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“Shen You-rong expelled Wybrand van Warwijck and his people” is the earliest surviving stele in Taiwan (1). Its content refers to an event in 1604 when the Ming Dynasty General Shen You-rong made Dutchman Wybrand van Warwijck leave Penghu under negotiation (2). This stele was discovered in the eighth year of Taisho (1919).
The stele is 200cm high, 28cm wide, and 14cm thick. It is currently preserved in the Penghu Tianhou Temple, Magong City, Penghu County, Taiwan. On October 9, 2019, the stele “Shen You-rong expelled Wybrand van Warwijck and his people” was designated as a general antiquity. On March 8, 2022, “Shen You-rong expelled Wybrand van Warwijck and his people” was announced as a national treasure by the Ministry of Culture (3)(4).
History
editTo expand its sphere of influence and increase trade, the Dutch East India Company aimed to find a long-term base in East Asia where ships could be replenished. In 1602 (the 30th year of Ming Wanli), after the Dutch failed to take over Macau, they accepted the suggestion of Chinese businessman Li Jin and set sail in June 1604 (the 32nd year of Ming Wanli). They planned to transfer to Penghu via Macau. However, they encountered strong winds in Guangzhou and sailed directly to Penghu instead (5).
After arriving at Penghu, Commander Wybrand van Warwijck (6) assigned people to Fujian to request a financial transaction. The Fujian Haicheng Tax Supervisor Gao Chen posted people to Penghu, claiming that he could create trade opportunities for the Dutch and thus obtained huge bribes from Wybrand van Warwijck (7). However, the Ming Dynasty government did not intend to trade with the Netherlands. After receiving the news, they assigned the governor Shen You-rong to lead 50 warships (about 2,000 soldiers) (8) and arrive in today’s Magong City on November 18 of the same year. In the
“Niangma Temple” (now Penghu Tianhou Temple), the Ming army met Wybrand van Warwijck and asked them to withdraw from Penghu. Wybrand van Warwijck left Penghu(9) on December 15th of the same year and traveled to Taiwan to find a stronghold due to the hopelessness regarding mutual trade and the vast difference in military strength. After the event, the Ming Dynasty government erected this stele to honor Shen You-rong (10).