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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.