During the 4 decades the Dutch East India Company (in Dutch VOC) ruled over Formosa they build several forts and fortifications to protect their possessions from outside threats. Today I would like to dive a bit deeper into these defensive buildings, where were they built? What did they look like and what remains of these structures after 400 years?
Lately I haven’t published much on my website but behind the scenes I’ve been busy on a project: the journals of castle Zeelandia! This years marks the 400 year anniversary of the Dutch-Taiwan relations as 400 years ago the Dutch first arrived on mainland Formosa on what is now An-ping district in Tainan. From exhibitions … Read more
Tomorrow, Saturday 11th of March 2023 the Taiwanese baseball team plays against the team of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the 2023 World Baseball Classic tournament. The Taiwan team WBSC rank is currently 2nd while the Kingdom of the Netherlands WBSC rank is currently 7th. You can’t ask to wonder, how did baseball become … Read more
Taiwan is frequently visited by Typhoons. Most of them are moving passed the island but sometimes they also hit the island. When I lived in Taiwan I only once had a Typhoon struck northern Taiwan. Back then I lived in Taipei city, and apart of some rain and stronger wind, in the city center it … Read more
Dear reader: This article contains affiliate links. These will help this website grow, but will not cost you anything extra. Keelung is a large port city in north east of Taiwan. The city of Keelung is also nicknamed the rainy port because it rains a lot, but don’t let that put you off visiting this … Read more
Keelung has quite a long history and has been an important port for Taiwan for centuries. Due to this importance, local rulers felt the need for defensive structures. Nowadays they are not in use anymore and are popular tourist destinations. Today I would like to go with you through the list of historical forts and … Read more
Although I have never seen it for real, every year I try to watch the Taiwan fireworks online. I thought maybe I can share some of the streams with you so you can also watch it! Taiwan 2023 fireworks show Scroll down to go to the livestream of the fireworks. I’ll keep on updating during … Read more
Worldwide about 23 million people speak Dutch. And even though this is maybe not a large number and Dutch is not among the popular languages to learn as a foreigner, today I would like to share with you some locations in Taiwan where you can learn the Dutch language. [1] image credit Dutch approach DUTCH … Read more
This is the story of the Dutch conquest of Fort San Salvador and the Spanish town La Sanctissima Trinida ( current day Keelung) in the year 1642 as described by P.A. Leupe in his work “DE VEROVERING VAN HET FORT: LA SANCTISSIMA TRINIDADE, OP FORMOSA, IN 1642″. In his work he both uses descriptions as … Read more
Taiwan government announced that after 2 and a half year waiting tourists can come and visit again. Earlier this year working, student and visas for business trip were already available again. Tourist entry is the next step in opening up Taiwan to the world again, in august the 7 day quarantine was already reduced to … Read more