Two years later, the Spanish (also known as the red beards) overpowered the Dutch and claimed Dan Shui, but the Dutch regained control of the island in 1641. The Dutch continued to rule the island until they were defeated by Koxinga (Cheng Cheng-kung) and his warriors in 1661. With the eviction of the Dutch, Koxinga continued his war against the rulers of the Qing dynasty although he was soon defeated and Taiwan became a part of the Fujian province. In 1885, following a brief occupation of northern Taiwan by the French, the island became an independent province of China. As the Japanese built roads, railroads, hospitals and universities, the centre of Taipei grew forcing the indigenous tribes to seek new habitat. The Japanese continued in their development of Taiwan until the onset of World War II. At the end of the war, Taiwan was handed back to China who was in the midst of civil war. The Republic of China was formed in 1912 by Sun Yat-sen. The Nationalists, under Chiang Kai-shek, continued to rebel and fight against the Communist regime. Chen-yi was sent to govern Taiwan but soon became very unpopular. The local Taiwanese began rioting and in an attempt to control the situation, Chen-yi ordered the deaths of thousands of Taiwanese civilians. Chiang Kai-shek’s plan was to use Taiwan as a base to launch attacks on mainland China, but he was never successful and passed away in 1975. Three years later, Chiang Ching-kuo, Chiang Kai-shek’s son, was elected president. He allowed the formation of the first opposition party, the Democratic Progressive Party. Martial Law ended in 1987 and the Taiwanese were allowed to send and receive Mainland Chinese mail, as well as request Mainland travel permits for the first time since the 1940s. In 1988, Chiang Ching-kuo died and vice president Lee Deng-hui became the island's first native-born president. | 
