Kingdom of Tungning
The Kingdom of Tungning (Dongning) ( Chinese 東 寧王國 / 东 宁王国 , Pinyin Dōngníng Wángguó ) or Kingdom of Formosa was a feudal state in the southwestern part of Taiwan with the capital Dongdu (Tungtu) (now Tainan ) between 1661 and 1683 .
history
The Tungning Kingdom was founded by Zheng Chenggong called Koxinga , a supporter of the southern Ming , after the fall of the Ming Dynasty by the Qing Dynasty in China . The aim was to create a base for the restoration of the Ming Dynasty on the mainland. With 400 ships and 25,000 men, Koxinga initially crossed the Penghu Islands off Taiwan , thus creating a basis for the conquest of Formosa (Taiwan), which was then Dutch . In 1661 he landed on Taiwan, captured Fort Provintia and besieged Fort Zeelandia . He negotiated a contract with the Dutch governor Frederick Coyett , which provided for the surrender of the fortress and the surrender of all goods to the Dutch East India Company. In return, Koxinga allowed the Dutch to move their personal property freely to Batavia ( Dutch East Indies , now Jakarta , Indonesia ). This ended 38 years of Dutch colonial rule on Taiwan. Koxinga founded the Kingdom of Tungning in his domain, rose to be its first king and built an administration in the Ming style.
After Koxinga's early death from malaria in 1662, his son Zheng Jing took over the reign. He tried to approach and reconcile with the Qing. He made a trip to Beijing to achieve the status of an autonomous state for Tungning / Taiwan. This project failed due to the demands of the Qing government. In response to attacks by the Tungning fleet on Chinese coastal cities, Beijing ordered the blockade of Taiwan and the support of forces hostile to Zheng Jing on the island. Triggered by a famine in China and the persecution of Ming followers, there were several waves of immigration from mainland Chinese to Taiwan between 1662 and 1664, which Zheng Jing strongly encouraged. He also promoted trade with the British, Dutch, Japanese and other Asian countries.
Zheng Jing died in 1681 after almost 20 years of reign. As he did not leave a legitimate successor, his illegitimate son Zheng Keshuang was to be appointed the new king. This led to the split between the government and the military and serious power struggles. The Qing government in Beijing took advantage of Tungning's weakness and sent a fleet to Taiwan under Admiral Shi Lang . On July 16 and 17, 1683, the Tungning fleet under Liu Guoxuan was defeated near the Penghu Islands by the Chinese invasion fleet under Shi Lang. The Qing troops landed on Taiwan. After several lost battles, King Zheng Keshuang offered to surrender on September 7, 1683. On October 3, 1683, Tungning finally surrendered to Shi Lang. After 21 years, the Kingdom of Tungning ended. In 1684 Taiwan was divided into 3 districts by the Qing Emperor Kangxi and assigned as a prefecture to the Chinese province of Fujian .
Kingdom of Tungning (1662–1683)
| king | Reign from - to |
|---|---|
| Zhèng Chénggōng ( Koxinga ) | 1661-1662 |
| Zheng Shixi | 1662 |
| Zheng Jing | 1662-1681 |
| Zheng Kezang | 1681 |
| Zheng Keshuang * | 1681-1683 |
* under the reign of Feng Xifan from 1682 to 1683.