It
can be argued that Koxinga is one of the three or four most
significant individuals in Taiwan's history. If it wasn't for him,
Taiwan may well have been a Dutch colony until after World War II. If
he hadn't set up a mini-kingdom in opposition to China's Qing Empire,
it's quite possible the Qing would have ignored Taiwan, in which case
Taiwan may well have been incorporated into the Japanese Empire a few
decades earlier than it was.
Temples
dedicated to and named after Koxinga can be found in several parts of
Taiwan. This one, near Dajia in Taichung City (台中市大甲區), is unusual in
having a domed roof [top left], “a bit like a mosque,” according to the
local history expert who showed us around. The broken safe [pictured right]
was the result of the temple's managers forgetting the secret
combination, not robbery, he said. There's no evidence that Koxinga himself
visited Dajia, but during the siege of Fort Zeelandia, he sent
foraging expeditions to this area (and other parts of Taiwan) to
gather food for his army.
Interesting find.
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