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Records of Guanxi Region

Author: The Archives of Institute of Taiwan History

The development of Guanxi area began in 1791, when Wei Agui of Zhuqian Village arrived the east side of Xinpu. This collection comprises land records, personal contracts, licenses, and allotment agreements among devisees of the Zhang family of Hudu Village, as well as relevant documents about Wei Agui’s offspring. It is a source for understanding the development of Guanxi area, especially the developing trace of the Zhang family, the uniqueness of Hakka written language, and the early interactions between the plain aborigines and the Han settlers. Besides, these documents are precious for studying women’s life from the late Qing to the early Japanese colonial period.

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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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