Old Fortress Taiwan
It is true that if the Communists had any sort of a navy in 1949 the history of Taiwan would have been very different indeed. When the Nationalists arrived in Taiwan they spent the first 20 years fortifying the nation for an impending communist invasion.
When I first arrived in 1989 Taiwan had just lifted martial law. Air raid drills were still common and the military had a very strong presence. You would often see movements of army vehicles and troops and there was a continual coastal watch. I remember being moved off the beach one evening by a couple of soldiers as well as being cautioned, though not badly, for taking photos of the Kaohsiung harbour entrance.
There are still plenty of signs of the military. With a two year national service for all men and an incredibly dispersed military infrastructure no one travels far without seeing an army base or a young uniformed soldier.
But even that is changing. The army may soon be voluntary, the newly elected KMT are making wishful overtures of conciliation with China and military spending has been stalled as the two sides of government bicker over Tiawan’s future.
Koahsiung harbour is Taiwan’s largest ocean port. It was well fortified during the Qing Dynasty, briefly coveted by the Dutch and English, occupied by the Japanese and then concrete reinforced by the Nationalists.
A few favourites of the Nationalist era were a string of coastal lookouts and pill boxes. Every bridge and major rail route had small fortified checkpoints. You can occasionally see the remnants of these today.
Like many in Taiwan we live close to a military base. This is a large area that today is more often used by elderly gardeners and hikers. They weed and shuffle between old tanks, overgrown razor wire, trenches and spent mortar casings.
The future of Taiwan is no more certain today than it was 60 years ago. But hopefully that future will be shaped by diplomacy and strong international economics rather than the military concrete and iron of the past.
I believe your brief history of Taiwan does not reflect the exist to which other than Chinese were involved. For reference see below:
Brief History of Taiwan
1544 – The Portuguese noticed what is today Taiwan, and called it the beautiful island (Ilha Formosa).
1624 – The Dutch colonize the south of Formosa.
1626 – The Spanish colonize northern Formosa.
1662 – The Dutch were defeated by a Chinese pirate, Cheng Cheng-kung (Koxinga), a loyalist of the Ming dynasty, who himself was on the run from the newly established Qing dynasty. Cheng Cheng-kung died shorthy after.
1683 – Cheng Cheng-kung’s son who had taken his father’s place and the last remnant of the Ming dynasty were defeated by the Ching dynasty troops.These Manchus (Tartars) though they had defeated the Ming loyalist of Formosa/Taiwan did no move to make the island part of the Qing empire as a province until 1887.
1884 – French forces lead by Admiral Coubert invade northern Taiwan/Formosa.
1895 – As the primary concession after the Sino-Japanese war of 1894 China cedes the island to Japan en perpetuity.
1939 – 1945: World War II – Japan surrenders to the Allied Powers led by the United States and China’s Chiang Kai-shek appoints General Chen-Yi to subdue Taiwan/Formosa.
1946 – 90% of Japanese expelled from Formosa/Taiwan.
1947 – After practically destroying the economy of the island, Chen-Yi asks Chiang Kai-shek to quell an island wide uprising of Formosans who were protesting Chen-Yi’s governance of Taiwan.
1949 – Chiang Kai-shek is defeated in China and flees to Taiwan seeking refuge and vowing to take back China.
1975: Chiang Kai-shek dies and is suceeded by his son Chiang Ching-Kuo who ruled with an iron fist until 1988
Sources
http://www.facts-about.org.uk/history-and-events-timeline-taiwan.htm
http://voiceoftaiwan.tripod.com/Timeline%20Of%20Taiwan.htm
Joel reply on June 16th, 2008:
It’s more than a bit absurd to expect a short photo essay on southern Taiwan to cover the whole political history of all of Taiwan. BTW, Timothy E. Bradbury of FAPA – http://www.fapa.org/ – didn’t you leave out the histories of all the islands possessed or claimed by Taiwan that surround the main island? This sort of “you left out” argument could go on with no end, to no end.
Mind your own business and enjoy the evocative photos.
It should be heartening to one and all to see how quickly military hardware decays. Let’s hope the rampant militarism of today quickly meets the same fate.
Fantastic Photos
Really does highlight a changing world.
Stephen reply on June 16th, 2008:
Well at least my photo perspective of it. The defences Taiwan use today are less visible than those above. And perhaps not too effective against the Chinese offensive build-up going on at the moment.
with the price of scrap steel ,I’m surprised its all still lying around !!!
Stephen reply on June 18th, 2008:
True, they may be moved on rather soon. These old tanks are really just training pieces that have fallen behind the front line of gardeners and hikers.
A friend of mine was once chased off a beach near Taichung harbor by police armed with machine guns, back in the late 90′s.
Great photos. I wonder where Mr. Bradbury got that burr up his bum from.
Stephen reply on June 27th, 2008:
Thanks Kaminoge,
I should have added. “, because we were setting off fire-crackers”
I enjoyed your Japan travel series at your site. Keep up the great blogging.
These are some great pics Stephen, tks for recording them for posterity. It is sometimes disheartening to see people native to Taiwan care so little for their past. For good or bad, it makes up for who they are.