Maritime Frontiers, Territorial Expansion and Haifang 87
Shi Lang went on to explain that, if the land were abandoned, people
who earned their living there would lose their livelihood. The court had
a moral responsibility to care for these people. Moreover, the Dutch had
previously been there and they had long been casting covetous eyes on
the island. Their sailing ships were superior. If they occupied this fertile
and extensive land, the coastal provinces would not have peace. He
argued convincingly that, “the land of Taiwan extends several thousand li
and the population numbers a hundred thousand. If abandoned, foreign
countries will certainly occupy it. Who knows if evil people might see
it as their sanctuary.”^121 His arguments moved the Kangxi emperor to
abandon his earlier non-committal stance. The emperor agreed that,
“it is a matter of great consequences whether Taiwan is to be retained
or abandoned”.^122 This discourse carried the concept of haifang a step
farther. Now territorial expansion was justiβied not only by a need for law
and order, but also as a pre-emptive move to ensure national security.
However, the most interesting point to emerge was that, for the βirst time,
the economic potential of an offshore island was made a justiβication for
overseas territorial expansion.
Debates on the wisdom of keeping the island lingered on. Lan
Dingyuan also saw Taiwan as a strategic location that should be retained
and defended because it was an intrinsic part of coastal security.^123 To
govern the extensive northern region of the island more efβiciently,
he recommended the division of the Zhuluo district into two. He also
emphasized the need to implement equalized taxes, resolve litigation,
build charity schools, promote culture, reward model sons who were
dutiful at home and industrious in the βields, implement a tithing system
and form militia, allow the people to explore new lands and construct city
walls for defense:
In this way, the people could be paciβied within one year, the frontier
could be consolidated in two years and a feeling of decorum and
courtesy among the people could be cultivated in three years. The
still uncivilized aborigines would also be transformed into civilized
aborigines and the civilized aborigines into our people.- For Shi Lang’s recommendations cited above, see Shi Lang 施琅 (1621–96),
“Gongcheng Taiwan qiliu shu” 恭陳台灣棄留疏 [On the retention of Taiwan],
in Jinghai jishi 靖海紀事 [Matters on maritime paciβication] (Fuzhou: Fujian
renmin chubanshe, 1983), pp. 120–4; also in "Chen Tai-wan quliu lihai shu" 陳
台灣去留利害書, in TWWXCK, no. 105, pp. 609–12. - Qing Shengzu shilu, juan 114, in TWWXCK, no. 165, p. 131.
- Chongxiu Taiwan fuzhi 重修台灣府志 [Revised edition of the gazetteer of
Taiwan Prefecture], in TWWXCK, no. 105, p. 643.