1626 - 1661

DUTCH & SPANISH RULE

In 1626, the Spanish Empire, viewing the Dutch presence on Taiwan as a threat to their Philippines colony, established a settlement at Santísima Trinidad on the northeast coast of Taiwan....

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1662 - 1683

KINGDOM OF TUNGNING

On the mainland, Manchu forces broke through Shanhai Pass in 1644 and rapidly overwhelmed the Ming dynasty. In 1661, a naval fleet led by the Ming loyalist Koxinga arrived in Taiwan to oust the Dutch from Zeelandia and establish a pro-Ming base in Taiwan...

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1683 - 1895

QING DYNASTY RULE

In 1683, following the defeat of Koxinga's grandson by an armada led by Admiral Shi Lang of southern Fujian, the Qing dynasty formally annexed Taiwan, placing it under the jurisdiction of Fujian province...

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1895 - 1945

JAPANESE RULE

As the Qing dynasty was defeated in the First Sino-Japanese War, Taiwan, along with Penghu and Liaodong Peninsula, were ceded in full sovereignty to the Empire of Japan by the Treaty of Shimonoseki...

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1945 - NOW

REPUBLIC OF CHINA

The Republic of China established Taiwan Provincial Government in September 1945 and proclaimed on 25 October 1945 as "Taiwan Retrocession Day." This is the day in which the Japanese troops surrendered...

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