How a Chinese pirate defeated European colonialists and won Taiwan during the seventeenth century
During the seventeenth century, Holland created the world's most dynamic colonial empire, outcompeting the British and capturing Spanish and Portuguese colonies. Yet, in the Sino-Dutch War—Europe's first war with China—the Dutch met their match in a colorful Chinese warlord named Koxinga. Part samurai, part pirate, he led his generals to victory over the Dutch and captured one of their largest and richest colonies—Taiwan. How did he do it? Examining the strengths and weaknesses of European and Chinese military techniques during the period, Lost Colony provides a balanced new perspective on long-held assumptions about Western power, Chinese might, and the nature of war.
It has traditionally been asserted that Europeans of the era possessed more advanced science, technology, and political structures than their Eastern counterparts, but historians have recently contested this view, arguing that many parts of Asia developed on pace with Europe until 1800. While Lost Colony shows that the Dutch did indeed possess a technological edge thanks to the Renaissance fort and the broadside sailing ship, that edge was neutralized by the formidable Chinese military leadership. Thanks to a rich heritage of ancient war wisdom, Koxinga and his generals outfoxed the Dutch at every turn.
Exploring a period when the military balance between Europe and China was closer than at any other point in modern history, Lost Colony reassesses an important chapter in world history and offers valuable and surprising lessons for contemporary times.
Tonio Andrade is professor of history at Emory University. He is the author of How Taiwan Became Chinese: Dutch, Spanish, and Han Colonization in the Seventeenth Century.
Table of Contents
Illustrations ixDramatis Personae xiPreambleAn Execution 3 ONEDestinies Entwined 21Pirate War 34War Is the Art of Deception 45The Wrath of Heaven 54The Samurai 60The General 68The Sea King 82Heaven Has Not Tired of Chaos on Earth 99 TWOAn Extreme and Terrifying Storm 111A Foggy Morning 117Koxinga’s Victories 124Parleys and Capitulations 137The Castle 152An Assault 165A Summer of Misery 181Relief from the Sea 194 THREEThe Fleet 207A Foolish Attack 218The Defectors 227Koxinga Closes In 239The Accidental Embassy 250Acrimony 269The Last Battle 278Surrender 290A Mad Death 298 CLOSINGEpilogues and Conclusions 307Acknowledgments 331Notes 335References 399Index 423
What People are Saying About This
From the Publisher
"You can read this book as an exciting novel full of pirates, swashbuckling characters, beheadings, treachery, and battles on land and sea—a novel that just happens to be true—or as a revelatory look at the little-known first war between China and the West, and window into one of the biggest unsolved questions of world history: why Europe rather than China colonized the world from the time of Columbus onward. Either way, you will be sorry when you reach the last page."—Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs, and Steel and Collapse"With arresting anecdote, colorful detail, and all the excitement of a contemporary novel, Andrade reconfigures the debate between revisionists and neotraditionalists on the question of whether, and to what extent, Europe's early modern preeminence reflected technological and military superiority over Asia. This book's analysis is as original as it is convincing."—Victor Lieberman, University of Michigan"Based on impressive readings in Chinese and Dutch sources, Lost Colony examines fascinating interpretive issues on the changing nature of military power in various parts of the early modern world. Strong and important, this book tells a good story."—John E. Wills, Jr., author of 1688: A Global History"This engaging and detailed book seeks middle ground in a longstanding debate regarding the alleged exceptionalism of European warfare. Examining a key conflict between Asian and European forces, Andrade opens a window on the Dutch colonial endeavor in Asia and its often symbiotic relationship with Chinese southern ventures, explaining how, with grit and luck, the Chinese gained Taiwan by successfully adapting and counteracting the military techniques of their opponents."—Michael Laffan, Princeton University
