Democratic
Taiwan, an orphan in Asia
During the Chinese-Japanese War, China (i.e. Ching Dynasty) kept on
loosing its ground. Ching Emperor sent Li Hong-Chang as his ambassador
to Japan to negotiate, while in the meantime, the rumor had already
spread out that Japan wanted to have Taiwan. In mid-March of the same
year, the two sides had come to an agreement to cease fire, excluding in
Taiwan. When the news was spread to Taiwan, Taiwanese people panicked,
and they beseeched the government to aid Taiwan and not to cede this
beautiful island to Japan. Under the enormous pressure from Japan on the
one hand, and the ignorant Ching government that reckoned Taiwan is just
a small island far detached from the mainland on the other, Li signed
The Marguan Treaty. The Governor of the time, Tan Gin-Song, suggested to
bring in western powers in the hope of turning this matter into an
international affair. After
Japan seized Taiwan, Ching soldiers were fearful that their superiors
would flee back to the mainland without taking them along, so they held
the Governor and declared Taiwanˇ¦s independence, established The
Democratic Taiwan. Tan became the puppet president, the first President
of The Democratic Taiwan. Britain, France, Germany, The united Stated of
America and other strong powers were informed that, if they want to
trade in the island, treaties must be signed by both sides again.
In fear of Japanˇ¦s troops and power, western
countries pretended they did not see what went on in Taiwan; Taiwan
became an orphan on the world stage. With its strong military forced,
Japan landed at Oudi; both sides were engaged in fierce fighting at
Keelung. The defeated Taiwanese army poured into Taipei, when the new
President took a German battleship and left for mainland. Taiwan was in
the state of anarchy; the defeated soldiers were robbing everywhere as
the Japanese soldiers maintained their disciplines. In the end, the
gentry and the merchant class in Taipei as well as the westerners,
implored the Japanese to station their troops in
the city.
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