: 莊家維(成功大學建築所) 碩士論文《近代淡水聚落的空間構成與變遷--從五口通商到日治時期》], a separate shrine, the 淡水社Tansui-sha, was built and dedicated on Oct 10, 1911 [this according to 淡水郡管內要覽, 1930]. It was only a tiny structure; although it was the predecessor to the far more formal and elaborately built 淡水神社Tansui Jinja.

The construction of the new Tansui Jinja in 油車口 started in 1936. In the photo below, the Japanese immigrants are seen celebrating the arrival of royal timber on a cart:

[This picture was taken at 油車口 near the entry to the now Danshui Golf Course. In it, Mr Kinoshita Seigai (one with the white hat next to the drummer) and Mr Hirokawa's father (one with the megaphone on the cart) can be readily identified. On the right is of course Danshui River and Guan-yin Mountain.]

This shrine honored 北白川宮能久親王, 明治天皇, 大物主命, and 崇徳天皇, built in the classical Japanese style with a roofed gate, roofed walls, and a court yard in front of the main hall :

This complex was destroyed in 1974 to make room for Taipei County Martyrs' Memorial台北県忠烈祠. Only the stone steps and the foundation survived.

The shrine was completed on March 11, 1939, and consecrated on June 1, followed by public celebrations. Needless to say, all Japanese residents young and old were on site to take part. The following are the photographic records of the evening of the shrine dedication (immediate below) and the celebratory gathering of Tansui citizens:

[Below: Mrs Harada, Mr Hirokawa's grandmother in ceremonial garment/headgear, posing next to one of the two isidoros in front of the torii, at the entry to the Jinja.]

[Above: In subsequent years, Mr Hirokawa as a child, was carried by his Dad to participate in the ceremonies for students.]

The 1900 census showed that 161 Japanese families then residing in Danshui with 360 males and 224 females (total=584). There were 1,098 Taiwanese families at the same time with 5,500 men and women. In other words, approximately 10% of Tansui-jin were originally from mainland Japan. It is unclear what the ratio was in latter years; although the Nihon-jin were certainly in the minority. By 1946, all Japanese were gone and with them a chapter of the immigrant history of Danshui.

Koxinga and Manila

[Above: The vision of Blessed Guala, by Cosimo Gamberucci, from the Great Cloister of Santa Maria Novella, the principal Dominican church of Florence, ca. 1580]

History is replete with what-if's. For example, what if Koxinga had lived long enough and conquered Manila? What would the history of SE Asia be?

According to 臺灣通史[The Comprehensive History of Taiwan] by the great historian Lien-Heng [連橫 (1878-1936)]:

"初，羅馬神父李科羅在廈傳教，成功禮之，延為幕客。當是時，華人之在呂宋者數十萬人，久遭西人苛待。諸將議取呂宋為外府。成功使李科羅至馬尼拉，說呂宋總督入貢，而陰檄華僑起事，將以舟師援之。事洩，西人戒嚴，集兵馬尼拉，毀城裂砦，以防竊踞。而華人已起矣，鏖戰數日夜，終不敵，死者數萬人。或駕小舟至臺灣，多溺死。成功撫之，而呂宋仍俶擾，又慮鄭師往討，乃命使者隨李科羅乞和。諸將欲問罪，未出師，而成功病革矣。"
"At first, Roman Catholic priest 李科羅 (Victorio Rici, or in Spanish: Victorio Riccio, 1621-1685) was preaching in Amoy. Koxinga treated him with respect and invited him to be a consul. At that time, there were several hundred thousand Chinese residing in Luzon who had long been mis-treated by the Spaniards [Note: especially under the ruthless administration of Governor General Diego Fajardo Chacón, from 1644 to 1653)]. Koxinga's generals proposed that Luzon be annexed. Koxinga therefore sent Rici to Manila to demand the Spanish Governor General to pay tributes but also secretly to plot a revolt by the Chinese - to be supported by warships and soldiers from Taiwan. The plan was exposed, however, and the Spaniards heightened their defense and dispatched soldiers [Note: from Mindanao Island] to destroy Manila to avoid capture/occupation. By then, the Chinese were in uprising who fought in pitched battles for several days but failed in the end. Tens of thousands were killed. Some escaped on little boats and sailed to Taiwan with many drowned on the way. Koxinga seized the opportunity to pacify the Spaniards when Luzon was still in turmoil. The Spaniards were also worried that Koxinga might attack, so an emissary traveled with Rici to Taiwan to sue for peace. Koxinga's general staff preferred punitive actions; however, before the invasion could be carried out, Koxinga passed away [Note: on July 23, 1662]."

The key player in this drama, 李科羅 Victorio Rici was a member of 利瑪竇's extended family [Note: 利瑪竇 (Italian name: Matteo Ricci, 1552-1610), a Jesuit from Italy who travel to China to preach in 1583 and stayed for life)]. Fr Rici was born in S. Maria a Cintoia of Florence and had studied in Fiesole and Rome. In 1654, he went from Manila to Amoy to build a Dominican Church and administer to Koxinga's soldiers.

In 1662, Fr Victorio Riccio was appointed the ambassador to Manila and on May 5th, he practically handed an invitation to surrender from Koxinga to the Spanish Governor General demanding for the submission of the Spanish Colony. The document reads as follows:　

「大明總統使國姓爺寄馬尼拉總督曼利克。特。喇喇之宣諭：
A directive from Koxinga of the Great Ming to Governor General Manrique de Lara of Manila:

承天命而立之君，萬邦咸宜效順朝貢，此古今不易之理也。可惡荷夷不知天則，竟敢虐我百姓，劫奪商船形同盜賊，本當早勒水師討伐。然仰體天朝柔遠之仁，故屢寄諭示期彼悔罪退過，而彼等遇頑成性，執迷不悟，邀予震怒，遂於辛丑四月率水師親討，兵抵台灣捕殺不計其數，荷夷奔逃無路脫衣乞降，頃刻之間，城池庫藏盡歸我有，倘彼等早知負罪屈服，豈有如此之禍哉。
...I (Koxinga) have now driven the Dutch out of Taiwan. Numerous Dutchmen were killed for unwise resistance. If they had capitulated sooner, they would not have suffered such a disastrous fate...,

你小國與荷夷無別，凌迫我商船，開爭亂之基。予今平定台灣，擁精兵數十萬，戰艦千艘，原擬率師親伐。況自台至你國，水路近捷，朝發夕至；惟念你等邇來稍有悔意，遣使前來乞商貿易條款，是則較之荷夷已不可等視，決意姑赦爾等之罪，暫留師台灣，先遣神甫奉致宣諭。倘爾及早醒悟，年俯首來朝納貢，則交由神甫履命，予當示恩於爾，赦你舊罰，保你王位威嚴，並命我商民至爾邦貿易；倘或你仍一味狡詐，則我艦立至，凡你城池庫藏與金寶立焚無遺，彼時悔莫及矣。荷夷可為前車之鑑，而此時神甫亦無庸返台，福禍利害惟擇其一，幸望慎思速決，毋遲延而後悔，此諭。
...You (the Spaniards) are no different from the Dutch, from another tiny state. In Taiwan, I have in my command several hundred thousand soldiers and one thousand warships. I was about to invade Manila; however, in view of your emissary arriving to beg for trade treaties, a behavior different from the Dutch, I am therefore empowering Father Rici to ask that you submit to my rule and pay yearly tributes. If there is any trickery on your part, my ships will quickly arrive and destroy you totally, just like what I have done to the Dutch. By then it'll be too late. The choice is yours...

永曆十六年三月七日　　(Dated and signed by) 國姓爺[Koxinga]」

The Spanish Governor General of the Philippines Islands was Sabiniano Manrique de Lara who succeeded the despotic Diego Fajardo Chacón and ruled between July 25, 1653 and Sept 8, 1663.

This was a story with no ending. Fr Victorio Rici spent the rest of his natural days in the Chinese District in Manila and died there peacefully.

[Re-posted from http://chenghistory.blogspot.com]

The Yuanshan Zoo 圓山動物園

The Taipei Municipal Zoo or "Muzha Zoo木柵動物園" was actually relocated from Yuanshan in 1986. The original Yuanshan Zoo圓山動物園[Maruyama Zoo] was established in 1914 by a 70-person touring circus from Japan. It was taken over by the Colonial Gov't in 1915 and quickly became a very popular site with more than 800 visitors on any given Sunday. This Zoo housed about 70 species of mammals, birds, and reptiles. The picture above shows one of the main attractions, an Indian elephant named Malan [note: another, Lin Wang, was added in either 1952 or 1954].

Near the bottom of the water buffalo page of Taipics.com, there are photos of a 大猩猩 [Gorilla gorilla] (one of them is shown below), the then resident celebrity of Yuanshan Zoo. This majestic looking gorilla was electrocuted in 1945 when the Americans came to bomb Taipei, allegedly to prevent it from escaping from the Zoo and mauling hapless citizens in its path. Unfortunately, the American bombers never did hit this area, so the gorilla (and two lions) died for nothing. It was made into a ferocious fully-standing specimen-display that had remained a source of fascination for generations of children.
Then there was this exotic "fire-eating bird食火鳥", the most dangerous bird in any zoo, that had somehow avoided the euthanasia and survived the war. For illustration purposes, a representing photo here:
The fire-eating fame of 火喰鳥 (hi-ku'i-tori) originated from 1778 when the strange flight-less bird arrived in Nagasaki, Japan, on a Dutch merchant ship. The painting above depicts a Dutchman in striped pants holding a piece of flaming charcoal for the bird, called Cassowary, to eat. No one has ever witnessed such an event at the Yuanshan Zoo or elsewhere, however. The bird apparently eats fruits, insects, and small animals; everything except fire. Many of us still feel duped.

There was also an albino Persian cat with heterochromia (different eye colors). It lived by itself in a tiny wooden cage. Again, for illustration:
Alexander the Great (356-323BC) also had heterochromic eyes, probably from injury to the sympathetic nerve along the external carotid artery when his dad, Philip II of Macedonia (382-336BC), or someone picked up Alex the toddler by his head and inadvertently stretched the young neck. This type of nervous damage prevents proper pigmentation of the iris resulting in a blue eye on the afflicted side.

The Zoo was renovated and further expanded in the 1950s. The marketing policy of adding special shows and exhibits continued for 30 years until 1979.

On September 14, 1986, the zoo animals were moved, amidst great fanfare, through the streets of Taipei to the present site in 木柵.