I thought I knew a lot about Taiwan’s history. I’m familiar with incursions and attacks by Portuguese, Dutch, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and US forces. But today I learned of France’s brief occupation of the northern Taiwanese city of Keelung (Jilung). My teacher was Captain Dennis Kuo, a retired ROC naval officer; he delivered the lesson in his apartment overlooking Keelung harbor, where the invasion took place. Perched between the locations of two Qing batteries, we were, as he put it, learning about the battle while sitting on the battlefield.
In June of 1884 French forces attempted to occupy northern Taiwan. They were at war with China over control of Indochina. Keelung was thought to be an easy target close to Taiwan’s seat of government, Taipei. The town also was surrounded by rich coal reserves, strategically located for resupplying steamships in the Western Pacific.
What the French commanders didn’t realize was that the Qing empire had recently enhanced Keelung’s defenses, including building cannon batteries on hills surrounding the harbor. Qing defenders repelled the French, who shifted their attention to attacking mainland China’s coastal city of Foochow.
In October the French returned. They managed to occupy Keelung for eight months, building a fort and other infrastructure, but they were not able to advance their other goals: seizing Tamsui, another coastal city, and Taipei. Disease took a toll on the French fighters; when they withdrew from Keelung in June 1885 as part of a larger settlement with the Qing they left behind a cemetery with more than 600 French dead.
Captain Kuo also explained a wonderful modern tradition that has grown up in response to this history. The Earth God Temple near the French cemetery has adopted the cemetery. Local residents and politicians carry out an annual ritual honoring the spirits interred there. Locals dress up as various participants in the 19th century conflict (including bewigged and red-coated French soldiers) and parade from the temple to the cemetery with offerings for the dead. In recent years, the French representative office in Taipei has sent an official to take part in the ritual.
But did he bring croissants?!
Nice!