*
Homepage

 

08/30 (Sun)

Closed Today
*
*
A Brief Journey through Tainanfu, Lugang, and Bangkah
A Brief Journey through Tainanfu, Lugang, and Bangkah

Publication date: 14 Oct 2015
Author: Huang Hsiang-chi |Staff member of the Archives of Institute of Taiwan History

Taiwan has been an important stronghold in the Pacific Ocean since the Age of Discovery. Tainanfu, Lugang, and Bangkah were three critical commercial port cities that played a crucial role in the trading history of Taiwan. These three cities witnessed Taiwan’s involvement in the international trade zone and symbolized its busy business activities starting in the seventeenth century. This article investigates records created by a Qing official Shen Bao-zhen, the Hsu family enterprise in Lugang, and the Chen family enterprise in Nagasaki to illustrate the rich history of these three port cities.

*
I. Lin’s Footsteps in the United Kingdom

Lin Xian-tang arrived in London on June 27 and started to visit places near London. On July 23, he went to London Zoo seeing many animals that he rarely saw, such as apes, parrots, insects, qilins and rhinos. What impressed him the most was that lions and tigers in one cage could live peacefully (see figure 1). On July 28, they visited the zoo again and went to see reptiles first this time. They not just saw many kinds of snakes that they had never seen before and even saw one big snake shedding its skin. They also saw many kinds of fishes like glowing eels, and other species such as birds, cats, and fur seals. In addition to seeing animals, Lin Xian-tang and his sons spent some money riding elephants and camels (see figure 2&3). Even though they ended up encountering sudden heavy rain, getting wet in the rain, and getting separated from others who went to the zoo together, they still had a memorable journey.

Figure1: The Diary of Mr. Guan-yuan on July 23, 1927.
(Source:The Diary of Mr. Guan-yuan, the digital archives of the Archives of Institution of Taiwan History)

Figure2: The Diary of Mr. Guan-yuan on July 28, 1927.
(Source:The Diary of Mr. Guan-yuan, the digital archives of the Archives of Institution of Taiwan History)

Figure3: Elephants in London Zoo in the 1920s.
(Source:Travel in a New World, the digital archives of the Archives of Institution of Taiwan History)

‹ Where did I Leave My Footprints? Lin Xian-tang’s Journey to Europe up II. Lin’s Footsteps in Germany ›

11F., South Wing, Building for Humanities and Social Sciences, 128, Sec. 2, Academia Rd., Nangang Dist., Taipei City 11529,
Taiwan Tel: +886-2-2652-5181 Fax: +886-2-2652-5184 【Contact us】
Copyright © 2010 Institute of Taiwan History, Academia Sinica. All Rights Reserved