Comments on: Old Fortress Taiwan

By: Raymond

Raymond — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:33:37 +0000

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.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:30:34 +0000

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.

By: Kaminoge

Kaminoge — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:50:41 +0000

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.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:06:49 +0000

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.

By: Ivar

Ivar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:36:05 +0000

with the price of scrap steel ,I’m surprised its all still lying around !!!

By: Joel

Joel — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:58:23 +0000

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.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:11:23 +0000

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.

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:10:37 +0000

Fantastic Photos

Really does highlight a changing world.

By: Timothy E. Bradbery

Timothy E. Bradbery — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 13:59:59 +0000

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