Keelung

Keelung. Keelung (基隆), known historically to European colonizers as San Salvador de Quelang, is a major port city in northern Taiwan. Its deep-water harbor made it a strategically vital location during the 17th-century era of European expansion, becoming a key node in the Dutch East India Company's ambitions to control trade routes and resources in East Asia. The city's early modern history is fundamentally shaped by its period under Dutch colonial rule, which established its first major foreign fortification and integrated it into a global network of colonial commerce and conflict.

History

The area of modern-day Keelung has been inhabited for millennia by Austronesian peoples, notably the Ketagalan tribe. Prior to European contact, it was a site for regional trade among indigenous groups and with merchants from Fujian and other parts of coastal China. The first recorded European sighting was by the Spanish in 1544, but sustained foreign engagement began in the early 17th century. The strategic importance of its natural harbor was quickly recognized by competing colonial powers, setting the stage for a pivotal period of conflict and control. This era positioned Keelung at the intersection of indigenous, Chinese, Spanish, and Dutch spheres of influence, fundamentally altering its trajectory.

Dutch Fortification and Rule

In 1626, seeking to preempt Dutch expansion and secure a base for Catholic missionary work, Spanish forces from Manila landed and constructed Fort San Salvador on Heping Island in Keelung Harbor. The Dutch East India Company (VOC), which had established its headquarters at Fort Zeelandia in the south in 1624, viewed the Spanish presence as a direct threat to its regional monopoly. In 1642, after a series of skirmishes and a blockade, a Dutch fleet led by Johannes Lamotius successfully besieged the Spanish fort. The Spanish garrison surrendered, ceding control of northern Taiwan to the Dutch Republic.

The VOC renamed the stronghold Fort Noort-Holland and significantly expanded its defenses. This fort, along with a smaller outpost on nearby Jilong Island, became the center of Dutch military and administrative authority in northern Formosa. The occupation was not without challenge; the Dutch faced persistent resistance from local indigenous communities and the threat of raids by Ming loyalist forces under Koxinga. Dutch rule in Keelung was primarily military and extractive, focused on securing the harbor and controlling the local sulfur and gold trade.

Economic Role in the Dutch Colonial System

Within the VOC's mercantile network, Keelung served several critical economic functions. Its primary value was as a strategic naval outpost guarding the northern approaches to Taiwan and the trade lanes between Japan, China, and the Philippines. The Dutch exploited local resources, most notably sulfur, which was mined from the nearby Datun volcano group and was a valuable commodity for making gunpowder. There is also evidence of small-scale gold prospecting in the region.

Keelung facilitated the deer hide trade, where hides hunted by indigenous peoples were purchased and exported to Japan. Furthermore, it acted as a secondary port for the transshipment of silk, porcelain, and other goods from China, complementing the larger trade operations at Tayouan (modern Tainan). The harbor provided a safe haven for VOC ships and was a node in the company's intelligence and communication network spanning from Batavia to Nagasaki.

Interactions with Indigenous Peoples and Settlers

Dutch administration in Keelung involved complex and often coercive relationships with the indigenous Basay and other plains aboriginal groups. The colonial policy aimed to pacify these communities through a combination of military force, punitive expeditions, and alliances with select villages. The Dutch imposed a head tax and sought to mobilize indigenous labor for fortification and resource extraction, practices that frequently led to unrest and rebellion.

Simultaneously, the Dutch presence attracted a small number of Han Chinese traders, fishermen, and laborers from the mainland, who began to settle in the area. The VOC attempted to manage this migration and the growing Han-indigenous contact, but its control was tenuous. These interactions laid the early demographic and social foundations for modern Keelung, initiating patterns of settler encroachment and cultural displacement that would intensify in later centuries. Missionary efforts by Dutch Reformed ministers, such as those stationed at Fort Zeelandia, were less pronounced in Keelung compared to the south, with the military and economic agenda taking clear precedence.

Transition of Control and Legacy

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