The Dutch on Formosa

The Dutch occupied Formosa from 1623/24 till 1661, when they were expelled by the Chinese Zheng Chenggong (commonly called Koxinga).

Fort Zeelandia was built between 1624 and 1634, and was the center of administration during the Dutch period. The bricks to build this fort were brought in from Java, the mortar was a mix of glutinous rice, sugar, sand, and ground sea shells.

Not much is left of Zeelandia, other than a few remains of the walls. The other structures have been (re)built later by the Japanese and Chinese.


Fort Provintia, built in 1653, is located in Tainan city, and is much smaller than Zeelandia. It is also called Chih-Kan Lou, or Red-Haired Tower. The original fort has been destroyed by wars and earthquakes, and again all that is left are remains of some walls.


The above picture shows the statue of Frederick Coyett surrendering to Koxinga, with in the background Provintia (the structure on top has been built recently).