Heres one for the philatelists. On 23 May, 1895. in Taipei, Taiwan, a few days after learning Taiwan had been ceded to Japan, the Manchu administrators of the island declared independence, proclaiming the establishment of a free and democratic Republic of Formosa. Tang Ching-sung, the Qing governor-general of Taiwan, was prevailed upon to become the republics first President. There was little or no popular support in Taiwan for the proclamation of the Republic, and many Western observers considered its establishment as a cynical ploy by its authors to evade Chinas obligations under the Treaty. Spurned by European public opinion and officially disavowed by China, the Republic of Formosa enjoyed only one week of uninterrupted existence. During this time it decked itself out with the conventional trappings of sovereignty. The Republicans adopted a national flag with a yellow tiger on a blue background, ordered a large silver state seal to be made, and began to issue paper money and postage stamps in the name of the Republic. The Republic of Formosa survived for only five months, collapsing on October 21 as Japanese forces invaded the island. A Japanese writing about the Japanese takeover of Taiwan said Mr. Tang was elected president and the republic of Formosa lasted three or four months, leaving behind nothing but some post-stamps valuable for collectors. Why did it exist, and why did it Fail? The Official Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Formosa (in part below) gives clues. The Japanese have affronted China by annexing our territory of Formosa, and the supplications of us, the People of Formosa, at the portals of the Throne have been made in vain. We now learn that the Japanese slaves are about to arrive. If we suffer this, the land of our hearths and homes will become the land of savages and barbarians, but if we do not suffer it, our condition of comparative weakness will certainly not endure long. Frequent conferences have been held with the Foreign Powers, who all aver that the People of Formosa must establish their independence before the Powers will assist them. Now therefore we, the People of Formosa, are irrevocably resolved to die before we will serve the enemy. And we have in Council determined to convert the whole island of Formosa into a Republican state, and that the administration of all our State affairs shall be organized and carried on by the deliberations and decisions of Officers publicly elected by us the People. But as in this new enterprise there is needed, as well for the resistance of Japanese aggression as for the organization of the new administration, a man to have chief control, in whom authority shall centre, and by whom the peace of our homesteads shall be assured—therefore, in view of the respect and admiration in which we have long held the Governor and Commander-in-Chief, Tang Ching Sung, we have in Council determined to raise him to the position of President of the Republic. The continuity between the Qing administration and the government of the Republic is of a piece with the Chinese strategy, in which Taiwan was a pawn. While there was a chance it could be queened, it was slight, and the sacrifice of the pawn could keep them Liaotang. Having already been ceded to Japan in the Treaty of Shimonoseki, Western powers were not in a position to recognize the Republic of Formosa as a legitimate government. Acting under the authority of the new Republic, Chinese troops would be able to resist the Japanese in Taiwan without technically breaching the terms of the treaty, and if they were successful Taiwan could return to Chinese rule at some future date. Tang Ching-sung and his adherents continued to recognise Chinese suzerainty. However, China did not offer any protection or support, and indeed, could not, given Japanese control of the seas. Taiwan was a minor threat, but one that Japanese must deal with lest it transform to a queen. Meanwhile, it was useful as a distraction while China pressured for the return of Liaotang. youtube/watch?v=iL0iKasTVHE
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 18:26:38 +0000
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