China News Agency, Quanzhou, March 6th: Why did Zheng Chenggong "get out of the circle" at home and abroad?
——Interview with Deng Kongzhao, former vice president and professor of Taiwan Research Institute of Xiamen University
China News Agency reporter Sun Hong Zeng Fuzhi
For more than 300 years, Zheng Chenggong has been praised by compatriots on both sides of the strait as a national hero of China.
Not only that, the Zheng's maritime merchant group he represented was not only the most active force in the East Asian waters in the 17th century, but also had inextricable connections with the East India Company in Europe, Southeast Asian countries, and Japan, making him a famous figure in the history of Chinese culture. One of the most international personalities.
Why did Zheng Chenggong "get out of the circle" at home and abroad?
Deng Kongzhao, former deputy dean and professor of the Taiwan Research Institute of Xiamen University, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency "East and West" for in-depth analysis.
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
China News Agency reporter: Zheng Chenggong expelled the Dutch colonists and recovered Taiwan, becoming a common national hero on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. How did he regain Taiwan more than 300 years ago?
Deng Kongzhao:
Zheng Chenggong regained Taiwan. The most impressive thing is his series of clever and wise strategic operations.
The bronze statue of Zheng Chenggong on the top of Daping Mountain in Quanzhou, Fujian.
Photo courtesy of Visual China
In order to ensure victory, Zheng Chenggong concentrated his superior forces. The combined strength of the first echelon and second echelon of the Taiwan Restoration Army was equivalent to more than 10 times the strength of the Dutch East India Company in Taiwan; The emperor was newly mourned, and the Qing army had no time to use troops to ensure that they would not be attacked by the enemy during the Eastern Expedition; avoiding the real and the false, avoiding the powerful artillery fire of Zeelandia Castle, and using the astronomical tide to enter the Taijiang River from the "shallow port" Luermen Channel The inland sea quickly completed the landing at Heliao Port.
He paid attention to disintegrating the enemy's army and attacking the heart first, and repeatedly declared to the Dutch colonists that Taiwan belongs to China, China has sovereignty over Taiwan, and the only way out for the Dutch is to leave Taiwan.
He adopted the strategy of dividing and encircling and breaking down each, separating the two Dutch castles so that they could not respond to each other, and soon forced the Dutch in the weaker Provenza Castle to surrender; Strategy, after a nine-month siege, ordered the heavy bombardment of Zeelandia Castle, and the Dutch colonists had to surrender.
China News Agency reporter: 2022 is the 360th anniversary of Zheng Chenggong's recovery of Taiwan, and all walks of life on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have held various commemorative activities. Why is Zheng Chenggong respected by compatriots on both sides of the strait?
Deng Kongzhao:
Zheng Chenggong's feat of restoring Taiwan has at least three aspects of historical contribution and significance of the times.
First, it regained the Chinese territory that had been occupied by the Dutch colonists for 38 years.
Since the Soochow regime in the Three Kingdoms period sent Wei Wen and Zhuge Zhi to lead 10,000 soldiers to Yizhou (Taiwan), successive regimes and the people along the southeast coast have continued to manage and develop Taiwan and Penghu, which shows that Taiwan was China long ago. where people actually own.
After the Dutch invaded and occupied Taiwan in 1624, they not only brutally oppressed and exploited the Taiwanese people, but also harassed the southeast coast of China and plundered Chinese merchants engaged in maritime trade.
In order to recover the "homeland of ancestors", fundamentally resolve the conflict with the Dutch colonists, and to establish a base with more room for maneuver for the cause of the Anti-Qing Dynasty, Zheng Chenggong sent troops to the East and ended the Dutch colonial rule in Taiwan. So that Taiwan returned to the hands of the Chinese.
Sculpture of Zheng Chenggong Negotiating Peace in the garden of Chihkan Tower in Tainan.
Photo by Li Peixian
Second, lay a solid foundation for Taiwan's economic development and social development.
In the process of recovering Taiwan, Zheng Chenggong and his successors carried out pioneering work in Taiwan, such as political power construction, economic development, and cultural dissemination.
In May 1661, on the day the second batch of Taiwan-recovering troops arrived in Taiwan, Zheng Chenggong ordered to change the recovered Chikan to "Eastern Capital Mingjing", and established Chengtianfu and Tianxing in Taiwan according to the traditional Chinese system of prefectures and counties. , Wannian two counties.
After Zheng Chenggong's death, Zheng Jing, who succeeded him, changed the "Eastern Capital" to Dongning in 1664, abolished Chengtian Mansion, and changed the two counties to prefectures.
The administrative establishment established by Zheng Chenggong and his sons in Taiwan was the keystone of Taiwan's administrative division, which laid the foundation for the establishment of one prefecture and three counties in Taiwan in the early Qing Dynasty and the subsequent administrative division.
During the siege of Zelanzia, in order to solve the military food supply at that time and realize the long-term plan of establishing a foothold in Taiwan, Zheng Chenggong sent troops to various places in the north and south for reclamation.
After recovering Taiwan, a large number of veterans and literati of the Ming Dynasty who were unwilling to surrender to the Qing Dynasty came to Taiwan, and Zheng Chenggong gave them courtesy and preferential treatment.
They wrote books in Taiwan, established private schools, spread Chinese traditional culture, and contributed to the development of Taiwan's cultural and educational undertakings.
After the death of Zheng Chenggong, Zheng Jing and Chen Yonghua built Confucian temples, built schools, and promoted the imperial examination system when Taiwan's land reclamation had achieved results and the society was relatively stable. Deep roots in Taiwan.
It was Zheng Chenggong who made immortal achievements in the development and construction of Taiwan. The people of Taiwan not only regard him as a national hero, but also respect him as the "sage king who founded Taiwan".
Third, to a certain extent, it prevented the further expansion of Western colonists in Asia.
Mr. Fu Yiling, a late historian of Xiamen University, believed that Zheng Chenggong's recovery of Taiwan was a victory for the anti-colonial struggle of the Asian people, inspired the anti-colonial struggle of people in Southeast Asia, and prevented Western colonists from advancing eastward to a certain extent It is beneficial to Japan, North Korea and other countries to protect national independence and economic development.
This has affected the historical process of Asia to a certain extent and has far-reaching historical significance.
Axis (partial) of "Portrait of Zheng Chenggong" in Ming Dynasty.
Photo courtesy of Visual China
Reporter from China News Agency: In recent years, relevant historical materials have been continuously emerging, and research on Zheng Chenggong has become popular at home and abroad. Why has Zheng Chenggong's study become a hot topic for Chinese and foreign scholars to study the Far East Sea?
Deng Kongzhao:
During most of the Qing Dynasty, due to political reasons, Zheng Chenggong's important value in the history of the Chinese nation was covered up by the rulers.
After the Revolution of 1911, some people of insight gradually realized the significance of Zheng Chenggong.
Lian Heng, a historian under Japanese colonial rule, was particularly touched by Zheng Chenggong's heroic deeds in expelling the Dutch colonists and recovering Taiwan, and gave him a very high evaluation.
In the book "General History of Taiwan", he praised Zheng Chenggong's historical achievements in making "Taiwan back to China", and inspired a generation of patriots who fought for national liberation.
Zheng Chenggong played a leading role in the Taiwanese people's opposition to Japanese colonial rule during the Japanese occupation period.
The main leaders of Taiwan's national movement, Jiang Weishui and Lin Xiantang, all admired Zheng Chenggong very much.
In 1943, the third touring working group of the Taiwan Volunteer Team, which participated in the Anti-Japanese War in the mainland, went to Shijing, Nan'an, Fujian to pay homage to the national hero Zheng Chenggong.
In the sacrificial text, the sentence "Who is the stepfather, who will follow up. The eastern capital left behind the model, Taier obeyed, conquered the homeland, and expelled the Japanese from Japan", which shows that they are determined to follow Zheng Chenggong as an example and complete the feat of recovering Taiwan.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War and the early stage of Taiwan's recovery, "Zheng Chenggong" (1, 2) was included in the elementary school textbooks edited by the Taiwan Provincial Compilation and Translation Institute.
In recent years, some compulsory education textbooks in mainland China have also incorporated the content of "Zheng Chenggong regained Taiwan".
This fully demonstrates the important value of Zheng Chenggong in Chinese culture.
Zheng Chenggong's national spirit of self-reliance, self-improvement and self-confidence in the face of Western powers has become the eternal spiritual wealth of the Chinese nation.
In addition, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Spain, the United States, Japan and other countries have scholars studying Zheng Chenggong.
According to the archives of the Dutch East India Company collected in the National Archives in The Hague, the Netherlands, or the materials recorded by Western missionaries, European and American scholars have noticed the role played by Zheng Chenggong and the Zheng family on the international stage at that time.
They believed that Zheng Chenggong was not only an important figure in Chinese history, but also an influential figure in world history in the 17th century.
Zheng Chenggong played a key role in the Southeast Asian waters, and Europeans who wanted to share benefits from the Eastern maritime trade would inevitably compete with Zheng Chenggong.
Whether in terms of military strength, trade volume, or economic strategy, Zheng Chenggong is an opponent that should not be underestimated.
Statue of Zheng Chenggong in Xiamen, Fujian.
Photo by Sam
China News Agency reporter: During the great voyage period, Zheng Chenggong was the first person to resist colonial aggression and win. This spirit transcends national boundaries and nations, and is still praised today. In today's complex international situation, what is the practical significance of Zheng Chenggong's spirit?
Deng Kongzhao:
Zheng Chenggong is one of the few Chinese who understand "Western language".
He dared to compete with the maritime powers of the Netherlands and Spain at that time, and dealt with them with strength; he was able to block Taiwan occupied by the Dutch and Luzon occupied by the Spaniards, and finally forced them to compromise and won their respect.
Zheng Chenggong's example of daring to fight against Western powers, being good at fighting, and finally winning, has set a glorious example in the history of the Chinese nation.
In October 2005, the "Success" cruise ship full of tourists returning to Hong Kong from Xiaojinmen, Dadan and Erdan Islands passed in front of the statue of Zheng Chenggong in Gulangyu Island, Xiamen, Fujian.
Photo by Chen Hao
Today's China is no longer the China of the past, but there are still many people in the world who attempt to meddle in and interfere with Taiwan.
While remembering Zheng Chenggong's great deeds, we must also learn from Zheng Chenggong's spirit of not being afraid of powerful enemies, daring to fight, and being good at fighting, so as to calmly deal with various problems that arise in cross-strait relations.
No matter how many obstacles are created by "Taiwan independence" and the remnants of international hegemonists and colonialists on cross-strait relations, we must move towards the established goal and complete the great cause of national reunification.
(over)
Respondent profile:
Deng Kongzhao, born in Sanming City, Fujian Province, was a professor at Xiamen University and vice president of the Taiwan Research Institute of Xiamen University.
He has been engaged in the research of Zheng Chenggong and Taiwan history for a long time. He has written monographs such as "Discrimination of Mistakes in Taiwan's General History" and "Zheng Chenggong and Ming Zheng in Taiwan". Translation", etc., and published dozens of related papers.