When I traced the history of my family, I found an interesting fact that the first founder of my mother’s family was one of Kaxinga’s general, Han-Chau JIAN(簡漢超). Koxinga is the establisher of Kingdom of Tungning, a kingdom to against Qing Empire in late 17th century (1662-1683) in Taiwan. Followed with Koxinga, Han-Chau JIAN (簡漢超) attended the battle between the Dutch in the Fort Zeelandia, and eventually stayed in Tainan area. JIAN became the very first founder of my mother’s family.
Figure 1: The burial of Han-Chau JIAN
Figure 2: The battle in the Fort Zeelandia (http://www.tonyhuang39.com/tony0555/tony0555.html)
The battle between Koxinga and the Dutch was a significant event for Taiwan. After this battle all Europeans left Taiwan basically but Taiwan was already entangled into world system due to the colonization of European. The Indigenous society had been altered or influenced by the contact or colonization processes. In Southwest Taiwan, many lands were transformed into sugar plantation, and this process stimulated the speed of Hanization to local Indigenous. In the place where my ancestor settled have many local indigenous people, and according to some historical records, the marriage between Han people and indigenous people is not uncommon. Therefore, I believe that there is Indigenous blood in my family.
Before the study of family history, I never consider about how close between Taiwan history and me or my family. I think that every family history tells not only their personal story but also the historical background in that time.
Figure 3: The ancestral shrine of Jian