"History of Taiwan"

After prevailing on the mainland, the Ching dynasty conquered Taiwan in 1683. Thereafter Taiwan became a territorial part of the Chinese empire. Despite such, the Manchu control of Taiwan was largely focused on preventing Taiwan from becoming a base of resistance or as a haven for Chinese criminals. As a result, various restrictions were placed on the migration of Chinese to Taiwan, and Chinese were banned from developing Taiwan's mountainous regions, with development restricted to the Western coastline. Government administration functioned within this boundary, while everything beyond the limits was considered foreign. Therefore, before the mid-19th century, the Ching dynasty was only in control of the Western plains, and the ruling capability of administrative institutions was quite weak.

As the Manchus weren't overly eager to rule Taiwan and their ability to rule was limited, Chinese along the mainland's southeastern coast ignored various restrictions and migrated to Taiwan, seeking a world of new opportunity. This created a strong dynamic on Taiwan in contrast to the apathy of the Manchus. These new migrants brought with them techniques and culture from their home villages and created villages among indigenous tribes in the plains. They either rented land from or forcibly occupied aboriginal land, and intermarried with the indigenous peoples. Over a period of roughly 200 years of this interaction, most aborigines of the plains became integrated with the immigrants from China. Only a few retain their indigenous language and culture to this very day.

As a result of the weak government, immigrants were forced to use their own means to protect themselves, which sparked the creation of social regulations and an arbitration system. Villages and townships entered into mutual protection alliances, and society in general became armed. Some remnants of this are still seen in Taiwan society. For example the sacrificial rites seen in folk religious activities often can be traced back tot the protection alliances of times past.

In the second half of the 19th century, Western colonial powers again extended their influence to the Far East. In 1860, the Chang dynasty opened the ports of Tamsui in northern Taiwan and Kaoshiung in southern Taiwan to foreign trade and allowed missionaries to come to Taiwan. The roughly 150-year break in contact with the West ended, and tea and camphor became emerging industries. This sparked rapid development in the hills of Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli In 1874, Japan sent troops to Taiwan in response to the killing of an Okinawan living outside the borders of government control in Southern Taiwan. This spurred the Ching Dynasty to include areas outside the borders under its rule, and it enabled legal development in the foothills. In 1884, the Sino-French War rippled through Taiwan when the French army occupied northern Taiwan and its navy blockaded Taiwan's ports. In response to the foreign invasion, the Ching dynasty made Taiwan a province and increased the island's defensive fortifications. However, the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 set the stage for Taiwan to be ceded to Japan the following year under the terms of the Treaty of Shimonoseki.

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