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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.

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V. Conclusion

Although John Thomson was not the only western traveler in Taiwan in the 19th century, his travel journal is invaluable for the research into the history of Taiwan society. Furthermore, what he recorded is regarded as precious historical source for the research of Anthropology especially the Austronesian peoples. Since the equipment and techniques of photography was in the development stage and made photographing be a difficult and complicated job at that time, John Thomson still actively recorded and discovered fields that he had never experienced. Although John Thomson only stayed in Taiwan for one week, he still recorded and photographed a lot of things that he had seen. When we are reading Through China: with a Camera, we can learn how he viewed this exotic island, Taiwan. Moreover, people living nowadays are also curious about John Thomson and want to know his stories and the history of Taiwan through his photographs.


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