Cheng Wei-chung 鄭維中
Charting with Chinese Junks: The Dutch East India Company’s Hydrographical Surveys of Kinmen and Xiamen around 1629-1631
In 1624, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) established a commercial post in the location of Tayouan [大員, dayuan], known in the present day as Anping District, Tainan. Roughly around this time, they began a series of hydrographical surveys of the coasts of Fujian and Guangdong, the Pescadores, and the southwestern coast of Taiwan. The Dutch were eager to establish a stable forward post on the Chinese coast for free trade in the 1630s. The coastal zones around the estuary of the Jiulong River [九龍江, jiulong jiang] often suffered from an explosion of piracy caused by the displacement of its people due to droughts and the decay of coastal defense forces there. This allowed the sailors of the VOC to survey its hydrographical environment. This window of opportunity closed in 1633 when the Dutch fleet was defeated by Ming naval forces. Throughout the 1620s and 30s, sailors of the VOC traversed the waters around Kinmen (Amoy) and Xiamen (Quemoy) as they interacted with a variety of Chinese pirates and naval units, local townsfolk, and peddlers. This article explores traces of the Dutch surveys of these waters and coasts.