Fort Provintia

Coordinates: 22°59′51″N 120°12′10.12″E / 22.99750°N 120.2028111°E / 22.99750; 120.2028111

Fort Provintia
赤崁樓
Fort Provintia
Taiwan
General information
Type Former fort
Location West Central, Tainan, Taiwan
Completed 1653

Fort Provintia or Providentia (Chinese: 赤崁樓) was a Dutch outpost on Formosa at a site now located in West Central District, Tainan, Taiwan. It was built in 1653 during the Dutch colonization of Taiwan. The Dutch, intending to strengthen their standing, sited the fort at Sakam, about 2 miles (3.2 km) due east from modern-day Anping.[1] During the Siege of Fort Zeelandia (1662), the fort was surrendered to Koxinga,[2] but was later destroyed by an earthquake in the 19th century. It was rebuilt as Chihkan Tower (Chinese: 赤崁樓; pinyin: Chìkǎnlóu; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chhiah-khám-lâu) afterwards.

The fort's name derives from the Taiwanese aboriginal village recorded by the Dutch as Sakam,[lower-alpha 1] which has developed into the modern-day Tainan. After growth in size and trade, the Chinese called it Chhiah-kham, and surrounded it with high brick walls. It eventually became the capital of the whole island under the name of Taiwan-fu.[1]

In addition to the site's architectural and artistic significance, its library of dictionaries and business transactions documents the Siraya language spoken by the native inhabitants of the region during Dutch rule.

the entrance of the Chihkan Tower

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Other early forms of the name are Chhaccam, Sacam, Saccam, and Zaccam.[1] Also Sakkam per Davidson (1903), Index p. 32

References

Bibliography

  • Andrade, Tonio (2005). "Chapter 6: The Birth of Co-colonization". How Taiwan Became Chinese: Dutch, Spanish, and Han Colonization in the Seventeenth Century. Columbia University Press.
  • Campbell, William (1903). "Explanatory Notes". Formosa under the Dutch: described from contemporary records, with explanatory notes and a bibliography of the island. London: Kegan Paul. OCLC 644323041.
  • Davidson, James W. (1903). The Island of Formosa, Past and Present : history, people, resources, and commercial prospects : tea, camphor, sugar, gold, coal, sulphur, economical plants, and other productions. London and New York: Macmillan. OL 6931635M.
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