郑成功 Zheng Chenggong (1624-1662) A national hero who recaptures Taiwan
January 6, 2012, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
ZHENG Chenggong, a military leader in the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), has been remembered as a national hero who recaptured Taiwan after 38 years of Dutch colonial rule of the island.
Zheng's father, Zheng Zhilong, was a renowned merchant and pirate leader who had great influence in the coast areas of southeast China, Taiwan and Japan. His mother was a Japanese whose surname was Tagawa.
Zheng was born in Hirado, Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan. As a child with a Chinese father, he was frequently bullied by Japanese kids in the neighborhood. So the boy studied very hard to excel when he grew up. He also got up early every morning to practice martial arts.
When he was seven, his pirate father was offered amnesty and appointed a military officer by the Ming Court. So, young Zheng returned to his ancestral hometown in today's Fujian Province in southeast China with his mother and a younger brother.
Seven years later, Zheng passed the imperial civil examination at the county level and gained the title of Xiucai or Licentiate. In 1644, Zheng enrolled in the Imperial Nanking University in the city called Nanjing today.
But in the same year, Beijing, then the capital of the Ming Dynasty, was seized by rebels led by Li Zicheng and the Ming emperor hanged himself in a back garden. Soon after, the rebels were driven out of the capital by invading Manchurian troops and the city was established as the capital of the Qing Dynasty.
In the following year, with the support of the military force led by Zheng's father and his family, Prince Tang of the deceased Ming emperor was installed as the Emperor Longwu in Nanjing to continue the rule of the Ming Dynasty.
In 1646, Zheng was appointed by the emperor as a military leader to fight the invading Qing troops in eastern and southeastern China.
By that time, Zheng's father decided to surrender to the Qing Court, accepting promises that he and his family would be safe. However, after his surrender the Qing Court immediately broke its promise. Zheng's father was captured and sent to the Qing capital in the north and Qing troops also began to attack Zheng's hometown. In the chaos of battle, Zheng's mother hanged herself, further steelingZheng's determination to fight the Qing invaders.
In following years, Zheng organized a strong armed force and launched several military expeditions into the areas controlled by Qing troops in the east. His forces once beseiged Nanjing.
Several times, the Qing troops sought a ceasefire with Zheng, but since he was still loyal to the Ming Dynasty he rejected all peace offers.
Still, due to lack of coordination among anti-Qing forces, Zheng was later defeated and withdrew into southeastern coastal areas.
In 1661, to build a military base for long-term resistance against Qing rule, Zheng decided to take Taiwan back from Dutch rule. He first attached Chihkan in today's Tainan area, where the Dutch defense was weakest. After nine months fierce fighting, Zheng forced the Dutch colonialists to surrender, ending their 38 years of rule of the island.
Today's Zheng's statues can be found in many places in Fujian and Taiwan since he is widely respected as a national hero.
Zheng's father, Zheng Zhilong, was a renowned merchant and pirate leader who had great influence in the coast areas of southeast China, Taiwan and Japan. His mother was a Japanese whose surname was Tagawa.
Zheng was born in Hirado, Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan. As a child with a Chinese father, he was frequently bullied by Japanese kids in the neighborhood. So the boy studied very hard to excel when he grew up. He also got up early every morning to practice martial arts.
When he was seven, his pirate father was offered amnesty and appointed a military officer by the Ming Court. So, young Zheng returned to his ancestral hometown in today's Fujian Province in southeast China with his mother and a younger brother.
Seven years later, Zheng passed the imperial civil examination at the county level and gained the title of Xiucai or Licentiate. In 1644, Zheng enrolled in the Imperial Nanking University in the city called Nanjing today.
But in the same year, Beijing, then the capital of the Ming Dynasty, was seized by rebels led by Li Zicheng and the Ming emperor hanged himself in a back garden. Soon after, the rebels were driven out of the capital by invading Manchurian troops and the city was established as the capital of the Qing Dynasty.
In the following year, with the support of the military force led by Zheng's father and his family, Prince Tang of the deceased Ming emperor was installed as the Emperor Longwu in Nanjing to continue the rule of the Ming Dynasty.
In 1646, Zheng was appointed by the emperor as a military leader to fight the invading Qing troops in eastern and southeastern China.
By that time, Zheng's father decided to surrender to the Qing Court, accepting promises that he and his family would be safe. However, after his surrender the Qing Court immediately broke its promise. Zheng's father was captured and sent to the Qing capital in the north and Qing troops also began to attack Zheng's hometown. In the chaos of battle, Zheng's mother hanged herself, further steelingZheng's determination to fight the Qing invaders.
In following years, Zheng organized a strong armed force and launched several military expeditions into the areas controlled by Qing troops in the east. His forces once beseiged Nanjing.
Several times, the Qing troops sought a ceasefire with Zheng, but since he was still loyal to the Ming Dynasty he rejected all peace offers.
Still, due to lack of coordination among anti-Qing forces, Zheng was later defeated and withdrew into southeastern coastal areas.
In 1661, to build a military base for long-term resistance against Qing rule, Zheng decided to take Taiwan back from Dutch rule. He first attached Chihkan in today's Tainan area, where the Dutch defense was weakest. After nine months fierce fighting, Zheng forced the Dutch colonialists to surrender, ending their 38 years of rule of the island.
Today's Zheng's statues can be found in many places in Fujian and Taiwan since he is widely respected as a national hero.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
