The Dutch occupied Taiwan from 1624 to 1662 with the establishment of the Dutch East Indies Company. The Dutch chose a narrow peninsular, Tayouan, on the southwestern coast to establish their community and built a fortress there. Over a period of years Tayouan became known as Taiwan and became the name for the whole island. To help them cultivate the fertile lands, the Dutch brought in Chinese migrant workers. Many of these workers did not return to China at the end of their contract but stayed on and married women from the mountainous tribes and so a new race, the Taiwanese, was created. The new Manchu rulers did not know how to protect the islands as they were not familiar with naval warfare and more importantly they had wars to fight on mainland China and because of this, for the next 200 odd years the islands were only loosely governed and became a refuge for people fleeing from wars and famine on mainland China. Periodically, the Manchu warriors attempted to extend their authority onto Taiwan, but by this time the people of Taiwan did not identify with mainland China and fought back. In 1887, the Manchu authorities decided that it was time to reassert their authority on the islands as they feared the Japanese, who were expanding their influence to the south. The Japanese did however manage to defeat the Manchu’s, so Taiwan was ceded to Japan. The Taiwanese had been independent for too long and did not accept foreign authority. With the support of many Manchu officials, they created the Taiwan Republic, which was the first independent republic in Asia. Taiwan then went through several changes, beginning with World War II when the Allied Powers returned Taiwan to China at Chiang Kai-shek’s request. The new Chinese authorities proved to be harsh and corrupt and the Taiwanese were soon in direct conflict with the new government. Later, Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan (as he had lost the war on mainland China) and ruled Taiwan under Martial Law. Until Taiwan claimed independence, the next few years were full of political instability. Nevertheless, the country has progressed tremendously and the people have every right to be proud of their achievements. | 
