Zheng Jing

Zheng Jing

Zheng Jing ( October 25, 1642 - March 17, 1681 ; Chinese  鄭 經 , Pe̍h-ōe-jī Tēⁿ Keng ; popular names Xianzhi (賢 之), Yuanzhi (元 之) and Shitian (式 天)) was a Chinese 17th century warlord and ruler of the Tungning Kingdom .

Life

He was the firstborn son of Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong). After Koxinga's attack on Fort Zeelandia on April 30, 1661 and a nine-month siege, the numerically inferior Dutch surrendered under Governor Frederick Coyett at the beginning of 1662. Koxinga founded the kingdom of Tungning from the territories taken over by the Dutch on Formosa (Taiwan) , while Zheng Jing led his father's troops in Xiamen and Quemoy .

After Koxinga's death on June 23, 1662, Zheng Jing took over the reign of Tungning in a dispute with his uncle Zheng Shixi. He tried a rapprochement and reconciliation with the Qing Dynasty and sent envoys to Beijing to achieve the status of an autonomous state for Tungning. 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. After plans to attack the Philippines failed, Zheng Jing undertook a large-scale invasion of Fujian Province between 1676 and 1680 . After initial success, he was expelled by the Qing troops and withdrew to Taiwan.

Zheng Jing died in 1681 at the age of 39 after almost 20 years of reign. His illegitimate son Zheng Kezang , chosen by him as his successor, fell victim to a coup shortly afterwards and the twelve-year-old Zheng Keshuang , another illegitimate son of Zheng Jing, was installed as 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 . After several defeats, Tungning finally surrendered to Shi Lang on October 3, 1683. After 21 years, the Kingdom of Tungning ended.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Xing Hang 2015, 210–223
2. ↑ Xing Hang 2015, 224–226

literature

• Ralph C. Croizier: Koxinga and Chinese Nationalism. History, Myth, and the Hero. Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA 1977 ( Harvard East Asian monographs 67, ISSN  0073-0483 ).
• Gabriele Foccardi (Ed.): The last Warrior. The Life of Cheng Ch'eng-kung, the Lord of the "Terrace Bay". A Study on the T'ai-wan wai-chih. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1986, ISBN 3-447-02634-0 .
• Chien-chao Hung: Taiwan Under the Cheng Family 1662 - 1683. Sinicization After Dutch Rule. Washington DC, 1981 (Washington DC, Georgetown Univ., Phil. Diss., 1981).
• Xing Hang: Conflict and Commerce in Maritime East Asia. The Zheng Family and the Shaping of the Modern World . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge / UK 2015, ISBN 978-1-107-12184-3 .