The Contribution of Cartography to the Creation of a Dutch Colony and a Chinese State in Taiwan

Abstract

The maps and charts produced by the brief Dutch colonial government on Taiwan, 1624–1662, follow a clear sequence dictated by changing strategic concerns and contexts that reflected the life-cycle of the colony. First, the Dutch made a general reconnaissance of the island that produced both small-scale charts of the entire coast and large-scale charts of estuaries and natural harbours that might serve as suitable sites for a defensible deep-water harbour. In the second phase, large-scale maps were produced to facilitate military occupation and civil settlement. The Dutch establishment of an agricultural colony in the hinterland of Taiwan created a demand for cadastral and topographical maps requiring the attention of land surveyors, who stayed on the island for extended periods of time.