Chinese language - Development during Qing and Japanese Colonial Rule

CHINA / Backgrounder

Development during Qing and Japanese Colonial Rule

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2003-07-21 19:03

In 1683 Qing troops entered Taiwan, establishing a union between Taiwan
and the mainland. At the start of its administration, the Qing government
issued a series of decrees, forbidding inhabitants of Fujian and
Guangdong to move to Taiwan. However, Taiwan's vast fertile land, yet
untilled -- "one year's harvest is several fold that of the mainland" --
and low taxation nevertheless lured tens of thousands of migrants to the
island, even on pain of death. When Taiwan first unified with the
mainland under the Qing, about 200,000 Han Chinese lived on the island,
and by 1811they numbered more than 2 million. Migrants opened up large
stretches of wasteland, making Taiwan a new agricultural region of the
country. Not only did the people there have ample food and clothing, but
also the capacity to provide large amounts of rice and sugar to the
mainland. In 1885 the Qing government formally designated Taiwan as a
province of its empire, and the province went on to enjoy tremendous
economic and cultural development during the 212 years of

Qing rule

In 1895, at the end of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the Qing
government signed the humiliating Treaty of Shimonoseki, ceding Taiwan
and Penghu to Japan. Taiwan thus became a Japanese colony. The Japanese
forced its policy of "industrial Japan, agricultural Taiwan" on the
island, making Taiwan's economy dependent on that of Japan. In order
fully to exploit Taiwan's economic resources, Japan further expanded its
farmland, and the Japanese colonial government, its financial magnates,
and various individuals seized 68.5% of the land and 97% of the forest.
The Japanese established various industries on the island, such as sugar
processing, canning, paper making, camphor processing, wood processing,
textiles, chemical products, machinery, iron and steel, and electricity.
Although these industries served as the basis for Taiwan's modern
industrial development after WWII, they also provided large amounts of
strategic materials vital to Japan in its aggressive wars in Asia and the
Pacific.

Important Events

In 1885, the Qing government formally designated Taiwan as a province.
The first governor, Liu Mingchuan, called for emigration from Fujian and
Guangdong, and large-scale development occurred on the island. He
reinforced forts to strengthen defense, set up arms and munitions
manufacture, opened up mines, built roads and railroads, started postal
services, and established new schools.

When the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 ended, the Qing government signed
the humiliating Treaty of Shimonoseki, ceding Taiwan and the Penghu
Islands to Japan. The people of Taiwan were enraged; Taipei residents
staged protests by beating gongs demanding a boycott on Japanese goods,
engulfing the city with their remonstrations, and patriots submitted
petitions to the Qing court, swearing that "they would rather fight to
death than give up Taiwan." Under the leadership of Qiu Fengjia and Liu
Yongfu, military resistance against the Japanese occupation lasted for
six months. On the October 19, 1895, Kaohsiung and Tainan were captured
by the Japanese, marking Japan's occupation of the entire island. The
picture shows Japanese policemen and their families at Batungguan on
Mount Yushan.

Japan's Plunder of Taiwan's Resources

The forestry farm on Mount Alishan set up during Japan's colonial rule of
Taiwan. The Japanese built special railroads to transport precious wood
to Japan. From 1914 to 1915, the Japanese opened up coal mines in Keelung
and Taipei, increasing coal production to 2.85 million tons of coal
annually from 1.9 tons in 1897. They opened up gold mines in Jinguashi
and Ruifang in northern Taiwan for gold and copper, and in 1915, they
extracted 1.64 million grams of gold. In 1927, the Japanese exploited oil
and gas resources in western Taiwan, producing 22.83 million kilos of
oil, the highest production in history. Gas production was 18.97 million
kilolitres. In 1937, the Japanese prohibited all spoken and written
Chinese. In 1940, Taiwan had 860,000 hectares of farmland, and served as
the major supplier of agricultural products to Japan. In 1942, Japan
instituted conscription in Taiwan.

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