Yan Shiqi (顏思齊) (1586 – September 1625), courtesy name Zhenquan (振泉), was a native of Haicheng,

Zhangzhou Zhangzhou (), alternately romanized as Changchow, is a prefecture-level city in Fujian Province, China. The prefecture around the city proper comprises the southeast corner of the province, facing the Taiwan Strait and surrounding the prefec ...

. He was a tailor, fugitive, armed

maritime Maritime may refer to: Geography * Maritime Alps, a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps * Maritime Region, a region in Togo * Maritime Southeast Asia * The Maritimes, the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Princ ...

merchant and also known as the "King of Pioneer Taiwan" (開台王). He may have also been known to Dutch authorities as Pedro China.

Life

Early childhood

There are no surviving biographies of Yan Shiqi and most surviving information about his early life comes from the somewhat unreliable "Taiwan Foreign Records" ( :zh:臺灣外記) by the little known Qing Dynasty historian Jiang Ri Sheng ( :zh:江日昇). Because records of his early life are similar to those of the Chinese pirate Li Dan, some academics have questioned whether Yan Shiqi even existed. However, two other historical sources mention the name of Yan Shiqi: "The Record of Praise of Virtue by the Grand Scribe Li" (太史李公居鄉頌德碑記), written by Lu Hua'ao ( :zh:盧化鰲) in 1635 and the Chongzheng Annals ( 崇禎長編), written by Wang Ji ( :zh:汪楫) in the Qing Dynasty as a historical record of events during the reign of the

Chongzhen Emperor The Chongzhen Emperor (; 6 February 1611 – 25 April 1644), personal name Zhu Youjian (), courtesy name Deyue (),Wang Yuan (王源)，''Ju ye tang wen ji'' (《居業堂文集》), vol. 19. "聞之張景蔚親見烈皇帝神主題御諱字德� ...

. According to the "Taiwan Foreign Records", Yan Shiqi was born in Haicheng,

, Fujian, a town which had a tradition of martial arts. From a young age, he was proficient at martial arts and well-respected. However, in 1603, at the age of 14 or 15, Yan Shiqi became a fugitive when he beat a eunuch's servant to death (Chinese bureaucrat-scholars tended to depict eunuchs negatively as greedy, evil, cunning, and duplicitous, so beating a Eunuch's servant to death may have been viewed as an act of heroism rather than one of unchecked violence). At the time,

was an important window for trade and with many foreign ships at its port. Yan Shiqi escaped China on a ship and arrived in Japan, which was relatively stable during the era of

Tokugawa Shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

. Many Chinese had settled in

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...

either as merchants engaging in foreign trade or as

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

Career advancement

Although Yan Shiqi fled, he started his own business after he arrived in Japan. His tailoring business was good because of his good craftsmanship and he soon established himself in Japan. He also made a lot of friends due to his open-mindedness. He started as a tailor, for some reasons, he was engaged in foreign trade business (or some called it

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

). He stayed in Japan for almost 20 years.

Conspiracy theory

In 1624, for unknown reasons, Yan Shiqi and his brothers planned to overthrow the

and established a regime. At any time,

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

was risky and this time was no exception. The news was leaked before the uprising, they were forced to run for their lives again.

Brotherhood

Yan Shiqi was the leader of the 27 men,that went to the port of

. Among them were: Yan Shiqi, Yang Tian Sheng (deputy financial officer of Dachiban), Hong Sheng (from

Putian Putian or Putien (, Putian dialect: ''Pó-chéng''), also known as Puyang (莆阳) and Puxian (莆仙), historically known as Xinghua or Hing Hwa (), is a prefecture-level city in eastern Fujian province, China. It borders Fuzhou City to the nor ...

, Xinghua), Chen De also known as Chen Zhong Ji (from Haicheng), Zhang Hong (from

Hui'an () is a county under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Quanzhou, Fujian, People's Republic of China. It is situated in the middle of the Fujian coast, between Quanzhou and Meizhou Bay. The county has a population of 921,794, as o ...

Quanzhou Quanzhou, postal map romanization, alternatively known as Chinchew, is a prefecture-level city, prefecture-level port city on the north bank of the Jin River, beside the Taiwan Strait in southern Fujian, China. It is Fujian's largest metrop ...

), nicknamed "Iron Bone Zhang Hong", who can lift 500 catties (250kg) of bluestone, Chen Xun (from Jinjiang,

), Lin Fu (nicknamed "Deep Mountain Monkey"), Li Ying, Zhuang Gui, Yang Jing, Lin Yi, Huang Bi, Zhang Hui, Wang Ping, Huang Zhao, Li Junchen (from

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

), Zheng Yiguan also known as

Zheng Zhilong Zheng Zhilong, Marquis of Tong'an and Nan'an (; April 16, 1604 – November 24, 1661), baptismal name Nicholas Iquan Gaspard, was a Chinese admiral, merchant, military general, pirate, and politician of the late Ming dynasty who later defect ...

, father of

Koxinga Zheng Chenggong, Prince of Yanping (; 27 August 1624 – 23 June 1662), better known internationally as Koxinga (), was a Ming loyalist general who resisted the Qing conquest of China in the 17th century, fighting them on China's southeastern ...

of the

Kingdom of Tungning The Kingdom of Tungning (), also known as Tywan by the British at the time, was a dynastic maritime state that ruled part of southwestern Taiwan and the Penghu islands between 1661 and 1683. It is the first predominantly Han Chinese state in Ta ...

, He Jin, Gao Guan, Yu Zu, Fang Sheng, Xu Ma, Huang Ruilang, Tang Gong, Fu Chun, Liu Zongzhao and Zheng Yu. Later, he met with Li Dan, a merchant who traded between

Ming China The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...

and Japan at that time. Hong Sheng and Yang Tian Sheng were under the command of Li Dan which total around 4000 people. Under the influence of Li Dan, Hong Sheng and Yang Tian Sheng joined Yan Shiqi's group and formed an alliance with

Taiwan

At this time, Yan Shiqi and his brothers had 13 large ships. It should be said that they still have a certain strength.

was such a capable man. Chen Zhong Ji said that

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

was a good place so they all went there. After arriving in Taiwan, he immediately opened up

Beigang Beigang, Hokkō or Peikang is an urban township in Yunlin County, Taiwan. It is primarily known for its Chaotian Temple, one of the most prominent Temples of Mazu on Taiwan. It has a population of 37,899 as of September 2022. Geography The Be ...

and built ten settlements (Main Village, Front Village, Back Village, Left Village, Right Village, Coast Defense Village, Grains Supply Village, Sentinel Village, Treatment Village and North Village).

had sufficient sunshine, abundant rainfall and fertile soil, it is extremely suitable for farming. However, their labour force was insufficient, therefore, he sent Yang Tian Sheng to secretly return to

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

and recruited more than 3000 labourers from

and

. This was a large scale migration of

Mainland Chinese Mainland Chinese or Mainlanders are Chinese people who live in or have recently emigrated from mainland China, defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) except for Hong Kong ( SAR of the PRC), Macau (SAR of the PRC), ...

. However, this large force caused

panic Panic is a sudden sensation of fear, which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reactio ...

among the

natives Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

on the island. They thought that foreign enemies were invading, so they gathered to attack. At this moment, Yan Shiqi showed his

intentions Intentions are mental states in which the agent commits themselves to a course of action. Having the plan to visit the zoo tomorrow is an example of an intention. The action plan is the ''content'' of the intention while the commitment is the ''a ...

, he comforted the

and agreed on the boundaries. After that, they did not intrude each other. Land reclamation, required capital investment, so Yan Shiqi selected a group of people with sailing

experience Experience refers to conscious events in general, more specifically to perceptions, or to the practical knowledge and familiarity that is produced by these conscious processes. Understood as a conscious event in the widest sense, experience involv ...

. With the original 13 large ships, they used the convenience of sea transportation, carry out sea trade with the mainland, at the same time, they organized sea fishing and island hunting, developed the economy and met the needs of immigrants. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

, Spanish and Chinese entered

in large numbers and introduced various plants, such as:

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

jackfruit The jackfruit (''Artocarpus heterophyllus''), also known as jack tree, is a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae). Its origin is in the region between the Western Ghats of southern India, all of Bangladesh, ...

and so on.

Death

Yan Shiqi had

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

and other diseases within a year. He died during a hunting trip to Zhuluo Mountain at the age of 37 and was buried at Jiangjun Mountain in Jiaoli,

Baihe District Baihe District () is a district located in Tainan, Taiwan. It is known for its hot springs and lotus farming. The town borders Chiayi County to the north and east, Dongshan District to the south, and Houbi District to the west. Some indigenou ...

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" ...

City. When he died, he had more than 100 ships and was the most powerful armed

merchant in the late

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

. In 1625, the young and talented,

was elected as the leader. In 1628,

decided to surrender to

but Chen Zhong Ji refused to accept it and planned to rebel. Chen Zhong Ji was then killed by

. In just 2 years,

developed the naval armed groups into more than 1000 ships and 70000 people. After the fall of

surrenderd to

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

but was executed since his son,

was unwilling to surrender.

Commemoration

A monument was erected in

Yunlin Yunlin County ( Mandarin pinyin: ''Yúnlín Xiàn''; Taigi POJ: ''Hûn-lîm-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Yùn-lìm-yen'') is a county in western Taiwan. Yunlin County borders the Taiwan Strait to the west, Nantou County to the east, Changhua County t ...

to record the history of Yan Shiqi's and

's development of

by the mayor of

, Chen Xiang Yang in 1959. Yan Cuo Liao was a small village in Shuilin,

with Yan Shiqi's theme. It was located on the road from

to Kouhu. There were 10 comic story walls drawn on the outer wall of the old houses to display Yan Shiqi's history. Each households had a kettle hanged as letterbox. At the hall, visitors are welcomed to know more about Yan Shiqi by artist Du Fuan. Surrounding attractions were explained. Yan Shiqi's cultural park and memorial hall was officially opened to the public on 14 June 2019. It was located at Haicang,

Xiamen Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, ...

, Fujian, China.開台第一人顏思齊紀念館開幕 https://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20190615000124-260302?chdtv

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yan, Pedro Shiqi 1586 births 1625 deaths 16th-century merchants 16th-century Chinese businesspeople 16th-century pirates 17th-century merchants 17th-century Chinese businesspeople 17th-century pirates Ming dynasty people People from Zhangzhou Businesspeople from Fujian Taiwanese people from Fujian Sea captains